{"id":4369,"date":"2015-11-30T19:37:17","date_gmt":"2015-11-30T16:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/?p=4369"},"modified":"2022-03-23T14:28:01","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T12:28:01","slug":"successful-online-employee-onboarding-strategies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/successful-online-employee-onboarding-strategies\/","title":{"rendered":"10 successful online employee onboarding strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Employee onboarding has two sides. There\u2019s the practical side<\/strong> (HR paperwork, IT setup, training, and orientation, for example). And then there\u2019s the emotional aspect<\/strong> (how it makes your new hires feel). We tend to focus on the practical side since it’s mandatory and in some cases challenging to tackle, especially when it comes to online onboarding. But, often, it\u2019s the \u201csoft\u201d side that has the biggest impact.<\/p>\n

Accepting and starting a new job heightens the senses. Most of us remember vividly how it felt to start our first job. We\u2019ll have mentally cataloged it as either a \u201cgood<\/em>\u201d or \u201cbad<\/em>\u201d experience. And either stayed for a while or left pretty quickly, based on that emotional assessment.<\/p>\n

When it comes to onboarding, ticking off all of the practical elements is essential. But it\u2019s the experience you provide that will determine how long your new employee stays with you. And how well they perform in their role.<\/p>\n

Online onboarding works on both a practical and personal level. For both you and your employees. It supports and standardizes all of the different formal requirements, while also providing an intuitive, timely, thoughtful, and accessible experience<\/strong> your new hires will love.<\/p>\n

In this article, we look at how you can use your online learning portal or onboarding training software to give your new hires a remote onboarding experience they\u2019ll file under \u201cgood<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Meeting the challenges of online onboarding<\/h2>\n

With hybrid and remote working continuing to grow, more companies are moving over to online employee onboarding because it breaks down the traditional barriers of time and location. And it works for every type of employee\u2014whether they\u2019re based on-site, at home, or a bit of both.<\/p>\n

But onboarding remote employees<\/strong><\/a> does come with challenges. The good news is, for each challenge online onboarding also provides a solution.<\/p>\n

Challenge #1:<\/strong> Creating a first-day welcoming buzz<\/p>\n

The solution:<\/strong> Craft a carefully considered welcome message to appear on your learning portal.<\/p>\n

Send your new joiner a survey before they start. Ask them about their personal interests and their working preferences (their ideal workstation setup, for example). Then, use this information to make their welcome as personalized and warm as possible.<\/p>\n

If your new hires are based in different locations around the world, make them feel at home by using your learning platform to match their language and time zone.<\/p>\n

Challenge #2:<\/strong> Building relationships<\/p>\n

The solution:<\/strong> Schedule short group and one-to-one video calls with the people your new hire will be working with.<\/p>\n

These introductions are essential to communicate team structure, create a sense of shared goals, and build enthusiasm<\/strong>. Follow this by introducing them to the rest of the company.<\/p>\n

You could also pair your new employee with a \u201cbuddy\u201d or \u201cambassador\u201d and organize informal break-out sessions for them to share news and ask questions.<\/p>\n

Challenge #3:<\/strong> Information overload<\/p>\n

The solution:<\/strong> Spread your onboarding sessions over a longer period of time and give employees some free time to absorb what they\u2019ve learned so far.<\/p>\n

Virtual onboarding can be more intense without the informal watercooler moments and coffee break catch-ups that take place in an office.<\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t make the onboarding process longer, review your onboarding content and remove anything that won\u2019t excite or engage them in your company and your people. The content you remove (logistics and legal requirements, for example) can be packaged up into and shared separately.<\/p>\n

Challenge #4:<\/strong> Disengagement and screen-drain<\/p>\n

The solution:<\/strong> Work in partnership when presenting live training sessions to keep learners\u2019 interest levels high.<\/p>\n

