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What’s Inside OVERVIEW - ONBOARDING YOUR REMOTE TEAM PAGE 3
SURVEY SAYS PAGE 5
WHY ONBOARDING MATTERS? PAGE 6
3 BENEFITS OF ONBOARDING REMOTE TEAMS PAGE 7
ONBOARDING CONTENT BEST PRACTICES PAGE 8
PRE-BOARDING PAGE 9
THE CASE FOR SWAG PAGE 11
PRE-BOARDING TIPS PAGE 12
ALL ABOARD – CRAFT YOUR WELCOME PAGE 13
INVEST IN COMMUNICATIONS AND COLLABORATION TOOLS PAGE 14
WELCOME PACKAGE AGENDA - WHAT TO INCLUDE? PAGE 15
IDEAS FOR GETTING BUY-IN FROM EXISTING STAFF PAGE 17
INTERNAL CULTURE LESSONS PAGE 18
RECOGNIZING CULTURAL DIVERSITY PAGE 19
CREATE QUALITY LEARNING EXPERIENCES PAGE 20
ONBOARDING IDEAS WORTH TRYING PAGE 21
KEY TAKEAWAY PAGE 22
SOURCES PAGE 23
Overview-Onboarding Your Remote Team
Your onboarding process should provide an insider's view of your team including who you are and what you aspire to achieve. How often
does meet as a group? How does the team store critical documents, confidential files, and contact lists? What is the process of ordering
supplies, booking travel or organizing events with customers? These are just a few examples of questions you'll want to answer from the
start. Think of what you would want or need as a new employee and take a look at the examples provided here based on what other
organizations whorunvirtualoffices aredoing.
FirstImpressionsmatter.90%ofemployeesdecidetostickaroundlong-term withinthefirstsixmonthsofemployment.¹
Stayfocusedonimpartingyourownculturethroughout.Considerthelistsofbestpracticesonthefollowingpagesasyougetstarted.
3
“ Here’s w hat w e’ve learned: the first w eek
at a company has an outsized impact on how
you feel about the organization, how you
get yourself ram ped up and how effective
you w il l be” 2
Percolate Co-founder Noah Brier
Survey Says...
Remote work has been on the rise in the last few decades. More than 1.7 million Canadians worked from home in 2008 at least once a week, up
almost 23 percent from the 1.4 million in 2000, according to the most recent Statistics Canada report in 20103
. A recent Global Workplace
Analytics and FlexJobs showed that 3.9 million workers, or almost 3% of the total U.S. workforce were working from home at least half the time in
2015, an increase from 1.8 million in 20054
. The advantages of running a remote workplace have been clearly laid out in research. These include
saving on overhead costs, higher productivity, employee satisfaction, and diversity of talent pool. Research also points to potential drawbacks
from being a “Digital Nomad". Issues like isolation, lack of social cohesion and are among the pitfalls.
5
If you are looking for coworking spaces these resources below are a great place to start
10 Must-See Coworking Spaces Across Canada
23 of the Best Coworking Spaces in the U.S.
Global Map of Startup Coworking Spaces- StartupBlink
The 5 Most Beautiful Coworking Spaces in the World
The 20 Best Coworking Spaces Across the Globe
Why Onboarding Matters?
• Companies with an onboarding process achieved
a 63% year-over-year improvement in customer
satisfaction.
• According to a recent Allied Workforce Mobility
Survey, 23% of new hires leave before their first
anniversary.
• Companies with an effective onboarding processled to a 60% year-over-year improvement inrevenue. 5
6
3 Benefits of Onboarding Remote Teams
Taking stock of where your team's
strengths and areas of concern or
challenges exist. New Employee
surveys or focus groups are a
great way to capture current
state strengths and weaknesses
of existing programs.
Reflecting your business mission
and philosophy: If done correctly
you will have a communication
tool to reinforce your company
mission and philosophy.
Demonstrate transparency and
caring: Giving your employees
and vendors a proper welcome
at the outset encourages open
dialogue and signals that you
care about your team's success.
7
Onboarding Content Best Practices
Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31501/why-every-business-blog-needs-evergreen-content.aspx
Keep content short with "snackable" sections that
employees can absorb quickly. Short bits of information will
be less overwhelming.
Make your material available so that your team can access it anywhere, anytime by making it mobile friendly and easily
shareable.
Include content that is fresh and easy to update.
This is what social marketers call "evergreen" meaning content is
easy to update and remains relevant for a long time.
Keep jargon and acronyms to a minimum. Not everyone will understand the specific shorthand language of your
business.
