It is anticipated that by 2023, 50% of the workforce will be working remotely, yet numerous companies still struggle to maximise productivity from these employees. Remote workers can, however, surpass their colleagues in the office when given the necessary support, leading to increased output, improved focus, and lower levels of stress.
If remote or home-based employees are not equipped with the proper tools and support, they may not be as content as their colleagues in the office, and their efficiency may suffer as a result. This can lead to a discrepancy in performance between remote and in-office staff. Therefore, it is vital for employers to provide remote workers with the same resources as their on-site counterparts to ensure they perform to the best of their ability. You can read more about this in our blog posts on remote employee satisfaction and the benefits of remote workers.
A primary obstacle for companies looking to expand their remote teams is knowing how to onboard new members efficiently.
In-person onboarding may be more effective in helping employees comprehend and communicate their emotions, as well as in fostering company culture and a sense of belonging.
As employees “dial in” to work from remote locations, they may inevitably become more detached from their colleagues.
This is indeed a great development.
The positive aspect is that, by recognising and addressing these three shortcomings in your onboarding process, you can improve outcomes considerably.
Your company culture is not being effectively established.
With the availability of various technological tools, employees can now execute their responsibilities from remote locations, without the need for physical proximity. Consequently, the number of individuals working from home has increased significantly.
While expanding beyond traditional office spaces may benefit business, it can have a negative impact on company culture. With teams dispersed across the world, ensuring their cohesiveness can be challenging. Nonetheless, it is your company’s culture that will inspire employee loyalty and dedication.
Hourly employees frequently experience a disturbingly high turnover; studies indicate that around fifty percent of new hires depart the organization within the first year and a half. This lack of commitment to the company’s mission and values is believed to be the underlying cause of this issue. Likewise, remote workers encounter the same challenge.
From the very beginning of the onboarding process, it is critical to ensure new employees are fully assimilated into the company culture. To achieve this, it is advisable to assign an experienced on-site staff member to remotely mentor and advise new team members through a mentoring program. You can read more about this in our blog post on hiring remote developers with the help of a staffing agency.
Introducing a mentorship program can provide new employees with a sense of security and ease by offering access to more experienced team members to answer queries and address any apprehensions. By assigning a mentor to every individual, we can guarantee that everyone feels valued and supported.
Both remote and on-site new hires stand to benefit from in-person mentorship as they adapt to their new position. Promoting a sense of belonging to the company culture can help in retaining employees.
You can read more on this topic on our blog post “If I have workers in another time zone, do they really put in time?“.
Lack of consistency is the reason why.
Instead of allocating resources towards a comprehensive onboarding process, several organizations expect their remote staff to be self-reliant and figure out things on their own.
If your on-site employees undergo a thorough onboarding process, which includes training on cultural sensitivity, key business tools, and an introduction to the company’s principles and ethics, it is imperative to apply the same process to remote staff. This will guarantee that all members of your workforce receive a comprehensive and uniform onboarding experience.
Establishing a standardized onboarding system that is applicable to both internal and external team members is crucial.
It’s important to acknowledge that insufficient onboarding of new hires can lead to substantial financial and time-related losses for businesses every year. Studies demonstrate that around $37 billion is lost annually in the United Kingdom and the United States due to reduced productivity and unsatisfactory job performance of employees.
Providing your employees with education on the company’s guidelines, procedures and tasks can significantly foster their sense of belonging and investment in the organization and their work.
Additionally, ensure that your staff is proficient in operating the equipment and software that they will be required to use daily.
This entails more than just sharing the IT department’s contact information and granting access to the staff’s individual digital accounts.
Empower your staff to address common technical issues independently by teaching them troubleshooting techniques.
Underestimating the Significance of Communication with Others.
In the end, relying solely on emails and phone calls to develop a close working bond with remote employees can be difficult. The absence of face-to-face interaction can impede establishing a solid rapport and cultivating the trust necessary for a fruitful working relationship.
Leaders ought to contemplate how they can augment the onboarding process by including more avenues for employees to interact and collaborate.
An excellent starting point is to conduct regular team meetings utilizing video conferencing software to unify everyone.
Video conferencing technology can replicate physical face-to-face meetings, including body language and expressions, thus facilitating a more customized and productive communication.
You may arrange a get-together where not just work-related matters are discussed, but also everyone’s individual experiences from the previous month.
Encouraging informal discussion between meetings is also beneficial.
Slack and Microsoft Teams are among the numerous team collaboration apps that are widely used by companies to ensure continuous communication among employees.
A team app enables you to establish a collaborative environment for your remote and in-office employees to converse and deliberate on non-work-related topics such as sports and TV shows. This promotes a sense of camaraderie among team members and enables them to take a much-deserved break from their daily responsibilities.
Remember that individuals need to establish connections, not just with their co-workers, but also with the organization in its entirety.
Without frequent face-to-face interaction, members of a dispersed team may experience a sense of disconnection from the overall workplace.
During the initial stages of the employee’s journey, it is critical to execute the onboarding process meticulously to provide them with all the pertinent information to carry out their responsibilities. Subsequently, it is crucial to encourage an atmosphere of transparent communication among team members to ensure that everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions, which can be accomplished using innovative techniques.
Enhance the New Employee Induction
A corporation’s onboarding process is vital in all scenarios, but it becomes even more critical when dealing with remote workers.
To maximize the potential of your remote staff, it is crucial to devise a plan that instils a sense of inclusion among remote workers. Failing to do so puts you in danger of losing your most skilled remote employees.
By adhering to the suggestions provided, you can construct a corporate culture that transcends your physical workspace and fosters a sense of belonging among remote staff. Moreover, if you use Works to hire new personnel, we provide continuous assistance to ensure they feel as comfortable and appreciated as possible in their new positions. If you want to collaborate with the foremost team in the industry, please contact us right away.
