Remote hire onboarding checklist

Using the onboarding checklist

Onboarding a new team member is vital. A good first impression helps them feel confident they made the right choice; a poor one can do the opposite.

For remote hires it's even more important. Since you can't welcome them in person or immerse them in the workplace, you'll need to be more deliberate and adapt some steps.

An onboarding checklist helps with that. It gives you a simple framework to deliver a consistent experience to all remote hires and scale the process as your business grows.

Drawing on our extensive experience onboarding staff at Remote, here are the key tasks and processes to focus on:

Arrange introduction callsRemote employees can feel more isolated or siloed than their in-office counterparts. You therefore need to make a greater effort to build belonging and team cohesion. Informal catch-ups that build social ties pay off — they boost engagement, productivity and retention, and help new hires feel welcome and able to seek support.

To-dos:

• Schedule (or ask your hire to schedule) one-to-one video calls with teammates and cross-functional partners

• Arrange informal virtual team introductions, including coffee chats and virtual happy hours,

  or lunch catch-ups

• Give the new hire a dedicated onboarding buddy to support their settling-in

• Share personality or work-style quizzes and review the results together online

• Encourage “personal shares”, where the new hire tells their colleagues about their hobbies and background

Highlight key policiesDon’t just hand over a thick policy manual and leave it at that. Call out the policies most relevant to remote workers, such as time off, expenses and equipment.

To-dos:

• Curate and share concise policy briefs, codes of conduct and training resources

• Run live virtual sessions or record Loom videos to walk through remote-specific policies, such as reimbursements for home-office expenses

• Explain the relevant cybersecurity and digital-asset policies

• Set out the rules on information protection and data privacy

• Allow space for asynchronous discussions about interpreting policies for distributed teams

It’s also a good idea to incorporate self-serve elements here, so that your hire can be onboarded asynchronously and at their own pace. If you do so, consider creating a self-serve checklist for the employee to follow.

Explain the tools and communication flowsRemote workers rely heavily on tools and software to collaborate and run workflows. Without the chance to glance over a colleague’s shoulder or ask quick questions, new hires must learn to be self-sufficient fast.To help, explain the purpose of each tool they’ll use. Again, self-serve guides and user instructions work best.

To-dos:

• Create guides for logging into essential systems and accounts

• Demo — asynchronously if needed — how various tools integrate and interact

• Show how the hire’s team uses project-management systems (if applicable)

Also explain how your communication channels operate, particularly if the hire is new to remote work.

To-dos:

• Set expectations on online hours and availability

• Give guidance on email, chat, and meeting etiquette

• Explain norms for response times and video use

• Share best practices for calendar management

Clarify roles and personnelNew hires need to know which tasks they’re responsible for, who they’ll work with, and exactly what the role involves. Clear boundaries between their duties and colleagues’ tasks cuts confusion.Also set expectations for response times, meeting cadences and availability. For example, staff based in the US commonly start work later than colleagues in Europe. If the hire will collaborate across time zones, explain how that will function.To-dos:

• Outline regional versus centralised responsibilities

• Set expectations for response times and meetings, and include them in your handbook and welcome emails

• Identify key regional contacts and stakeholders

Promote your company’s cultureFor remote workers, the subtle parts of your culture — unwritten rules, inside jokes and rituals — are harder to learn. Make sure new hires are brought up to speed from day one.

To-dos:

• Email new hires a staff handbook outlining the company’s culture, values and work environment

• Explain company terminology, acronyms and traditions

• Send remote workers company swag, such as shirts with slogans or value statements

  Look beyond the first dayRemote staff miss out on environmental cues and informal touchpoints that office workers get. Their onboarding therefore benefits from a more structured journey with regular check-ins.For instance, remote workers miss out on learning by overhearing conversations or spontaneous peer mentoring. A structured onboarding course helps make up for that.

To-dos:

• Set 30-, 60- and 90-day milestones and performance goals that let new hires own their development paths

• Schedule check-ins to review progress and any blockers new hires face

• Provide training for skills new hires need in the role, such as product knowledge

• Arrange for new employees to connect with a mentor about acclimatisation, strengths and development areas

• Regularly run engagement and onboarding satisfaction surveys

Use data

Without face-to-face interaction it's harder to read non-verbal cues and sentiment. That makes it difficult to judge whether onboarding materials are landing with remote staff. Remote managers may also be likelier to make incorrect assumptions without data. Data offers useful insight and cuts down on guesswork.

To-dos:

• Send weekly polls on experiences, challenges and needs

• Use learning management systems (LMSs) to track training completion rates

• Assess how long new hires need to reach full productivity in their roles

• Gather feedback on new hires’ preferred communication methods

Data closes the visibility gaps of remote work, helping ensure your onboarding process meets the needs of hires you don't meet face-to-face.

Why is the onboarding process so important?

A personalised, well-structured onboarding process can help your new employee feel a sense of belonging.

A successful process is more than a welcome pack or branded swag. An effective onboarding program can:

• Build meaningful work relationships that enhance engagement

• Create strong cultural alignment in new employees and help them feel more connected with your business objectives

• Let new employees connect with your mission and vision and encourage them to take initiative instead of simply following instructions.

Onboard remote hires with Remote

Working with a proven global HR partner like Remote is one way to deliver a consistent, positive onboarding experience.

We manage the administrative side of onboarding, and our self-serve platform lets team members access and submit what they need quickly. That lets you focus on integrating the hire into your company’s culture and making sure they hit the ground running.To learn more about how we can simplify onboarding — and manage and pay your team — speak to one of our friendly experts today.