1 2 3 4
8
Pre-Boarding
As you design your program, you should keep in mind the difference between Orientation and Onboarding. Orientation is all
"housekeeping" items need to get someone ready for their new job —activities like completing paperwork, touring your office
and gaining access to critical tools and technologies. Onboarding, on the other hand, takes longer and encompasses all aspects of
teaching new staff about their role and how they fit into your to your culture and organizational structure. 6
Pre-boarding content can either be sent all at once or sent to your new employee in digestible sections before the start day. Most
companies choose to send Pre-boarding materials electronically however for a personal touch you could use a courier service
especially if you are planning on including company swag. Turn to the next page for more info on swag.
9
"Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it
takes a whole company to integrate new
hires and get them up to speed“ 7
Sarah Alexander
10
The Case for Swag
Adding a branded gifts to your onboarding kit is not just a case of giving handouts or
breaking the bank to impress the new team members. Thoughtfully including swag is also a
chance for you to once again reinforce your culture and values. Check out some creative
ways that leading companies say "welcome, we're happy you joined our team! Who doesn't
love getting free gifts! 8
• At marketing platform Percolate new hires get professional headshots, Percolate swag, a handwritten letter and a Kindle. Co-
founder Noah Briar explains “That's linked to the core idea that we are a learning organization. It's our responsibility to help
encourage people to continue to read and make themselves better,” 9
• Co-Working space provider Breather gives values Postcards that include their core values and shows off some of their
beautifully designed spaces. 10
11
Pre-Boarding Tips
Burning Questions
Insert answers to burning questions that must be
addressed on day one or week one. Google Forms is a
great tool to use to create interactive surveys, FAQs or
Glossaries.
First Week Agenda
Create an itinerary for the first days weeks or months.
It is critical to give employees a clear picture of what to expect before
they start working for you.
TIP 01 TIP 02 TIP 03 TIP 05TIP 04
We l c o m e E m a i l
Infuse your welcome email with the history
of your company. Try to personalize this
message as much as possible and let your
new hire know you are excited about the
career journey you are about to take together.
Include essential info l ike l ist of key contacts,
technology resources and mandatory forms.
Mission and Values
Connect mission and goals to real
accomplishments andinclude detailed stats on how you are doing
against your objectives List your short-term
and long-range goals.Use pictures, video or
images to give an impression of what your
business is all about.
Customer Service
Who are your customers? How do you deliver services
to them? This part of your package is your chance to
showcase some great publicity, winning proposals
or industry awards.
Tip: Why not include actual customer quotes and
highlights of business wins in this section?
12
All Aboard – Craft Your Welcome
It goes without saying that starting off on the right foot with your new staff should include a warm and heartfelt
welcome message. Still, if your team is not in your city, country or continent, making your welcome message stand out
and feel sincere can be a difficult task. Whatever format you use for your welcome note, you should be answering
these crucial questions: Who are we? What do we believe? How do we treat our customers and staff? What problems
do we solve with our products or services? Why did we start this business venture? Why is our team vital to us?
There is no replacing human interaction in the form of face time when introducing your new employees to your team
whether that comes in the form of team building events, strategy sessions, brainstorming sessions or social gatherings.
Even if your team is geographically dispersed, some small amount of in-person onboarding activities can be built into
your plan where possible. If there is no way to come together physically, a video introduction is a great alternative.
On page 21 check out some creative ways that leading companies say "welcome, we're happy you joined our team!".
13
Invest in Communications and Collaboration Tools
Running a small business from remote locations present a unique set of challenges and pressures for embracing emerging technologies. Budget
constraints, lack of time and employee resources can further drain resources for planning to integrate collaboration tools if you are not running a
traditional bricks and mortar office. Your ability to effectively use digital collaboration and communication tools from the start will make a huge
difference. The List below has suggestions for the kind of applications best suited for virtual teams.
Source: https://skillcrush.com/2016/10/24/remote-work-tools/
Projects
Conferencing CloudStorage
TeamChat
Google Hangouts
WorkPlaceby Facebook
Slack
Asana
Jira
Trello
HangoutMeets
Join.Me
Zoom
Google Drive
Drop Box
Box
14
Welcome Package Agenda What to Include?
1
2
3
4
5
6
OUR MISSION VALUE S & CULTURE
Storytelling is an especially effective way toteach lessons about your culture. For anexamplecheckout Zappos Culture Book.
TEAM BUILDING ICE BREAKERS
Try to include activities that all staffparticipate in. To make new employeesfeel at ease, leadership should also takepart.
MEET YOUR NEW TEAM
To maximize efficiency invitenew hires toexisting town hall, one on one or regularteam meetings.
