How to: a Successful Virtual Onboarding during Quarantine

Acquiring talent right now is a tricky situation. Many companies have been forced to stop, but many others continue, only from home. A challenge many were not prepared for. If the COVID-19 crisis has revealed anything, it is that telecommuting also requires a strategy, a planning of resources and efforts, and should not be taken lightly. Beyond having equipment for all employees, coordination is necessary. And here, communication, without face-to-face, becomes fundamental.

The vast majority of our customers have not stopped during this quarantine and have continued to incorporate the talent Catenon has found for them. But the pandemic has posed other challenges for them; one of them being: how do I incorporate a person I’ve already hired over the past few weeks? How do I accompany you in your new venture in our company? Virtual onboarding is the answer.

Welcome! Step by step.

We will never question the importance of the onboarding process to make new employees feel that he will be part of a great team. A warm welcome is an important boost to the newcomer’s motivation. We’ve all been new once, who hasn’t felt lost? Or overwhelmed by all the new things that have to be learned in a short time? The onboarding process is key to facilitate the introduction of the new employee in the company, and that aims to adapt it to the people and the methodologies of the company.

In other circumstances, this process is usually done in person, in a more coordinated and lengthy way, with a person shadowing the new employee to make sure there are no doubts. Now that physical presence is restricted, it is more necessary than ever to digitize this part of the process as well. But some tools for that purpose already exist and can help you. Some companies have already used them, so we know it is possible. The most important thing to keep in mind, whether it be physical or virtual onboarding, is to always accompany that person who just joined. Don’t lose that human component.

Here are some tips to introduce your Digital Onboarding:

Plan the onboarding during the first two or three weeks: make sure you fill in the virtual agenda of your new incorporation. Plan “missions” or tasks to get to know the company, its equipment, its tools and methodologies. It must be a clear and gradual path, less to more, and known well in advance by the parties.
Within this planning, define the objectives to be achieved and the necessary knowledge that the person must acquire. From there, it generates a content and/or manual, which can be a guide to go to for all the additions. Extra: ask your marketing team to help you do something creative and fun.
Involve the whole team: A way for your new employee to get to know the company and its processes is through those who are already inside. This way, you will also know part of the team, who can tell you, each from their experience, what it is like to work in your company. From your direct managers and colleagues, to other colleagues in other areas, such as marketing or finance.‪
If you have an internal platform, it is much easier. You can make a virtual “Onboarding Pack” with the essential documentation for your first days and for your day to day. Or a training circuit with videos, materials, or self-assessment test to be completed. This is a self-service “Onboarding”, which should certainly be accompanied by a guide and supplemented with “live” sessions.
Follow up: even if you try to automate this task as much as possible so that the new employee can manage himself, it is essential to “accompany” him. It is necessary to open a fast and effective communication channel, and to wait for a gap in the agenda to check that the knowledge is being acquired, that you have met the team members and how you are feeling throughout the process to make the appropriate adjustments.
Communicate! Use social or internal networks or the media at your disposal to announce the arrival of a new team member. Introducing everyone can be a daunting task, why don’t we help him?

Be creative. Just because we can’t see each other in person doesn’t mean we have to deprive ourselves of some activities. Some of our clients are organizing cyber cafes with the new team members, office videos, video testimonials from colleagues, apps, or bots that resolve the company’s day-to-day doubts.

An investment for the long term:

Making an onboarding during the quarantine is a great challenge, not only for the new additions themselves, but for those responsible. And communication between the two parties must be as smooth as possible. That is why we cannot forget to create a pleasant and trusting atmosphere for the new employee. Quarantine does not mean stopping hiring or recruiting talent. It should not be an excuse to stop. We cannot forget that there is a war for the best professionals. When the sanitary crisis passes, this war will become even more intense. There are thousands of tools online, everything will depend on what you want to invest, but it is certainly an investment that will ultimately benefit you in this race to get the best professionals.

At Catenon, our onboarding is also digital:

At Catenon we have been doing Digital Onboarding for years. Many of our employees live around the world and it was impossible to do a complete face-to-face onboarding (which we do for our locals, of course). Therefore, we strive to transmit these values: do not be afraid, remember that you have the right to: