Remote work certainly has its perks, but for many of us it also has its challenges. In this blog series, we’ll focus on the home office, discussing ways to adapt, and conquer—both as an employer and an employee. This is post three of the series. You can follow the rest of the series and read our past posts here.
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With the current state of hiring and workers’ need for flexibility, remote work is a trend that is here to stay. And as remote work becomes more prevalent in the U.S. workforce, organizations will need to create a virtual employee training program for these new remote workers. This will not only create a smooth transition for remote workers to set them up for success, but it will also provide them with a great employee experience.
Whether your new employees are fully remote or are remote for a period of time, you’ll need to create a virtual employee training strategy to keep your organization running smoothly. Below are seven tips to set up your remote onboarding strategy for success:
The first step you’ll need to take when onboarding remote employees is to set clear expectations. Since there is no in-person supervision with remote work, you’ll need to have a structure for onboarding in place and communicate specific goals you’d like to tackle during this process. This will help the new employee understand how the process works, which can clear up any confusion and set the groundwork for a successful training period.
One of the struggles with remote work is the lack of connection workers may feel without a team close by. A way to combat this issue is through video conferencing. Throughout the virtual employee training process, make sure you connect with the new hire through video conferencing using software such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Allowing the new hire to see you during the training process will allow them to become more comfortable with the organization.
Along with conducting video onboarding meetings with your new hire, you’ll want to ensure that they are also being introduced to their new colleagues through video as well. Set up video meetings with your new hire’s teammates to create bonds and help them feel a sense of belonging at the organization. Depending on the new hire’s role, you may also want to set up video introductions between the new hire and top leadership within the company. This will help the new employee understand your organization’s business goals and allow them to feel more of a part of the organization.
It can be difficult to feel part of the team when working remotely. That’s why educating new team members on your organization’s mission and core values are especially important during the onboarding process. This will introduce your new employee to the company’s culture and help them understand your organization’s goals.
Communication is key when it comes to remote work. That is why you’ll need to have an organized structure for communication to keep remote work on track. When training your new employee, educate them on the best way to communicate throughout your organization. You’ll want to establish standards and expectations for communicating through email, video meetings and messaging communication such as Slack. Without establishing these guidelines, messages may be lost, and important projects can slide through the cracks once they start their work.
When it comes to the technical aspects of your new remote employee’s work, you’ll most likely already have written guides for them to follow. However, it’s much easier for people to learn through demonstrations instead of reading about the work in a guide. One great way to keep things consistent in these training sessions is to create video “how-to” guides through Screencastify or online webinars for your remote team. This will make instructions clear and consistent for your new remote employees. You can also see how they are implementing these new tasks by enabling them to share their screens. This will allow you to provide feedback right away on any tasks they’ll need to complete.
Remote training can be difficult due to each organization’s specific goals. That’s why it’s important to ask for feedback during the virtual employee training process. Doing this will open communication between you and the new hire and allow them to express any concerns they may have. Once the onboarding training is over, you may also want to consider creating a survey asking for feedback. Receiving opinions on the trainings will help you iterate your current onboarding strategy and improve the entire virtual training process. The more updates you make to your onboarding strategy, the more successful your remote workers will be.
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