How do you successfully hire, onboard, and train new staff so they feel as welcomed and productive as your in-office staff?
Onboarding Remote Employees in New York
Onboarding employees is a crucial first step in fostering a positive employee experience for a business. Ensuring that employees feel welcomed, comfortable, and confident in their new roles is important, and difficult enough on its own, so how do you ensure the same things for a new remote hire?
While it can be incredibly helpful to consider modern HR software that supports
new hire electronic onboarding and other remote work aspects, the following article outlines some helpful steps when it comes to onboarding remote employees.
Send and Complete All Necessary HR Paperwork Digitally
HR professionals should focus on sending and completing the following HR paperwork, digitally, and in the following order:
- Send an offer letter and employment agreement
- Ensure the offer letter is signed (confirm the start date and salary)
- State Specific Wage Notices, as applicable
- Complete background checks
- Ensure employment agreement is signed
- Complete drug screening file documentation (if applicable)
What Employee Information is Needed?
Managers and employers will need the following information and forms filled out when onboarding a remote employee:
- Employee contact information
- Address, cell, in case of emergency contact info
- Obtain (or have ready) an employer identification number (EIN)
- Federal Tax Withholding Form
- AND, State Specific Tax Withholding Forms
- A complete employee I-9 form
- Confirms the worker’s eligibility to work in the U.S.
- Submit employee information to State New Hire Reporting Agency
- If applicable, per industry
- Equal Opportunity Data Form
- As applicable per employee count and dealings with Federal contracts
- Direct deposit form
- Employee benefits enrollment forms
- Allow for employee handbook review by new hire
- Policy documents handled (i.e. NDA or non-compete)
- State-specific sick time notices, as applicable
- State-specific sexual harassment policies, as applicable
- State-specific legislation notices, as applicable
- State-specific legislation notices
Welcoming New Hires to Your Business
The following practices can help welcome remote new hires to your team as well as promote positive employee engagement:
- Schedule 1:1s
- Prep new hires on who they will be meeting
- Share with them an organization chart that helps them understand where each person falls within the organization
- If necessary, set up a virtual “job-shadowing” with a resident staffer and a new hire.
- This is sort of like a ride-along, where new hires can ask questions in real-time, screens can be shared, and missing equipment or access to tools can be requested immediately.
- Ensure all new hires are given office equipment, emails, passwords, and proper PPE as needed
- Establish a schedule for kick-off meetings with individuals & teams
- Schedule virtual training via zoom or other platforms
Final Thoughts on Onboarding Remote Employees
Employee onboarding can be a difficult task and is only made more challenging when it involves a remote employee. Using these strategies, as well as other tips for making working from home successful, employers can see a bid difference in their organization.
For help with onboarding remote employees, or to learn about how EBC HCM is already helping countless people with remote onboarding and other aspects of People Management, contact us today.
Sources:
https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineImages/hrsoftware-employee_cycle_mobile.png
https://slack.com/intl/en-pl/blog/collaboration/report-remote-work-during-coronavirus
https://www.managementcenter.org/resources/onboarding-during-covid-19/\
https://typelane.com/what-is-employee-life-cycle/
https://www.npr.org/2020/05/08/852527736/covid-19-forces-more-people-to-work-from-home-hows-it-going?t=1599647743924
https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/As-Work-From-Home-Numbers-Rise-Due-to-the-Coronavirus-Pandemic-Collaboration-Tools-See-Spikes-in-Usage
https://www.zenefits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/hr-checklist-for-remote-hiring-and-onboarding.pdf
https://www.nexthink.com/blog/experience-for-remote-workers/
