Master Virtual Onboarding with our Checklist

Explained: The 3 Onboarding Phases

The onboarding process can be divided into 3 main phases: the preboarding phase, the entry phase & the integration phase. All three focus on different key issues & challenges faced by the company and the employee.

Preboarding Phase

The aim of this phase is to set the employee up for success from the beginning and to show them that they have signed a contract with a highly professional company. This phase begins immediately after a new talent is hired and prioritizes all organisational set-up and management by the HR department and the manager in charge. If successful, the employee can start work immediately on the first day. Good communication and access to information material are prioritized.

Entry Phase

The aim of this phase is to introduce the employee to their new company, including teams, routines, processes, projects, organisational culture and work procedures. This phase includes the first week of work, but overall covers the first three months in the new position or company. This phase is the most important for retaining talent, as it is responsible for the first impression and sets the general tone of employment.

Integration Phase

The goal is the complete integration of the new employee on all levels, socially, professionally & culturally. The duration of this phase depends on the employee & company itself and can vary from 3 to 12 months. This phase can include team building activities, training, feedback sessions, projects and more.

We have put together the ultimate virtual onboarding checklist that allows you to master all three phases in a remote environment. Here is how:

First Day

	Schedule a short welcome meeting with the direct team discussing relevant topics, e.g. team meetings, current projects, team organization.
	Set up a call with IT to clarify the basics of the company’s IT infrastructure, receive needed login credentials, VPN and introduce them to the general data protection guidelines.
	Introduce the most important contact people for their type of work
	Set up a meeting with the direct manager and new employee to talk about the new employee’s tasks, responsibilities, expectations and clarify any questions they may have.

First Week

	Have each direct team member of the new employee take a short virtual coffee break of 15 minutes to explain the future cooperation.
	At the end of each day, schedule 15 min. catch up meetings between buddy and new employee for Q&As
	Clarify the framework of working at the company, including team rules, core working hours, meeting organization, time tracking etc.
	Introduce them to commonly used company portals or tools in use
	Schedule 30- 45 min. detailed company presentations throughout the week introducing the company itself, their products & services etc.. Avoid “Zoom”-Fatigue.
	Give a presentation on the industry & their main competition
	Set up a call with the IT (if necessary) to clarify any problems or questions that may have come up or access  not yet available.
	Have a feedback meeting between the manager & the new hire at the end of the week to clarify any misunderstandings, struggles or questions of the employee. Provide them with a little overview of what is coming up in the second week (if not clear yet)

With this virtual onboarding checklist, you should be able to hire great talent, retain your employees and allow them to integrate into your business set-up from the start and get a return on investment immediately.

Want to simplify this process? With our NovaSmart NG software, onboarding processes can be streamlined and managed completely digitally – allowing you to move from analogue to digital in just a few clicks. Follow this link here or contact us now to learn more.

The Challenges

An increasing number of job applicants requesting a more efficient organization

Remote job interviews

Finding the candidate with the expected skills for the position

Identifying candidates’ soft skills

Our Tips

Opt for an automated system to manage the recruitment process 

Write an accurate job description to effectively target your future talent

Prepare a solid shortlisting process (interview process, pre-selection tests…)

Choose video format for interviews

Choose an easy-to-use platform for the job interviews

Prepare in advance the questions you wish to ask and allow the candidates enough time to ask questions about your company and the position.

Would you like to know more? Read our blogpost on remote recruitment! 

The Challenges

Making sure that the recruit is well integrated into the team

Ensuring that the new team member has a good understanding of the tools used and of how the company operates

Fostering the newcomer’s sense of belonging to the company

Our Tips

Before the start date, make sure you give all the necessary information to the new team member (schedules, access to collaborative software, documentation…)

On the start date, organize a video meeting to introduce the new talent to the team and explain how the company works as well as how to use the different tools.

Introduce the new teammate individually to the people they will be in contact with in the course of their mission in order to create a first contact.

