On-Boarding in a Virtual Working Environment

By Dr. Doreen MacAulay

On-boarding can be a stressful and overwhelming process in any setting, so as many people are now maneuvering in a virtual space, we need to carefully and intentionally plan out onboarding to ensure new employees feel welcomed and connected.

Consider your first few weeks at your current company. The people, the stories, and the cultural nuances that you learned from face to face interactions were probably instrumental in the development of your willingness to commit and your motivation to succeed.

Although we are in a virtual setting, the things you experienced are still extremely important for your new hires. We provide four tips to help you navigate this process.

1)     Involve the Entire Team. Traditional onboarding may not have intentionally included all the individuals with whom the new hire will work. Casual conversations and daily interactions with people are how new hires get to know their new colleagues. Without these engagements, new hires can feel more unsure of themselves, their work, and their place within your organization. It is also good to consider having a mentor or buddy system in place so that the new hire has a peer they can turn to with informal questions or concerns.

2)     Set up is imperative. You need to ensure that your new hire has the technology they need to get started right away. This first impression makes a lasting impact on how valued your employee will feel. This includes not only the hardware they need to function but any system access they require. If you are unable to have this setup for the new hires on day one, consider sharing a detailed plan, so they have confidence that you have thought everything through for them.

3)     Culture Matters. You will want to take time at this important stage in an employee’s tenure to introduce your organization’s culture and values to the individual. Whether it is a book that speaks to the values of your organization or a token of welcome that represents your culture, find ways to immerse new hires in the values and principles that guide your organization. 

Provide them with informal and formal platforms of inquiry and discussion to help them feel appreciated and prepared to excel. Take time to evaluate how your culture is being portrayed by conducting a 30-day follow-up with new hires to gather a sense of what they feel the culture is like at the organization and ensure it matches with the environment you wish to create.

4)     There needs to be intentional interaction over several weeks. Onboarding needs to occur over a longer period of time than is usually granted in a face to face environment. Remembering that people will not have the same access to on the job training or job shadowing, you need to intentionally engage new hires over a longer period of time.

Job Satisfaction, reduced turnover and increased productivity have all been linked to how engaged and appreciated people feel in the workplace. You can make the onboarding experience fun and engaging with the right approach and plan.