Divide up roles so you have a facilitator to focus on sharing content and making connections and a producer to manage the technology. And factor in an interactive element<\/strong> every half an hour or so.<\/p>\n

Challenge #5:<\/strong> Keeping motivation and sense of belonging high after the first week<\/p>\n

The solution:<\/strong> Schedule regular virtual check-ins between your new hire and their line manager.<\/p>\n

This way, managers will be able to find out how things are going and what extra support their new team members might need.<\/p>\n

Challenge #6:<\/strong> Creating a company vibe<\/p>\n

The solution:<\/strong> Put your company culture front and center when designing your onboarding content.<\/p>\n

Make sure your new hires get familiar with your mission, vision, and values.<\/p>\n

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Effective online onboarding: 10 strategies for success<\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve touched on the challenges of online onboarding. But, for the most part, these are outweighed by the benefits. To help you get the full value from your onboarding training software<\/strong><\/a>, check out 10 successful onboarding strategies :<\/p>\n

1. Create compelling content<\/h3>\n

Use the content editing tools in your learning portal to create an onboarding eLearning experience that caters to different learning types. Including different formats (widgets, embedded internet content, multimedia – video, audio- content, slides, and presentations) will keep engagement and interest levels high.<\/p>\n

Or, let someone else create the content for you. If your learning management system includes an
\nan integrated content marketplace, use it to buy courses off the shelf<\/strong> and incorporate them into your onboarding package.<\/p>\n

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2. Manage knowledge<\/h3>\n

New hires want the right information at the right time without having to voice their needs too much. Your busy SMEs, senior execs, and team leads want to add maximum value to the online onboarding process but (due to time pressures) need to achieve this through minimal effort.<\/p>\n

The solution? Create online communities of knowledge<\/strong> your new hires can access as and when they need them. And that your busy internal stakeholders can contribute to with minimum fuss.<\/p>\n

Wikis<\/h4>\n

Through your LMS or onboarding training portal, create wikis your SMEs can use to share insights and information. Instead of repeating the same information for every new hire, they only need to share their knowledge once.<\/p>\n

Organized and structured, it\u2019s a resource your new employees can use to search for what they need when they need it.<\/p>\n

Tip:<\/strong> Review and update all content to make sure it\u2019s as up-to-date as possible.<\/em><\/p>\n

Forums and FAQs<\/h4>\n

The questions your new hires will have on their fourth day will be different from the questions they\u2019ll have during their fourth month. But chances are the questions they have at each stage will be fairly standard.<\/p>\n

Use the discussion forums<\/strong><\/a> in your LMS to gather insights and document commonly asked queries<\/strong>. Make sure they\u2019re answered by, and attributed to, the relevant authority. Not only does this give credibility to the answer, but it also subtly provides an introduction to your in-house SMEs.<\/p>\n

Tip:<\/strong> Online support questions need to be answered and mentored in a \u201ccommunity of practice\u201d manner.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lessons learned<\/h4>\n

Communities of practice also present space for addressing performance concerns and sharing \u201clessons learned\u201d.<\/p>\n

Encourage key employees to maintain a \u201creflective practice\u201d journal and share it with peers and juniors. Giving your new hire the chance to learn about any potential pitfalls at this stage saves more time and resources.<\/p>\n

Tech and tools<\/h4>\n

New employees need to learn and adapt to a new workflow, tools, systems, and software. Create communities of knowledge and online guides that include screenshots or videos of everything they\u2019ll need to use (your regular database management software, CRM, and LMS, for example.)<\/p>\n

Tip:<\/strong> All training tutorials need to be visible and available for use when the new employee is ready.<\/em><\/p>\n

Job-related training<\/h4>\n

Add recommended professional development tutorials, job-aids, and eLearning programs for new employees based on their department and role.<\/p>\n

HR overview<\/h4>\n

HR-related questions need to go into your learning portal\u2019s knowledge repository too. Include a bundle of click-and-read interactive information articles on the following:<\/p>\n