Feel free to ask the new employee what they enjoyed and what they missed at the end of the day.

In the following weeks and months, be available & reactive if the new member has any requests while leaving them enough independence.

For several years now, Novative has been recruiting and onboarding new talents. Discover the experience of Julia, Natasha, Shawnessy and Valentine who each work in a different country while forming part of the same team!

Julia – Digital Marketing & Sales Assistant – Working From Germany

« I think what I really appreciated in the job interviews I had with the Novative team was the kindness and warm atmosphere I straight away felt through the phone. It is even more important when recruiting remotely as the impact of body language and facial expressions is missing.  »

« All-in-all I have my remote recruiting process as positive in my mind as it did not at all feel like a recruiting process like everybody imagined but like a normal conversation, where both parties are on the same level and understand their position. »

« For the Onboarding part, I was super happy to receive a work schedule with tasks and meetings before I even started my first day. It had lined out tasked that I was supposed to do each day. »

Shawnessy – Payroll Specialist – Working From the United-States

« At the time of my initial talks with Novative the biggest challenge was the time difference. We would set up Skypes calls and communicate regularly by email. I agreed with my managers on an hourly amount and I would send Reconciliation Spreadsheets monthly.  »

« Remote onboarding must be seamless and make the new employee feel part of the team even thought they are remote. »

« The main advantage of remote working is that the location is no longer a hindrance as the hiring pool has now increased.   Companies can reduce their overhead in the reduction of space needed to house their employee’s. For employee’s it gives them more flexibility and a better work-life balance. An additional ripple effect is many people are no longer commuting to work which is great for the environment. »

Natasha – Marketing Manager – Working from the United-Kingdom

« The remote interview with Novative took less time than a face-to-face interview as you eliminate any travel/time costs. I did have a face-to-face interview at the end of the process, this was nice to meet people in person. »

« I think the biggest challenge of remote recruiting is onboarding remotely. This process must be seamless and make the new employee feel part of the team even though they are remote and that’s what I felt immediately with Novative. »

« The biggest benefit of working remotely means you can work for international companies, as a candidate you have a bigger and more exciting pool of job opportunities. »

Valentine – Digital Marketing & Sales Assistant – Working from France

« The recruitment process with Novative has been quite quick, and I do believe it’s an advantage. When you are looking for work, you appreciate knowing if it’s positive or not as soon as possible. I really enjoyed the discussions and first contact I had with my managers. »

« I was recruited from France and I have not yet had the opportunity to meet my colleagues in person, but I already have the feeling that I know them. What I liked about the onboarding with Novative is that I was introduced the first day to the right people and could ask for help whenever I needed it. »

#1 Treat Everyone Equally

Scheduling a team meeting in a meeting room leads to team members talking before the meeting even begins. This leads to valuable information being shared that others may miss if they are not present. This can quickly lead to a situation where remote employees feel excluded from important conversations.

To avoid such a situation, have each team member participate from their desk and don’t gather all employees in one meeting room. Of course, this is most feasible if employees have their own office to themselves. However, this reduces the risk of valuable information being shared before remote team members have dialled in.

#2 Implement Digital Tools to Enhance Team Dynamics

Digital tools offer a great opportunity to improve communication. They bring together team members who don’t often see each other face-to-face. Expand your communication platforms from just email to include more digital software like Teams or Webex. Schedule regular coffee meetings with the team to mimic the conversations that naturally take place in a shared location. Teams additionally offers a variety of apps that help your team work more efficiently, but also foster team spirit, such as approvals, employee ideas, or praise.

#3 Adjust Company Rules to Remote Work Settings

In the early months of 2020, as hybrid work models were implemented en masse, employers focused on mental health, the importance of work-family separation, and connection. This should not stop once the pandemic is over.

The risk of burnout and other potential costs are high when working from home. Therefore, don’t stop to review your company policies. Make sure your company supports a healthy and compassionate culture where employees can grow and deliver the best possible work results.

