With remote staffing on the rise, it is important to have a successful virtual onboarding experience for your new hires. A few years ago, many companies never saw themselves hiring staff that live nationwide, however, now employers have a larger talent pool that they can access.
If you want to ensure that your remote staff are trained successfully from the beginning then we recommend that you take the following steps into account.
First, it is important to note that your remote employees may not be technology experts. They will most likely need assistance getting their devices set up and syncing their connections with yours. If you would like to streamline this process, it is recommended that within the onboarding process you have technology information clearly laid out.
For example, explain the type of microphone, laptop, and other equipment they will need. Also explain standards for video meetings such as what is an acceptable backdrop and attire expectations.
To make it easier for yourself, instead of telling new hires requirements for technology, it may be beneficial to explain that there are specific brands they need to purchase so that the IT support team is already fully educated on those items. For example, if every team member had the same microphone, then IT would already be aware of the different settings and potential issues that you could arise with that piece of technology.
Within the onboarding package, you should also be clear about having the right camera angle for your virtual team. For example, you don’t want their camera pointed up at the ceiling or at an awkward angle. Although they are virtual employees, they should still be making eye contact when speaking during meetings and should be professional as if they were in office. Although this may seem like common sense, it is still important to discuss with new team members as they may need coaching especially if this is their first time working remotely.
Overall, when you are discussing onboarding new staff, the best thing to do is to keep the process as simple as possible. You want to ensure that they have consistent tools to help create a great experience for customers, such as a good camera, microphone, and a professional backdrop. It may seem simple, but if you are not clear with this information up front, then you are leaving this to their own interpretation and you may not be satisfied with their work.
