Please let us know where you are, or where you would like to be in the world so we can point you in the right direction.

A clearly defined onboarding process ensures a new hire is introduced to the company in the best possible way and is familiar with the social and professional expectations of their new role.

Each organisation is unique in its practices, culture and requirements of new employees, so an effective onboarding checklist will need tailoring to your organisation. Here are some steps to get you started.

1.Get the right tech

Prepare the employee’s remote workstation by ordering all necessary tech equipment such as a laptop, mouse and keyboard well in advance of their start date to ensure it is delivered on time.

When they have all the required tech, liaise with your IT department to assist with the setup, including access to emails, company-specific software and any communication tools so they can start their first day without any technical holdups.

2. Prepare a welcome pack

You’re looking to get buy-in, engagement and motivation from your new employee from the outset. Don’t wait until their first day; take this opportunity to begin introducing them to your business and its culture, as well as performing vital admin tasks to ensure those first few days go as smoothly as possible.

A superb welcome package is important for helping new team members settle in quickly and be productive almost immediately.

What to include:

  • Personalised welcome message from the founder
  • Company history, vision and mission
  • Culture and values
  • Commitment to employees
  • Benefits package
  • Organisational structure
  • Employment contracts and HR forms (using e-signature tool)
  • Logins to all communication tools e.g. Intranet, HR online etc.
  • Welcome gift such as mug, notepad and pen, water bottle, chocolate etc.

3. First day

Induction presentation

A great way to start a first day remotely is with an induction presentation. In PowerPoint you can broadcast your presentation over the internet to a remote audience, making it easy to go through over the phone or via video call.

As you would have already covered the basics in the welcome pack, the induction presentation will be more specific to that individual and cover:

  • Overview of the role, expectations, hours of work & flexibility
  • Product/service introduction
  • Introduction to your customers
  • Overview of what sectors you operate in
  • Introduction to resources and tools required for the role
  • L&D programme introduction
  • Career path
  • Overview of week one

Introducing new team members

Your team might already know that a hiring process was taking place but may be unaware of the successful candidate. Give them a heads-up beforehand about the new hire and how their role will fit into the larger team.

Use a group video tool and set up a lunch time video meet and greet with the team to help make new team members feel welcomed. Let new hires know they’re free to ask any questions and express excitement about them joining the team.

This is also a great opportunity to set up a team WhatsApp or Microsoft Teams group and encourage team members to message them. Remind the team to make the first move and personally welcome them to the team. Give your new starter a dedicated sponsor or mentor. No matter how comprehensive your company intranet or onboarding process is, they’re still likely to have questions.

4. First week

The key agenda for the first week is getting your new recruit immersed in who you are, what you do, and what you stand for.

Clearly defined itinerary

Set out the itinerary for the first few days, weeks, or months – depending on your onboarding program. Having a clearly defined itinerary that maps out the agenda for each day will help ensure a smooth on-boarding process.

You can keep track of their progress and set clear training goals on tools such as Trello, which allows you to make notes and add in extra tasks as you go.

Team engagement

Encourage the team members to continue integrating the new starter into the group through shared video coffee/lunch breaks. Set up social events with the whole team, such as a Friday quiz, and schedule in regular team meetings via video. Provide details for a point of contact in HR or management, in case the new starter has any initial questions.

Success metrics

Set out success metrics, deliverables and key projects for completion during the first few months. Defined goals and clear guidance on how these will be assessed gives your new starter focus and direction, while providing a benchmark to review performance at the end of the probationary period.

Don’t be afraid of feedback

To ensure you are always improving, welcome feedback. New starters will bring a fresh perspective to the process and help you improve the onboarding experience.

Share

Find out how we can help you.

Get in touch Find out more