LET'S DO LUNCH
First day or first week lunch is a chance forthe team to bond and learn about oneanother.
MEET YOUR MENTOR
Even if you don't have a formal mentoringprogramyoushouldpairnewemployeewithmoreexperiencedpeers.
HOW WE CONNECT
Describe how your Intranet, chat, email, socialmedia etc. are used for communicationbetweenco- workers.
This is by no means an exhaustive list but gives you an idea of what you can include so that you are covering what your new hire needs
to get up and running .
15
Welcome Package Agenda – What to Include?
Offer a mix of learning experiences includingonlinecoursesand opportunities to work onactualprojects.
7
9
11
8
10
12
FAQ/HOW TO FIND CRITICAL INFO
Add an FAQ section to your existingintranetplatformor create an employeenewslettertoanswer priority information.
WHAT'S HOT/UPCOMING EVENTS
What is covered in your newsletters, eventscalendar or weekly emails? Build excitementby giving newhires a brief preview.
BRAND GUIDELINESCreateand sharea design guidedetailingproperuse of your logo, coloursand layouts. Clickherefor anarticleonhowtocreateyourown.
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES PRIVACY AND DATA PROTECTION
We hope it won't happen, but in the event ofa security breach what is the plan? Describehow you expectyour team to protect yourassets.
HOW TOSTeach your new team members about howto submit expenses, make travel requests,andcompleteotheradmintasks.Shortvideosareusefulforthiskindof instruction.
16
Ideas for Getting Buy-In From Existing Staff
When existing employees become actively engaged in the new hire process, they are more likely to help their new peers to integrate and
become productive faster. Open up the process as much as possible to employee involvement to gain valuable insights. Lack of consultation
with all stakeholders in the initial stages of your program could translate into inflexibility and content that is less relevant. Relying on just the
top layer of your company to plan your onboarding strategy also means less opportunities for professional development.
CONTENT CREATORS
Set up a system where existing
staff can contribute their ideas.
Start an onboarding champions
committee to funnel
ideas. One idea is to have a Roving
reporter/man or woman on the
street interviewing current and
new employers to give an insiders
view.
NAME IT
Naming competitions are a great way
to ensure your existing employees
take some ownership and pride in
your communications tools. Have
them name your Intranet,
Newsletters and other
Communications tools related to
new employees. Offer small prizes
such as movie tickets and restaurant
vouchers
Build in recognition for more
experienced employees who
participate in onboarding or
mentoring programs. Leverage
existing rewards programs if
possible. It's a smart idea to do
this at specific milestones like the
first month, six months, or first
year of the program. Make the
criteria for winning awards
transparent.
RECOGNIZE SUCCESS
17
Internal Culture Lessons
• According to Forbes, 89% of hiring failures are due to poor cultural fits 12Your ability to highlight the importance of your
internal culture for new team members is crucial to their success. Some companies value cultural lessons so highly that
they have published books, manuals and even incorporated them into the design of their offices (see examples below) 13.
• Eyeglass maker Warby Parker displays values and mission statements on the walls of its shops.
• In addition to the Zappos Culture Book the online retailer prints its values on walls, websites, customer packaging, t-shirts
and many other customer facing items.
• Netflix has produced a Slideshare and prides itself on a culture of Freedom and Responsibility
A recent Deloitte study showed that 95% of
candidates believe culture is more important
than compensation. 11
9 5 %
18
Recognizing Cultural Diversity
By 2032, immigrants will account for up to 80% of Canada’s population growth14. The impact of this trend on business owners can not be overstated.
Recognizing the diversity of culture within your team plays a huge role in the success of your onboarding efforts.
Here are some other cultural diversity tips:
Encourage leadership and staff to take a Cultural intelligence quiz and unconscious bias training to help you get a baseline of where strengths and
weaknesses lie in this area. Testing your Cultural Intelligence, or "CQ" helps you to measure your ability to relate and work successfully in culturally
diverse situations. 15
Use tools such as Globe Smart and The Cultural Intelligence Center. These resources will help you better understand how cultural diversity can
impact your organization.
There are a number of activities that businesses can undertake to learn about diverse cultures including finding cultural mentors and paying close
attention to differences in communication styles . 16
On a practical level use time zone converters to make sure you are sensitive to the timing of meetings and staff gatherings involving geographically
dispersed teams.
19
Create Quality Learning Experiences
53%of Millennials say learning new things or having access to professional development opportunities would make
them stay at their jobs.
