Creating Connection During Virtual Employee Onboarding

In a hot job market and in the middle of the Great Resignation, employee onboarding is more critical than ever. Employers are eager to find employees, but employees are scarce these days. Once recruited and a job offer has been accepted the next steps in their interactions with you as a new employer are critical.

Onboarding is obviously one pivotal stage in the new employee experience. Handled well it can start employees off on the right track, acclimate them to the new organization and their new colleagues, and help support their decision to work with you. Not handled well and it can lead to turnover and, potentially, contribute to a poor employer brand reputation, says Melanie Lougee is head of employee workflow strategy with ServiceNow.

“In a remote work environment, where onboarding is often an employee’s first interaction with a brand, it’s more important than ever before to get it right,” she says. “Unfortunately, remote work has also exacerbated a lot of the friction that comes with the onboarding process.”

As Fast Company reports, according to a McKinsey study, “one of the top reasons people have resigned is they didn’t feel a sense of belonging at work.” That sense of belonging can be nurtured through a successful onboarding experience.

Of course, in a work environment that is still often hybrid or remote, employers and their HR teams need to be adept at onboarding employees in a virtual environment. While the content and context of onboarding in both physical and virtual settings should be the same, there are some important distinctions, opportunities and, yes, barriers that need to be addressed.

The Problem With Virtual Employee Onboarding

Virtual onboarding is, in many cases, failing according to an article in Human Resource Executive. The article points to research from Gartner which indicates that employees who have been hired over the past year feel more disconnected than ever—“32% of employees hired in the past 12 months feel a sense of belonging to their organization.” Virtual onboarding, according to Human Resource Executive, needs a redesign to help boost employee satisfaction.

Sally Stetson, the principal and co-founder of Salveson Stetson Group, quoted in Human Resource Executive, says that: “the modern onboarding process should never be a single email or phone call but rather an engaging process designed specifically for digital consumption.”

Here we take a look at some best practices for creating connection during virtual employee onboarding.

At the Outset: Get the Tech Right

Technology plays a critical part in providing a satisfying and successful onboarding experience—yours and the new employee’s.

It’s important to ensure that employees have the right equipment and internet capabilities to help them participate in the virtual onboarding experience, says Maggie Laureano, vice president of human resources at Bureau Veritas North America. To ensure this, Laureano suggests shipping critical equipment and anything necessary for the new hire to begin work to their home and ensuring it’s available to them for their first day of work. “Connectivity in this environment is of utmost importance,” she stresses.

Companies also need to consider everything an employee will need to be able to work—and work effectively—from home.

Help New Employees Hit the Ground Running

In addition to ensuring employees have the right technology to connect virtually for the onboarding process, Laureano recommends that, prior to Day One, employees should be sent their Week One schedule which should include:

• An agenda of virtual meetings with their manager, colleagues, team, HR, IT, etc.
• Information about a virtual team meeting to welcome the new employee.
• Information about a virtual new employee orientation to the company, followed by individual virtual meetings with HR/benefit staff to walk through benefit coverage and enrollment, and with an HR business partner to conduct department specific orientation.

Laureano also recommends assigning the employee a “buddy” who can help them navigate their way and answer questions they might be reluctant to ask their direct managers.

Making a big impact can make a big difference. Think beyond the typical “video conference” when approaching employee onboarding.