Imagine you are starting a new job. On your first day, you enter the office and everything is new. Anxiety kicks. Thankfully, your new colleagues and the people from HR are here to welcome and onboard you.
At least that was the scenario back in the day. Now everything is different. Remote work has taken over the world. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. Remote work is one of the best that happened to us.
The thing is that it changed a lot of procedures. That means we have to adapt. We still have employees that need to be onboarded and connected to the company they are working for. All this in the comfort of their homes.
How to hire and onboard remote employees using these 9 tips
Did you know that as of 2022, 26% of US employees now work remotely? This is four times the number who worked remotely before. By 2025 there could be 36.2 million Americans working remotely.
These are some serious numbers. That’s why we should strive to make the hiring process as smooth as possible.
Hiring and onboarding remote workers is a challenging task for sure. But with the right approach and tools, everything is possible. A lot of companies now realize the benefits of hiring remote employees.
Remote is the best way to reach a larger pool of talent and cost savings. Unfortunately, remote work comes with a lot of challenges too. This is where these 9 tips come in to ‘save the day’.
Find the best hiring sources
To hire remote employees you must learn how to ‘hunt’ them. On indeed or ziprecruiter you could find employees that would fit your positions perfectly. These two options are the fastest and easiest way to hire remotely.
Ziprecruiter is a job distributor. That means listing your job positions on multiple platforms. On the other hand, Indeed is a job aggregator. Being an aggregator means that Indeed is functioning as a job search engine.
Both of the options are great. It’s on you to decide which one are you going to use. You could even use both to get better chances. There is nothing to lose and much to get. Like highly qualified employees for example.
Make quality onboarding and training
Onboarding remote workers could be a little bit more challenging than you would expect. That is why you should be prepared in advance, and not improvise. These are some of the ways you can onboard and train your new employees.
Set subtitles on all the video material
When you have a remote team you have people from all around the world. Putting a subtitle option on your onboarding and training material could be crucial. Even if they speak the language fluently sometimes Loom videos can be noisy.
Not using professional filming gear could be the reason behind that. Or the employee explaining the video has a specific accent that can’t be always clearly understood.
Happy Scribe’s automatic subtitling services can make this process better. It’s really easy to use. There is a large palette of languages that you can use, and never worry to be misunderstood again.
It’s a great AI platform mixed with the knowledge of the best language professionals.
Set an onboarding schedule
You need to make it clear to the employees when the onboarding starts, and when it ends. In the meantime, you or someone from the HR team should have regular check-in sessions.
You must be aware of how your employees’ onboarding is going. If they are stuck along the process they will never be ready to start work properly. Not to mention that they would feel frustrated about ‘failing’ from the beginning.
Give access to resources and training
After you’ve set all your pre-filmed videos and training material you need to deliver them. It would be real ‘waste’ if your employees are constantly pinging you to give them access to platforms, apps, or files.
That’s why is best if you do this at the start. You should put at least one person from your team to be in charge of delivering all materials, access, or passwords. This way they can be completely successful in their roles.
Conduct a proper online interview
When face-to-face is not an option you must find the best way to conduct an online interview. Schedule the interview on Skype, Zoom, Teams, or Meets. Whatever soots you and the candidate best.
Pay attention if the candidate joins the interview on time. Also, this is the way to notice their facial expressions and body language. It’s everything you can do at an in-person interview just with no expenses.
Outline job requirements and expectations
People have the right to know where are they going to work, and what their responsibilities will be. Don’t post job descriptions like: “We are searching for a creative, one-of-a-kind unicorn person”.
After you create an accurate job description where people will know their exact duties you need to point that out in the interview.
Tell them about the company. What are your goals and motivations? Explain with what kind of coworkers they will be working with.
Then explain the job itself. Make sure that the employee has understood the job description, and answer their questions. What would a day look like as a (name of role) in your company? This is the easiest way for them to get a grip on the position.
Do a background check
If you want to be surrounded by good employees you need to do your research. Always check their references and conduct background checks.
Their LinkedIn and CV could look perfect and still be a big lie. With proper research, you will be aware of the candidates’ work ethic, skills, and experiences.
Check if they have a criminal record and confirm that they could work for you depending on the country they are coming from. It would be a shame to offer someone a job and then find out that half of their paycheck will go on taxes.
Keep employees connected
Coffee breaks are not what they used to be. And yes, no more gossip around the water cooler. Now you have to type or video call your colleagues if you want to communicate with them.
Using online tools for this purpose is a must. Collaboration tools such as Asana, Slack, and Tello would be lifesavers.
This way the employees will be connected to their coworkers and the company culture. You shouldn’t use them just for work. Arrange virtual coffee breaks and casual meetups. Take good care of your employees.
Provide them with the necessary equipment
You can find a good fit for your company, but what if they have an old laptop, and can’t afford a new one? This is where you come in.
I know is much easier and cheaper to let the employees use their own equipment. But, this is not the right approach. Do you want satisfied employees who will do their work efficiently? Then you need to provide them with suitable equipment.
If you don’t have an office in their country you could transfer them a budget for the equipment and ask for a receipt. This includes a computer/laptop, internet access, and any other software or tool.
Assign them a buddy
Life is much easier with a friend, which also goes for work. The new employee needs a smooth transition. A work buddy would help them achieve that. This should be a senior employee, with good social and communication skills.
Remote welcome kit
Giving a cup or T-shirt with your’s company logo is a cute gesture. But if you want your welcome kit to be useful to the remote worker you better choose more wisely.
For example, a proper headset, mouse, or a wifi booster would make your new employee much happier.
Remote work is the future
You can’t outrun the future. That’s why this is an opportunity no employer should avoid. If you are not a fan of fully remote options then I suggest you go hybrid. The important part is to give your employees options.
I know that sometimes hiring and onboarding remote employees can cause you headaches. This is mostly at the beginning when you start implementing the process.
Once you have the whole procedure in place you are set to go. The process will get smoother with time, but don’t forget to update it. There will always be new tools and options that you could use, so keep your eyes open and enjoy the ride.
BIO
By Milena Stanishkovska
Milena is an insightful content writer for Skale. She loves to write about new and useful things on a daily basis. HR and business tools are her specialties. She worked as a journalist before so she likes to confirm all stories before believing in them. When life is not scary enough Milena likes to watch horror movies, go hiking in foreign countries, or do some paragliding.