#4 Hybrid Work Calls for Flexibility

Gone is the days when employees seek to work a 9-to-5 job without the flexibility to attend doctor’s appointments or pick up their children. See if your team members need to be available at certain times or if they can have some flexibility in scheduling their hours. Some customer service reps may need to work 9 to 5.  However, maybe other office staff can be a little more flexible. Just make sure you know when which employees work and that employees who need to work together have overlapping schedules.

#5 Define Clear Rules

To manage hybrid workforce effectively, you must have a defined structure and clear rules in place. Make sure all information is easily accessible for employees. That allows them to review it on their own to avoid asking the same questions over and over again. Write down which meetings need to be face-to-face, how to communicate absences or where to check on what days a certain employee works remotely.

Easy Collaboration

Sharing documents and files is super simple via an e-document tool. It doesn’t matter where you or the recipients are located. The access rights can be useful in collaboration as you can restrict to read-only etc. Amendments are easy to follow with version control. Benefit from all your documents being in one central place for easy collaboration.

Feel Confident with Security

Remote Employees

Remote work allows professionals to freely choose where they want to work. They are free to work wherever as long as they can work efficiently and bring the expected results. Some employers however can limit the flexibility within a contractual agreement to put controlling measures in place. That way employers can establish core business hours & meetings. This type of work allows recruiters to hire employees not limited to a specific city or country. It allows hiring qualified employees from a worldwide talent pool.

Co-Located Employees

Co-location is the most traditional way to work: Employees commute to a shared office building to collaborate & work face-to-face with co-workers. Usually, every worker has a designated desk and meeting rooms available. This type of work only allows hiring workers in the closer proximity of the office building.

Hybrid Employees

Hybrid work models are the way of the future as research indicates.  These employees usually work a set number of days per week remotely and come into an office for the rest of the time. The challenge with this model is to ensure the needs of the employees for both, remote and co-located.

Setting-up a workplace catering to different needs can be tricky but not impossible. Consider the following steps and come closer to a happy & productive work environment. Value the different needs equally & keep team spirit high. You have a hybrid workforce? Consider the tips for remote & co-located workers.

Provide the same equipment no matter the location

Just because your employees do not have a desk in one of your offices, does not mean they do not need one at all. To ensure that they have the same chance to be productive and successful as your co-located workers, you must acquire all equipment you usually would. Examples would be a laptop, second screen, office chair and access to specific software.

Set up clear rules & boundaries

Communicate the rules and boundaries for a remote position, including core working hours, work flexibility, meeting availability and company processes. Besides, make sure that the remote employee knows exactly who to contact for what issue. Contacts for IT and HR are a great way to start.

Ensure data security

Within a remote work set-up, you usually do not have much of an overview of how secure your company secrets are. Make sure that your company data security guidelines are applied and put restrictions on working in cafes or such in place if you worry about data security preaches.

Video conferencing tools

Video conferencing and collaboration software  (teams, webex, slack, etc.) are a must if you want to have a productive and collaborative team environment. Also, this allows remote workers to easily connect with co-located or other remote workers making working less “lonely“.

1:1 conversations

One-to-one-conversations are a big YES when it comes to remote work. There is little to no chance otherwise to get to know your remote worker, learn about their difficulties, their successes and start building a trusting relationship. Schedule regular meetings, listen and let your employee know that they are important.

Implementation of HR Software

HR Software is the go to for scheduling time off, checking working times and availability. This allows you to simply see when specific workers work and receive an overview of who is available in the office and remotely. Also, remote workers can simply track their time, check their overtime, put annual leave in or simply see who is working to better plan ahead.

Utilize your workspace

Co-located workers will utilize the office space differently, hence why you may need to reorganize & restructure it. Fewer workers will be working at a desk regularly, but more workers will come together to have meetings. Create more collaborating space and meeting corners to cater for these new needs.

