Dive Brief:

• The benefits of using a remote workforce are well known, including lower overhead, fewer office distractions and higher productivity. But onboarding remote workers requires a special touch, according to CLO Media.
• The article cites the experience of Tricia Sciortino, president of eaHelp, which provides virtual assistants and is a completely virtual company itself, and how her company manages that talent process.
• In a different article, “Onboarding Options When Face-To-Face Onboarding Is Not An Option,” George Bradt, chairman of PrimeGenesis, a transition management company, said there are “efficiency and cost-saving advantages of utilizing a virtual environment for some aspects of onboarding.”

Dive Insight:

Sciortino offered several suggestions to employers onboarding remote workers, including virtually welcoming new remote employees, creating a detailed training schedule, using the technology available, and following up regularly.

For example, within the early stage, a welcome message can help make the new employee feel like part of the company and can convey the employer's excitement that they are now part of the team. She adds that remote employees should be part of some video conferences and calls, so they can get to know co-workers and be productive from the start.

Sciortino told CLO Media that employers should "be intent, deliberate and innovative," noting that virtual onboarding requires a different approach than on-premises onboarding, especially in regards to ingenuity. Employers who offer dedicated onboarding processes for their remote employees are also more likely to ensure they stick around.