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4 Exciting Ways To Onboard Remote Employees

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most business leaders had to rapidly adapt and learn how to run a business remotely. And through that process, many companies have come to the conclusion that the shift to remote work for some of their employees is here to stay. However, as an employer, onboarding new employees in a remote…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most business leaders had to rapidly adapt and learn how to run a business remotely. And through that process, many companies have come to the conclusion that the shift to remote work for some of their employees is here to stay. However, as an employer, onboarding new employees in a remote work environment can be challenging. Regardless of how excited a new employee may be about their new job, there are instances where they may still feel nervous, disconnected or uncomfortable working in a virtual environment. Because of this, it’s essential to look for ways that can help make them feel at home and connected. And by doing this, you can create a welcoming remote working environment for your new hires.

If you’re onboarding remote employees, here are four ways to generate a little extra excitement and engagement for your team:

  1. Provide A Grand Entrance Announcement

Creating a grand entrance announcement could be a great option to make the onboarding process more interesting. It’ll not only welcome new hires to your remote team but will also inform the whole organization that the position is already filled.

When making a grand entrance announcement, you need to include their name, a simple description of them, and their beautiful photo. But if you want to announce the onboarding of new employees in a more enjoyable manner, write a welcoming message on your announcement channel and organize a video conferencing meeting to welcome them yourself.

And by doing this, you can create a fun grand entrance for all new hires, making them feel more welcome.

  1. Host Enjoyable Virtual Events

You can also hold some virtual events for work to onboard your new remote employees in an exciting way. You can either hire third-party professionals to organize the events or do it your way through the following:

  • ‘Ties That Bind’ Game: One event you can try to excitingly onboard new hires is playing the ‘ties that bind’ game, which can build a connection between your new and current employees. To enjoy this game, you need to pair a new hire with an existing worker. Once the pairs are set up, challenge the old employee to look for at least one common trait they have with the new one. They can message the new remote employee for clues or search for information from the announcement message.
  • Virtual Scavenger Hunt: Letting your new hires learn about the company is a part of the onboarding process. It can help them adjust to their new remote working environment. You can help them do it through a fun-filled virtual scavenger hunt. This virtual event lets your new remote employees know more about the company, its history, culture, and other relevant information. And to make it more thrilling, give your new hires a few weeks to finish the challenge and encourage them to reach out to their colleagues for help. Consequently, you can establish a good working relationship with them over time.
  • Welcome Lunch: Although the work-from-home setup doesn’t permit you to eat together in a restaurant, you can still organize a welcome lunch remotely. You can eat your lunch together via communication platforms like Zoom or Skype. Just provide your current and new employees with a food allowance to buy a delicious meal. And during the meeting, you can do activities like getting to know sessions and playing games online.
  1. Deliver Care Packages

Sending out care packages as a reward for being a new addition to the remote team can be one of the most exciting ways to welcome new hires in your remote work environment. Your package may include snacks, water bottles, stress balls, business cards, and a welcome video from the team members. Give your kits a personalized touch to make them extra special.

By giving out these care packages, your new hires will feel welcomed and valued by their new company. As a result, they can quickly adjust to their new work environment and perform their remote jobs more efficiently.

  1. Organize Themed Meetings

You can also host themed meetings as part of the onboarding process for new remote employees. Instead of holding a meeting in the usual manner, you can ask your remote workers and new hires to dress for it. For example, you can ask your members to wear Harry Potter costumes as part of the meeting’s theme.

And by doing this, you’ll make the new employees on board feel welcome and make your meeting extra fun. It can be an excellent opportunity to strengthen your team’s bond to promote collaboration and teamwork.

 

Bottom Line 

The first day of remote work might sound exciting. But aside from the excitement, your new hires might also feel worried about how the current team members welcome them as new colleagues. Hence, to help minimize these worries, try the above-mentioned ways, and you can certainly make your new virtual workers’ onboarding journey more memorable and thrilling.

If you’d like to get more tips on how to onboard remote workers and improve their productivity, sign up for the TopRight blog! You can also visit me on LinkedIn. And if you are looking for deeper marketing insight, think about picking up a copy of one of TopRight’s latest offerings: Strategic Analytics and/or Marketing, Interrupted.

Photo Credits: Adobe Stock Photos

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