When your business expands and you hire new employees, it’s crucial to have a plan in place to help them onboard as smoothly as possible. Building that plan takes some time and effort, but if you put it into place early on, it’ll make the process of bringing on new team members much easier, faster, and better for everyone involved – including your customers.
Here are some tips to help you make onboarding seamless across your hybrid team of remote and in-office employees.
First and foremost, make sure the new hire understands the parameters of their role. In the early days of SaaS, two common mistakes were always made. People would hire remote employees at a senior level with the assumption that they could act as an extension of their team in other locations. This can work for a select few, but more often than not, it backfires as your remote employee is suddenly expected to contribute more than you initially thought was possible—and without frequent interactions with teammates or mentors on-site.
The other mistake is that managers don't give clear enough instructions about the type of work required from a remote employee. Give the new hire clear expectations, so that they can slip into work as seamlessly as possible, and aren't confused about what their role is.
Being a new member of the team can be overwhelming, and when they're not working full-time in the office, you need to make sure they have everything they need even when you're not around or online. This includes clear goals, access to everything they need to do their jobs, regular check-ins, and a support network.
Simplify the onboarding process by providing a checklist of what your employee needs to know and have access to when they join. When everything is given to them on a silver platter, it's easier for your employees to succeed on the job!
The first week of work is critical. In fact, Gallup found that only 12% of employees strongly agree their organization does a great job of onboarding new employees. That means 88% of people don’t! As a manager, it’s your job to make sure your team members hit the ground running so they can start hitting their deadlines and goals as soon as possible.
In a remote or hybrid situation, you’ll want to show them how you operate—and answer any questions they might have about how things are done in your company. Your guide for getting off on the right foot with new people is essentially the onboarding plan.
Having as many relevant communication channels as possible for people to use will make it easier for people to ask questions and get help. Make sure everyone on your team has a messaging app with video call functionality, as well as company email and cellphone numbers to get a hold of people within the team.
You’ll also want to make sure you’re using communication tools that allow people to share files and link in other team members automatically — it makes life much easier. For example, if your remote employee is struggling with an issue or needs to ask a question, they can simply share a link to exactly what they need help with rather than having to type out a bunch of details. Having that one central workspace to clear up miscommunication will go a long way for your business.
There are a few rules to follow when managing remote and hybrid teams. Start by assessing your infrastructure, systems, and processes to see where you can set up clear workflows and get everyone on the same page. Keep in mind that even though these folks might not be in an office with you, they're still your team members—and they'll appreciate it if you make them feel like they're part of a cohesive unit (which is easier to do if you set up regular weekly calls and create a shared space for accessing key information and tools).
Communicate and give feedback often, establish clear expectations for what's expected from each member of your team, and remember that communication is key.
From increased productivity to better savings, a simplified onboarding process gives everyone involved a better experience. Easily distribute and manage access to pre-made collections of apps and knowledge, add a new employee to groups and set roles, turn on added security features and provide key information in a sustainable and organized way.
Collaboration and communication will be streamlined, and employees will be able to reap the benefits of a perfectly constructed digital workspace.
Services like Desktop.com can help bridge the gaps in communication, collaboration and organization when the workforce is in constant movement between remote and in-house. Whether your team continues to work remotely or adopts a hybrid model, Desktop.com will be able to get your team on the same page.
