March 2, 2022
Many job seekers I'm currently working with, who recently started new roles remotely, are resigning after only a few weeks due to their onboarding process - or lack thereof. Organisations are making substantial investments into talent attraction strategies and hybrid working due to the labour short market, but seem to be leaving behind a very crucial and commonly overlooked component - onboarding.
Two years ago, working remotely seemed ambiguous and unknown, but it has since become our way of life in the 'new normal'. The majority of employers and employees have found their groove, ironed out any kinks and streamlined processes regarding remote or hybrid work.
On the other hand, it can be said there are still further learnings and refinement needed for the remote onboarding process. In the current labour short market, organisations are putting a lot more time and effort into talent attraction and retention strategies but seem to be leaving behind a very crucial and commonly overlooked component - onboarding.
In fact, many job seekers I'm working with right now actually started new roles remotely during and since the lockdown last year, yet are already looking for new opportunities. In some cases, new employees have resigned after only a few weeks due specifically to the onboarding process or lack thereof.
· A lack of resources to adequately perform the role
· No formal training or information sharing process
· Uncertainty of knowing where to go to find information, or having no open channels to ask
· Lack of clarity around expectations within the role
· A general 'left to it' mentality from their new employer with poor support, guidance or training
These issues create an overwhelmed, stressed, and insecure mindset for your new hire, where just giving up seems to be the only way out. And why wouldn't they given the abundance of choice at the moment.
The onboarding period includes the window of time between the offer being made, through to when a new hire can confidently perform most of their role self-sufficiently. This time is crucial as it sets the tone for the entire employment relationship, not only between the manager and the employee, but their overall engagement with the organisation and it's its purpose.
The most valuable thing that can happen during this period is building trust. Trust is two way, and needs to be earned with the new employee. They need to know their new manager and team have their back, they can rely on them, and they have clear expectations of what is required of them during different stages of their role. This creates an engaged, purposeful, connected, and in time, successful employee.
Trust building comes from an emotional and personal bond built between people(psychological contract) but it also comes from knowing that the other person is going to hold up their end of the bargain, when it comes to expectations set during the interviewing/offer process.
Basic hygiene factors include things like being paid correctly and on time and working conditions (which when based remotely, encompass the equipment needed to perform a role). Not meeting these drives job dissatisfaction, and it's hard to correct a first impression without a time machine!
If you don't already, set up a checklist of everything your new hire will need for their induction, including timeframes and who is going to action each. Think more widely on this too and what can be done ahead of day 1. This not only saves them time but it also makes them feel like their new employer had them in mind leading up to their first day.
· Payroll forms and set up
· IT or work equipment - available prior to day 1 to ensure all working correctly
· Plan for their first week/s so they know what they are doing and when
· What time to start and where to go, ie: drop a teams/zoom into their diary
· Add them to relevant recurring meetings and online groups or distribution lists
· Log ins and access to all systems they will need is sorted
· Clear plan of training, who will complete it and where to go for further help
One of the downfalls that can come out of remote onboarding and/or hybrid working, is the limitations of sharing intellectual capital. When a team aren't performing their roles within a shared space, the natural flow of information can be lost.
If your new hire will be performing a process heavy role, having some form of SOPs or a centralised drive of procedures and policies, allows them to have a self-serving avenue of information. This is important during the training and learning window, as it gives your new hire not only a source of truth if they are uncertain or stuck (and may feel unsure who to contact or embarrassed to reach out) but it also empowers them to seek information and solutions for themselves. It's also good practice for business continuity anyway.
As a leader don't feel compelled to do all the training yourself. Use members of your team to share this load based on their competency levels. It saves you time, gives the new starter the variation of trainers and supports the development of your existing staff.
TIP - An alternative that works great for us here at Cultivate, is instead of having word heavy documents that can let's be honest, sometimes make our eyes glaze over, is recording screen and audio videos of how to complete common tasks across our different systems.
This is a biggie when it comes to embedding a new hire remotely into your business. There are always a number of unsaid social norms in any team, and the normal coffee machine or lunchroom chats that would normally flesh these out unfortunately don't happen remotely. Therefore, as a manager, ensuring your new hire is across team and social norms is paramount from day one. This ensures they feel like they belong.
Think about and jot down the unspoken truths or norms across your team or department prior to your new hire starting and consider how you can work these into your onboarding conversations. I.e. Rachel is shocking at checking her Teams messages but always responds on email OR Suzie is unavailable between 3-4 as she does the school pick up, or we have a policy of no emails after hours etc.
Maintaining virtual work relationships whilst working remotely is easier for existing staff as the relationships were already in place prior. For new hires however, differing levels of social connection needs are to be understood, so you can tailor their onboarding plan to best suit them.
There is no magic recipe for how to build team bonds and connections remotely, however a few examples of what can work include:
· If you have a team of introverted people, or your new hire is, switching 1-1 catch ups to small groups of 3-4 can be another method, as people feel less anxious in a tight knit group setting than individual time with someone they haven't built a connection with yet
· During there first few days, ensuring a senior leader within your organisation spends time covering the company's purpose, strategy and short term goals allows the new hire to buy into your culture and brand and will make them feel more aligned to their new organisation
· Have fun! I know it can be hard to not make it feel like 'forced fun and team building' so find a common interest amongst your team and create a weekly event around this. It may be an online quiz, doing a daily step challenge or having a best meme competition around a theme for the week - this builds stronger personal relationships and tasks like this encourage people to let their walls down (plus we all love a bit of healthy competition!)
There is no one size fits all for each organisation and an individual employees perfect onboarding experience. However, the key non negotiables to ensure you retain your new hire and they grow into a successful team member are:
· Planning - ensure everything is good to go on their first day
· Expectations - communicate what to expect, and what you expect of them
· Trust - always keep your word and if you can't, explain why
· Training - crucial to build confidence and competence in your new hire
· Communication - ensure they know what channels to use and there is always one open
· Information - have a library or drive they can refer to if they get stuck
· Relationships - ensure time is put into building relationships with their direct and wider team during their first week/s
If you are after help with your talent attraction and onboarding strategies, please click here or give us a call on 0508 CULTIVATE