Easy implementation of video conferencing tools with room booking

Try to implement a solution that allows room booking at the same time as scheduling video conferences. You ask why? In a hybrid working environment there will be many meetings where co-located and remote workers need to take part in a meeting. Not being able to book both in advance will result in co-workers wasting 10 minutes of the meeting time to find a room. Also, not having video conferencing equipment within the meeting room will make dialling in a challenge by itself.

Clarify rules & expectations

To set up a hybrid work environment, it is almost impossible to make it work, if you do not provide the employee enough information. Let the employee clearly know, when they must be in the office, to what degree they can choose their remote working days and how to communicate. This will diminish any misunderstandings right at the start.

Apply same tips as for remote & co-located workers

Make sure to consider the points mentioned under remote and co-located workers. Hybrid workers have both needs as they do have two workplaces that they alternate.

A hybrid work set-up can be made more efficient with the right tools and technology. If you want to find out more about how an intelligent and simple-to-use HR Software can benefit you and your team’s productivity & efficiency, check out this page.

#1  Opt for a smart system

With a smart system, you get a precise overview of your team’s activities and attendance at any time.

A smart HR software system will integrate a set of modules and functionalities to give you the best experience. It will take into account your employees’ absence data and integrate it into payroll, work scheduling or offer you a range of analysis based on the number of absences, type of absences and much more. In a remote working context, it will be one of your best allies to ensure efficient and accurate absence management.  

#2  Manage efficiently COVID-19 related absences

A clear and global overview of absences will be an asset when managing COVID-19 related absences. 

With COVID-19, HR departments have quickly been overwhelmed. Between absences due to sickness, those to childcare, employees having to stop working temporarily and those having to keep working full time, managing absences has not been easy. Managers and HR soon realized that a digital and smart system was needed to save a significant amount of time and gain clarity.

#3  Be clear about your expectations

By communicating clearly about when your employees are supposed to work, you will be better organized and avoid unplanned absences. 

When working remotely, it is more important than ever to make clear communication a priority. It is advisable to draw up a telework policy with conditions, expectations and objectives. For absence management, this is more than recommended. You should clearly say to your teams when it is mandatory to work (specific time slots, specific days…). The most effective solution would be to provide a shared space with these rules so that everyone can have access to it and stay informed.

#4  Encourage your team to plan their time off

Planning time off in advance will motivate your employees and will give you time to get ready and organized for when they will be off.

What could be more motivating than knowing you’re going to be on vacations soon? That’s definitely one of the main advantages of planning time off in advance! Your employees will be more productive and motivated and will be less likely to have unjustified absences. Also encourage them to take a long break so that they can fully rest and come back in great shape! For you as an employer, knowing when your team members are off, will allow you to distribute work & responsibilities to other employees straight away.

#5  Be flexible and available

Being flexible and available will show your employees that you care about their private life and well-being.

In unprecedent times such as the COVID-19 pandemic, being understanding and flexible is crucial. By allowing flexible working hours, you minimize the risk of unexpected absences showing your employees that you trust them in doing their job responsibly. Some of your teammates may be parents and will appreciate being able to organize their working day differently to respect the balance between professional and family life. Being available will allow you to understand the needs of your employees. It can be difficult to concretely measure employees’ progress and achievements when they are working remotely. That’s why communication plays a great role. Don’t forget to thank and congratulate them, it’s a great boost to motivation!

#6  Foster a friendly atmosphere at work

Having a nice and cheerful atmosphere at work is one of the most important factors of well-being. When the employees feel involved in the company’s success, they perform better.

Maintaining a positive and friendly atmosphere at work when most of the team behind a screen is a challenge, but it’s possible! You can always have the same little habits you used to have at the office like coffee time, relaxing moment, etc.

#7  Collect and analyze employee absence data

Analyzing absence data will allow you to see if your management is successful and to identify absence patterns.

Absence data is a very useful tool to identify absence patterns. For example, if you can see in the figures that there is a lot of unexpected and unplanned absences, you can try and change it by adopting a different management approach or implementing modified work schedules. It’s also opens the door to communicate with your team and ask them how they feel at work.