With many companies opting for hybrid or fully remote working opportunities, running an online induction is a key part of managing remote workers. Here’s how to make your online inductions run smoothly.
Inductions are an important part of welcoming any new staff member into the business. We have pulled together a list of things for managers to consider if you are running an online induction for new staff members.
You need to ensure your new employee has all the tools to do their job – not just that they have an email address and the logins to the right systems, but also that they have the technology and space in place at home to work to their best abilities.
Preparation for an Online Induction
- Share an outline of the induction with your new team member before they start so they can see what to expect, start to learn names in the team and get a feel for the programmes you use.
Essentials to Cover in an Online Induction
- Relevant policies and procedures – where to find them and who can help
- Health and safety procedures, including desk and chair set-up
- Responsibilities of the job and expectations for the first week
Visions, Values and Unwritten Office Rules
Make time to cover the vision and values of the organisation. The vision of the organisation is one of the reasons your new employee signed up to work with you. Bring them on that journey and help them see the whole organisation, linking it back to their role and department where possible. When an employee works remotely, it’s easy for them to get tunnel vision, and miss vital information on how their work and role impact the wider team and company mission.
Buzzwords such as “collaboration, customer, teamwork, respect, and working smart” are often used, but you need to express what these mean for the individual. Working at home can provide great benefits for a company and its team, but a high level of competent communication is vital to make this work.
For hybrid employees, understanding the office culture is imperative to long-term success. When onboarding a hybrid employee, keep them informed of the unwritten work rules, including things whether people share tea and coffee, is there a team lunchtime, does the first person in put the kettle on? Employees with little work experience may never have experienced the nuances of an office, and not mentioning these little things could lead to big frustrations.
Set a Clear Timeline
Think about how long it took you to fully settle and learn your role. Induction training may officially be two weeks, but make sure you set out regular check-ins, particularly for fully remote workers. Start your online induction by ensuring that your new staff member knows the full agenda for the next two weeks and how training will be covered long term too.
Make sure the induction plan has all the links to any online meetings, information or training with clear timelines and learning objectives.
An Induction is a Starting Point, Not the Whole Story
An induction, whether online or in person is about making sure your new staff members have what they need to begin working and training. It isn’t possible to fully cover all the different aspects of a job in two weeks, but it is a good chance to lay the groundwork for the skills and tasks needed. Setting unrealistic expectations will leave you all frustrated very quickly.
Creating Engaging Online Inductions
When employees work remotely, or in a hybrid manner, it’s easy to miss out on ‘office banter’, small talk and little catch-ups that build comradery and make the tough days easier. You can keep your online inductions from becoming stale, by splitting training into bite-size chunks and incorporating time for general chats and get-to-know-you sessions. In an office environment, you’d naturally pause throughout the day to have a quick chat or make small talk as you work. Keep this team-bonding exercise alive by using messenger apps like Skype, Slack, or Google Chat for non-work-related conversations.
Buddies/Mentoring/Shadowing
If your company provides a buddying, mentoring or shadowing system as part of team inductions (or beyond), the induction stage, is the phase to introduce them. Discover how to set up a budding system and tips for developing a mentoring agreement.
Every Online Induction Needs a Checklist
Make sure your employees can see all the things they are going to learn. This will enable them to know what’s coming and also see how far they have come as they tick things off. A checklist keeps everyone on track and allows other team members to pick up different parts of the training should the key manager be unwell or unable to make a session.
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