7 out of 10 respondents in a 2015 survey said that job-related training and development opportunities directly
influence whether they stay with a company. 17
Fundamental questions to ask include: Are people who are in training mode too busy to read long blog articles with
detailed instructions? Would short 15-20 minute how-to videos or images with captions showing steps be more
practical for your particular group?
Include a variety of enriching media (blogs, books, videos, webinars, podcasts) that will help the new employee
learn about your organization’s way of thinking. 18
20
Onboarding Ideas Worth Trying
Sources:
1.https://toggl.com/out-of-office-growing-remote-teams
2. https://15378-presscdn-0-14-pagely.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Remote-Employee-Onboarding-Checklist-1.docx
3 https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/onboarding/2016/3-things-linkedin-does-during-onboarding-to-turn-new-hires-into-engaged-employees
4. http://www.greenhouse.io/
3Share
Culture
Help Scout's New Hire program uses icebreakers. Everyone who joins
the team answers a set of five questions and can go back and read
what everyone else has said. People discover things in common such
as that they grew up in the same area or have travelled to similar
places.
At LinkedIn they provide a look behind the "blue curtain" by sending
every new hire their interactive PDF, which showcases everything a
newhirecanexpectonthe firstday.Checkoutthe shortvideoLinkedIn
asanexample
Create a lending library of books that have influenced the
company's founders. Hold a Q&A with a class of new hires and
a co- founder to address all questions about the company’s
history, vision, and direction.
2Sneek Peek
4Stay on
Track
1Ice Breakers
Checklists and Templates you should check out
New Hire Onboarding Guide by Greenhouse Recruiting
Onboarding in a Box: by LinkedIn Talent Solutions
Onboarding checklist for remote employees by Becki Hall
Create a new employee success plan by Google
Work hacks from G Suite: onboard new employees like a Boss
21
Key Takeaways
As soon as an offer is signed your onboarding efforts should begin.
Check in Often - Use checklists and surveys to check in with your new hires and other stakeholders to evaluate how the.
process is working out.
Develop a written onboarding plan.
Use technology to automate the process.
S T A R T E A R L Y
E N G A G E
E V A L U A T E
Make the first week and months stand out by adding special touches to give a warm welcome highlight your
culture.
Include Interactive Activities.
Use regular meetings to be transparent and honest about what new team members can expect in terms of culture,
values and responsibilities.
Ensure the program is evaluated at regular intervals.
Involve Stakeholders who can assist with the process and provideinput.
22Visit AB-Arias Virtual Assistance to learn more about getting help to create content for your onboarding programs.
Sources
1. https://www.greenhouse.io/blog/3-reasons-to-invest-in-new-hire-onboarding
2. http://firstround.com/review/the-only-onboarding-timeline-youll-need-from-offer-to-first-friday/
3. http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/virtual-companies-online-office-1.4223267
4. http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/21/pf/jobs/working-from-home/index.html
5. https://www.geteverwise.com/company-culture/building-an-effective-onboarding-program/
6. Source: https://www.smartrecruiters.com/blog/why-you-cant-afford-not-having-onboarding-in-your-hiring-success-strategy/
7. https://www.geteverwise.com/company-culture/building-an-effective-onboarding-program/
8. http://www.greenhouse.io/ New Hire OnboardingGuide
9. GIFs, Gifts, and Games: 4 Ways Companies Welcome New Hires on Day 1, Maxwell Huppert May 3, 2017
10. https://breather.com/blog/welcome-to-breather-a-case-study-in-better-onboarding-part-2/
11. https://www.interact-intranet.com/supporting-organizational-design-the-role-of-social-technology/
12. https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2012/04/25/the-most-important-reason-people-fail-in-a-new-job/#7c86abb3bd2c
13. http://futureofwork.nobl.io/future-of-work/the-inside-story-of-how-zappos-ideo-and-warby-parker-created-culture-manifestos-and-how-your-company-can-too-part-i
14. https://www.bdc.ca/en/about/mediaroom/news_releases/pages/entrepreneurs-stand-gain-from-adapting-trends-shifting-labour-demographics-technology-bdc-study.aspx
15. https://pagely-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/pagely.com/blog/2017/09/improving-cross-cultural-dexterity-among-leaders-and-managers-in-remote-teams/amp/
16. https://pagely-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/pagely.com/blog/2017/09/improving-cross-cultural-dexterity-among-leaders-and-managers-in-remote-teams/amp/
17. https://www.cedmagazine.com/article/2015/03/what-gap-what-generations-say-about-learning-and-technology- workplace
18. Henricksenhttps://leankit.com/blog/2016/12/keeping-remote-teams-cohesive-part-2-onboard-responsibly/
23