In less than two years, the interview and onboarding process in Cyprus and Malta has changed dramatically. It started globally with companies like Facebook, Spotify and Twitter introducing hybrid or remote work, and since then many others have followed their footsteps. Now, working from home is ‘the new normal’, and both employees and employers have to adapt to this new reality.
The question is can you really interview a new employee and get them started in your company before physically meeting them? Quite simply the answer is yes.
Successful onboarding helps you to retain your talent – and get the best from them. In the current climate, with the rise of remote working and global teams, you may have to consider doing this online. In this article, we’ll explain how to virtually onboard new employees successfully.
What Is Onboarding?
Onboarding is the process of helping a new employee to fit in with your organisation. That includes welcoming them to the team and making them feel part of the company culture. It also covers getting them up to speed with tools they’ll need to do their job.
Why is Onboarding important?
Ensuring your new employee understands how your company works is key to boosting confidence and keeping them happy in the long run. It is vital to lay the foundations and give them the tools they need to kickstart their career with you successfully. Engaging new employees online can be a challenge but the effort is worth the reward.
Connection
From the moment you decide to have a new employee in your team, you will want to make them feel like they are part of the company. A good idea is to give them a call to welcome them to the team, connect with them on LinkedIn and send them an email to tell them how happy you are that they are joining. Not only will this show your company’s culture but will make them feel part of the team.
Confidence
Once they have started with you focus on boosting self-confidence. Help them understand all internal processes, tasks and goals easily through a clearly defined onboarding process, according to their role and responsibilities. Ensure your employee is enrolled on the video chat and messaging software that your team uses. Add them to the most relevant groups, so that they can connect with their colleagues and start building that connection from day one.
Communication
It’s normal that everyone experiences some anxiety in the first few days, let your new employee know that the team are available for any questions or queries. A helpful tip is to partner your new employee with a buddy they can turn to through the onboarding process. Having a relaxed conversation with an experienced team member will help the onboarding go smoother.
Take interest in how your new employee is adapting to their new role. They will be taking in a lot of new information, so ensure to check in with them daily to see how their training is going. Be flexible to adapt the training programme to ensure the onboarding process is completed effectively. We all have different learning styles, and it’s important that our new team member not only get the right information, but also feels supported in achieving the training goals.
Contribution
As we change our traditional ways of onboarding it is also important that we review its effectiveness and adapt to your employees’ needs. At the end of the training ask your new team member for feedback. Don’t be afraid to ask what could we do better? Remember that your new employee may one day be a resource to you in training future team members, so a solid foundation will provide them with the right tools to support the business as you grow and succeed.
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