Remote staffing in the Philippines is a practical and cost-effective solution to outsource labor beyond financial, geographical, and cultural limits. As such, incorporating the best practices for remote employee engagement becomes pivotal in carving a path for the new hires towards company success.
Pro tip: build a structure. A structured onboarding process provides a tangible and clear roadmap to ease new hires into the organization. It includes virtual practices on navigating the ‘work-from-home’ environment, getting to know your company, cultivating rapport with the incumbent staff, and familiarizing yourself with company workflows, goals, and core values.
Thus, here are some tips to include in your remote onboarding checklist and guarantee a seamless, consistent, and productive transition.
Preparing for the Remote Hire’s First Day
First impressions last, and to ensure a positive onboarding experience, preparation is key. Before the remote hires report to duty, be sure to arrange these preliminary requirements.
● Pre-send all pertinent documents and guidelines for their review and completion, such as contracts, tax forms, company policies, and other onboarding materials that will help them integrate into the company.
● Ensure that all necessary tools and systems (e.g. email, communication and project management softwares) are readily accessible. These tools are crucial for collaboration and workflow management especially in a remote setup.
● Create opportunities for the new hires to connect with their team. Arrange and schedule welcome meetings and team introductions to help them feel welcomed in the company culture.
Essential Remote Onboarding Checklist Items
A. Technical Setup: The first step is to deliver all necessary hardware such as laptops, monitors, phones, or other important gadgets for work use. Next, facilitate guided software integration. Collaborate with your company’s IT team in setting up security protocols, two-factor authentications, and VPN access.
Tech-related concerns can be tricky to overcome, so it is crucial to prepare a basic step-by-step guide to help the new hires troubleshoot simple IT issues on their own. This minimizes downtime and reinforces the employees to be productive and proactive.
B. Company Introduction and Culture: Onboarding is a great opportunity to introduce the company to its new employees. Aside from job-specific roles and responsibilities, guide the remote hires into learning about the company’s mission, core values, and culture. Introduce workflows and communication channels by sharing a comprehensive outline discussing these practices. A virtual office tour is also one way to make the remote hires feel a sense of belonging and familiarity.
One of the factors that affect overall employee satisfaction is workplace culture. A complete, comfortable but professional integration of the new hires in the company can increase employee productivity and retention.
C. Role and Performance Expectations: Incorporate SMART goal setting. Every goal must be Specific (clear and straight-forward), Measurable (can be measured to indicate progress), Achievable (realistic and within available resources), Relevant to the situation, and Time-bound (achieved within a certain timeline). Using this technique will allow the new hire to track their outputs and their corresponding progress while on the job. One example is tracking and updating goals and objectives for the first 30, 60, and 90 days.
Prepare role-specific training resources as well. Training is an effective source of information and hands-on experience while minimizing mistakes that they may make while on the job. Having a copy of job manuals, guides, or participating in online courses provides the employees with references to execute their roles and responsibilities in an organized manner. Coaching or mentoring can also guide them in navigating their tasks more effectively. It does not only allow the new hires to exercise mastery of their tasks, but to also enhance their professional relationships.
D. Communication and Feedback Routines: As with any organization, communication is part of establishing a solid professional foundation in the workplace. Practice regular employee check-ins as a team, or between manager-employee. This allows them a proper avenue to address concerns, questions, and request support and guidance to keep on track with the company’s priorities. It can be daily or weekly check-ins via video calls or chat to help maintain a secure sense of connection and support for the new hires.
It is also important to facilitate feedback. Regular check-ins are one way to accommodate this, but there are also other ways to keep the new hires in the loop in real time. Communication channels that allow the whole team to share and circulate information and suggestions promptly and efficiently foster greater understanding and improvement, reducing issues brought on by miscommunication. Feedback also demonstrates that employee input is heard and valued.
Post-Onboarding: Ensuring Long-Term Engagement
Onboarding is just the tip of the iceberg. The real goal is to foster long-term engagement and sustain consistent enthusiasm and satisfaction from the employees. It is an ongoing effort that does not end but only improves over time.
● Follow-up Meetings: Like the daily to weekly check-ins during their onboarding stage, follow-up meetings for long-term engagement. Meetings do not have to be as frequent, but they must be more meaningful. Monthly or quarterly check-ins can be done to gauge the employees’ experience working in the company so far. It is also an opportunity to evaluate progress and identify areas for improvement.
Encourage an open dialogue and a collaborative approach in discussing such matters because it shows that the company values their insights and contributions to the organization. This culture of trust fosters a stronger professional relationship and long-term loyalty.
● Promoting Continuous Learning: Long-term satisfaction includes allowing your employees to pursue personal career growth while still operating along the goals of the organization. This can be achieved through continuous training and seminars and access to learning courses and platforms. Show your employees that you are willing to invest in their skills and potential, so they can confidently offer and entrust their services to you. These learning experiences and opportunities must be rewarding and engaging to motivate them to participate. Commend milestones and accomplishments through merits or recognition to keep them engaged.
● Updating Employees on Company Changes: All remote work is done virtually. As a hiring manager, you must consider that this limits the employees from interacting and communicating face-to-face with their coworkers. However, what it lacked in onsite interaction, it compensates for using a myriad of online/virtual tools and systems that allow them to exchange information and output with each other from all around the globe. Keep the remote hires updated on new tools, processes, or team events so maintain their sense of camaraderie as it can be easy to feel out of the loop in a remote setup.
Building a Stronger Remote Workforce
Remote onboarding has become a necessity for businesses looking to expand their reach to a wider audience. Attracting and retaining top talent requires attention and dedication, since employees are stakeholders as well–they provide great contributions to your company. With the proper remote onboarding, new hires are not only equipped with the necessary tools for smooth integration into the company but also instill a sense of camaraderie and purpose. Following this checklist guarantees a seamless transition for your offshore staff and establishes a valuable and engaged workforce.
Get Expert Assistance with CreaThink Solutions
CreaThink Solutions understands the challenges of remote onboarding. Our tools and consulting services assist you every step of the way, ensuring your new hires hit the ground running. From technical setups to fostering long-term engagement, we simplify the process so you can focus on leading your business to greater heights.
Collaborate with trusted experts in staffing solutions and optimize your remote onboarding process with CreaThink Solutions. Visit our website or email us at inquiry@creathink-solutions.com. Connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube to learn more.
