How to Set Up a Remote Employee for Success on Day One

Most managers are aware that virtually onboarding new employees is a difficult task, and many recognize the potential long-term impact of a subpar onboarding experience on their employees.

Onboarding involves more than just logistics, such as ensuring that the new employee has a computer. The more crucial aspects of onboarding include establishing a foundation for strong relationships across the organization, building an understanding of the culture and work processes, setting clear expectations, and connecting the individual's work to the broader organizational mission, vision, and goals. It appears that the primary obstacle in creating an intentional and distinctive onboarding experience is often one's mindset.

Just as it took television time to discover the optimal ways to exploit the new medium (and expand beyond the earliest TV shows, which were essentially radio shows filmed with cameras), organizations must also develop onboarding programs that are customized to the current times and technology.

For onboarding programs to succeed, the following four recommendations should be implemented:

1. Clearly define goals and objectives for the onboarding process.

This will ensure that new employees understand what is expected of them and what they need to achieve to be successful.

2. Develop a structured onboarding program that provides new employees with the information and resources they need to be successful. This should include training, mentoring, and access to key personnel and resources.

3. Provide ongoing support and feedback to new employees throughout the onboarding process. This will help them to stay motivated and engaged, and will also help to identify any issues or concerns that need to be addressed.

4. Continuously evaluate and improve the onboarding process to ensure that it remains effective and relevant. This may involve gathering feedback from new employees, analyzing performance metrics, and making adjustments as needed.