New employee orientation used to be simple:
- Give them a tour.
- Show them their cubicle.
- Have them sign some papers for HR.
- Send them on their way (hopefully).
Is that technique, however, genuinely setting new employees up for success? Chris Ronzio, founder and CEO of Trainual and author of The Enterprise Playbook, disagrees.
4 Methods to Set New Hybrid and Distant Workers Up for Success
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great companies like Disney 0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.invest a tremendous amount of time and effort into instilling their rich culture and dynamic corporate heritage in new workers. They ensure that new employees become a vital member of the team quickly by doing so. As Ronzio points out, now is the time to update your orientation program with more remote and hybrid workers on the job.
Don’t be alarmed if this notion makes you feel uneasy. Updating your procedure is as easy as following four basic steps to ensure that each new tenant has the same excellent orientation experience.
1. Place the mouse on the table
When done accurate, orientation provides an opportunity to begin building trust and engagement among clients, coworkers, and management. If done incorrectly, it may negatively influence how the employee thinks about the company and how they carry out their responsibilities.
“This is especially correct for remote and hybrid staff,” Ronzio said. “When someone joins your company remotely, they don’t receive the same experience of walking through headquarters and soaking in the sights, sounds, and details that distinguish your workplace.”
As a result, Ronzio continues, the goal is to mirror that real-life knowledge on the internet. Create short coaching expertise that explains your organization’s history and important accomplishments. Include photographs and artifacts that people would find there in person to keep it interesting. Images, trophies, and other traditional symbols are all ideal examples.
Have the hybrid to recruits go through this training either before or on their first day on the job.That way, everyone who is there in person may reinforce what they’ve learned with what they see in real life, while crew members who are far away don’t miss out.
2. Don’t forget to provide a warm welcome.
“Do not forget that live welcomes are highly important,” Ronzio said as you create the groundwork for an outstanding orientation experience. That’s because, as tempting as it may be, you can’t completely automate someone’s onboarding and training.
To make life accurate for you and your employees, choose start dates that enable a group of employees to start on the same day. This permits people to develop ties with others who are going through similar experiences.. If the cohort includes remote workers, find ways to communicate these benefits, even if it’s only via a Slack channel and a series of Zoom conversations.
“Make sure you and the rest of the management team are current to greet them early on their first day, whether the orienteers are going to be completely remote, completely in-person, or a combination of the two,” Ronzio said. “That will give the kickoff more strength and enjoyment while also demonstrating to the orienteers that they are important, significant members of the team.”
4 Methods to Set New Hybrid and Distant Workers Up for Success
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3. Ship whatever they desire ahead of schedule.
While the next step is obvious, Ronzio claims that many businesses overlook the next step: putting it all together.
“There’s nothing more frustrating for a new employee than feeling that the company wasn’t prepared for them,” he said. “However, that is the message they get when they are deposited in an office, told their computer is still not set up and left to conduct some training on their own.”
That’s why you should plan to sync the first-day experience: getting the new tenant’s technology and workspace set up and ready to go before their first day on the job.If they’ll be working remotely, send the equipment to their home and give them plenty of unpacking time before they start.
“You may as well send a few surprises,” Ronzio said. “We provide a range of Trainual stuff, such as T-shirts, water bottles, beach towels, and a bag, to make their first day memorable and show them that we consider them a member of the crew from the beginning.”
Consider giving remote employees a gift card to a food-delivery service to enable them to participate in the action from home if your orientation course includes a team lunch or pleasant hour.
4. Devote more time to presenting your team.
A big part of the orientation is getting your new employees acquainted with the team they’ll be working with. It’s simple to conduct a quick “meet the staff” tour during an in-person orientation.
However, Ronzio recommended that for long-distance recruits, you give more thought to articulating your company’s “who’s who.” Include basic biographical information for each crew member. You should also make sure to describe their role, reporting buildings, and essential responsibilities so that your new tenant knows who to contact if they have a need.
One way to do so is to create a business playbook. It contains personnel information and an organizational structure that orienteers may refer to if they have any issues. Regardless of where they work, all of your employees should have access to your company’s playbooks. If a new tenant has a question, “they’ll quickly open up the playbook and get the answer they need,” Ronzio said. As a result, your buisness will be more saleable and scaleable, as you will no longer be a roadblock to team member growth.
Make a positive orientation experience for everyone.
“A fantastic orientation experience might make a huge difference in how a new hire succeeds at your company,” Ronzio said. “Like Disney, we need to figure out a way to make our new hires feel like they’re a part of the team, whether they’re in the office every day or working remotely.”
It’s as easy as creating a solid foundation, offering a live welcome, making sure everything is ready ahead of time, and taking extra care to introduce your recruits to the rest of the team to achieve that kind of positive orientation experience for all new hires.
