Onboarding Remote Talents: Ways to Create an Exceptional Employee Experience

You must have constantly heard the term remote recruitment multiple times post-pandemic. It's not a new concept, but it's the new hiring practice adopted by hiring managers worldwide. Had it not been for the onset of COVID-19, most businesses wouldn’t have experienced a remote or hybrid work model.

Have you already hopped on the train of remote recruitment, or are you a newbie yet figuring out whether or not to hire remote talents? Either way, this article will guide you on the benefits, best practices, and mistakes to avoid in remote recruitment. So, let's get started.

Benefits of Remote Developer Onboarding

When you choose to hire remote talents, there are several business benefits that you can avail such as:

Flexibility

In a virtual workspace, employees have tremendous flexibility. They can work from a convenient location at their preferred time, which offers them a healthy work-life balance. This brings job satisfaction in the employees, and thus flexibility bears fruits for your business in terms of improved productivity.

Cost and Time Saving

Remote developer onboarding can significantly cut down your hiring cost and time. Companies don’t have to bear an in-house hire's operational and overhead costs, such as electricity, rent, furniture, equipment, stationery, clerical staff, relocation expenses, etc. Additionally, recruiters can eliminate the cumbersome in-person hiring process with video interviews, and employees can save commute time.

Enhanced Communication

When you hire remote talents, you build a team of individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. As a result, with proper communication channels, you can foster virtual communication and collaboration between teammates.

Onboarding Ideas for Remote Employees

Onboarding remote employees can sound like a daunting task, but with the implementation of the following onboarding ideas for remote employees, they can succeed in their new role:

Virtual Induction and Orientation

Organize an induction and orientation call for remote talents during the first week of joining. The purpose of this video call should be to educate the new hires on matters pertaining to company culture, values, beliefs, workplace ethics, virtual office tour, the organizational hierarchy, etc. This can be conducted as a PPT by senior leaders or HR.

Onboarding Checklist

Keep a checklist ready to make it easier for the new onboards to settle in. This can be a comprehensive list that includes the tasks and activities that must be wrapped up in the first few weeks of joining the organization. Some such duties can consist of setting up the system, attending training sessions, communicating with the team via introduction calls, etc.

HR Buddy

An HR buddy should be the virtual partner for the new employees who is available to guide them every step of the way. The job of this buddy is to streamline the onboarding process by assisting them in navigating their role and company culture. This HR buddy could be a colleague, senior mentor, or immediate HR.

Timely follow-ups

Just helping remote talents in the first few days doesn’t suffice. You must regularly check in on how well the new hires are settling in, if they have any issues to address, whether they need help with any aspect of their job, etc. This can be done via video calls using instant messaging platforms like Skype, Zoom, etc.

Common Mistakes When Onboarding Remote Developers

Despite having a well-laid onboarding plan, mistakes are bound to happen. So, the below-mentioned list of the common mistakes when onboarding remote developers can help you avoid them:

• Lack of communication between the employer and remote workforce can sow the seeds for misunderstandings, delays in deliverables, and a high employee turnover rate.

• Training is an essential aspect of the smooth onboarding of remote talents. Inadequate training on the company’s technology repository, development process, tools, and technologies can prevent employees from performing their job effectively.

• Your company’s technology infrastructure must be reliable and supportive of remote work. Virtual teams must have access to all the essential tools and resources needed to perform their job.

• Remote teams constitute individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Thus, be mindful of respecting cultural differences to make every employee feel welcomed and included.

Bonus Tip: Avoid remote developer onboarding independently, as it’s tedious. Instead, hire via talent partners like Uplers and invest your time in other priority business decisions. Uplers is a talent network that helps you employ remote talents from India by curating a pre-vetted pool of the top 3.5% talent. After a 4-step vetting process, the best candidate profiles match your job description. It's a 5 working day hiring cycle with up to 40% savings on hiring costs at 5x speed.

Closing Thoughts

If you follow these tips and tricks, the remote onboarding process can be easier and less time-consuming than in-house hiring. Hiring remote talents is a process that requires careful planning and evaluation to render an exceptional employee experience. Remote talent can feel more engaged, connected, and empowered with a well-designed onboarding program resulting in increased job satisfaction and performance.