Virtual Onboarding for Remote Employees

Virtual Onboarding for Remote Employees

Remote working has become an increasingly common arrangement that offers plenty of benefits for both employees and employers. Approximately 62% of employees say they work remotely some of the time, while 44% of workers report that their team includes full-time remote employees. Part of a successful WFH transition includes setting clear remote work expectations. Despite the growing popularity of remote working, plenty of companies still struggle with onboarding remote employees. 

Below, we’re exploring best practices for onboarding remote employees and providing an employee checklist template to help guide your virtual onboarding processes. 

Why onboard remote employees?

Companies and employees are embracing the remote work movement for a number of reasons. Of course, millions of formerly employed workers are now hunting for jobs, while many companies are considering a shift to off-site hiring on a permanent basis in a post-COVID world.

Remote workers typically enjoy more flexibility than their on-site counterparts, along with a reduction in the stress and expense of commuting to the job. For employers, utilizing remote staff can offer cost savings and increased productivity while opening up a much larger talent pool from which to recruit.

The onboarding phase is a critical time that can make or break a new employee’s impression of the company and heavily influence their decision to stay long term. So, how do you optimize your company’s virtual onboarding process to ensure that remote employees get up and running as smoothly as possible? One of the best ways to get started is by creating a virtual staff onboarding checklist. 

What to include in your onboarding checklist template

When compiling a virtual onboarding checklist, it can be easy to overlook important aspects. Make sure your remote employees get everything they need out of the onboarding process by ensuring you hit the following areas: 

Compliance: This includes the most fundamental requirements of the employee’s job, along with essential company rules, policies, and procedures. 

Culture: Just because an employee is remote doesn’t mean the company culture takes a backseat. Even remote employees need to know the norms, values, and expectations of the organization.

Connection: This is perhaps the most important aspect of onboarding remote employees. Because they’re not on-site, it’s imperative remote workers know exactly who they can turn to with any questions, whether related to their job specifically or to the company and operating procedures in general. 

Introducing Wrike’s staff onboarding checklist

The good news is that Wrike makes onboarding remote employees a breeze with our employee onboarding template. With Wrike, you can create a custom form that captures all the critical information needed to bring new remote employees onto the team. You’ll also be able to build checklists for critical day one tasks.

Interested in finding out more about Wrike's flexible work management platform? Discover how we can help your remote team to do the best work of their lives here.