Helping new employees to settle in is always essential, but it can be more difficult to do this with remote employees. This year, more companies are recruiting remote staff, so may find themselves trying to onboard employees they have never met face-to-face and who will not come to the office for quite a while. As a manager, it is very important that you make people feel welcome and part of the team. Here’s how you can support a new remote employee.
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Prepare The Rest Of The Team
Your new employee needs to feel like part of the team, even if they won’t meet in person for a while. When you hire someone new to work remotely, let the rest of your team know. Tell them a little about the new hire, what their role will be, and when they will be starting.
It can help to assign your new hire a buddy who can function as the person they turn to for any questions or support if they need any help. Make sure your current team members know to make themselves available to support the new person, so the new employee can ask questions and get help when they need it, without always needing to turn to their manager.
Have Their Equipment Ready
Make sure that any equipment that they will need to do their job are ready for their start date. It’s frustrating to start a new job and find they’re not ready for you, especially if you’re not in the office, which can already be a challenge.
For remote workers, having the right equipment and access to your system is incredibly important if they’re going to be important, especially when you don’t have on-site tech support. IT advisory services can help you to manage remote IT access and offer the right support.
If you’re providing equipment, like a laptop or a work phone, send them to your new hire a few days before they start, so they are ready to start without any delays. If you usually give new hires things like branded notebooks or water bottles, send those too.
If your new hire will need access to certain systems, write out clear instructions so they know how to get in.
Schedule One-On-One Meetings
In the first weeks of their new job, plan one-on-one meetings with your new employee so you can keep in touch and make sure they’re settling in. Having one-on-one meetings is standard practice for most managers with all of their employees, but you might want to think about checking in with new employees who are working remotely more often at first.
Your first meetings with this new hire can be used to check in with the progress of their onboarding plan and offer them the opportunity to ask you any questions they might have or raise any concerns. Have regular conversations with your new hire to make sure they have everything they need to get their job done, and are feeling welcomed into your company.
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