How do you conduct virtual onboarding?
The value of your virtual onboarding processes shouldn’t be underestimated. Your HR department should design a multifaceted itinerary that spans across a series of days, not just a start date, and fully immerse its participants into your company. For an organized and efficient virtual onboarding experience, check out flair's recruiting feature here!
Designing your program isn’t something you should take lightly, it’s something that requires your uninterrupted time, energy, and industry expertise.
So, first things first, we recommend sending a digital survey out to all of your existing employees. In the survey, consider asking the following questions:
- What did you enjoy most about our company onboarding process?
- What did aspects of our onboarding procedures did you not find helpful/relevant?
- What do you wish our onboarding process had shown you?
- What piece of advice would you like to share with your future coworkers?
- What should future employees know about our virtual company culture/work processes?
This survey will give you an insight into your current employee's onboarding experience, demonstrate to you what you should highlight to future employees, and provide you with invaluable information which you can use to perfect a virtual onboarding process. It also empowers your current workforce and includes them in the integration process. This helps to promote a holistic team dynamic.
Once you’ve gathered all completed surveys, meet with your HR fraction and consider what kind of events and virtual meetings you would like to incorporate into your plan.
Your onboarding itinerary shouldn’t just be the first day and done type task; instead, it should be an intricate and well-thought-through plan that covers all bases and includes scheduled check-ins.
We advise planning a detailed itinerary full of a variety of events and video calls. However, remember to be conscious of your new employee’s schedule when organizing this. While you need to have a 3 to 4-day schedule ready for them, which introduces them to their prospective role, future team members, and company culture, it’s also vital that you don’t overwhelm them with too many calls or meetings. You don’t want them to feel overlooked, but it’s also key that they don’t feel too pressurized. Starting a new role can be stressful so make sure to give them the time to adjust and rest.
In addition to formal calls and meetings, why not include some fun, informal events such as a virtual scavenger hunt and general knowledge quiz too? Get creative! Try out a mix of games, interactive sessions, and prerecorded content.
Speaking of rerecorded content, preparing some killer videos which explain your company culture, ethos, structure, etc, can be a lifesaver. It will give you, your new talent, and your other HR colleagues a free block of time that you can all use to regroup.