Welcome to the concluding chapter of Virtual Work World's Master Guide to Hiring Top Talent in 2024: Your Guide to Seamless Remote Onboarding and Training. We've empowered over 60 companies globally to masterfully onboard and train their new team members, and we're here to reveal our detailed insights on simplifying the onboarding and training process, setting your new team members up for success from day one.
Together, we've journeyed through the intricacies of identifying staffing needs, navigated global salary budgets and recruitment costs, and guided you through the importance of hiring compliantly across borders. Now, we're at the end of our journey, ready to share the final piece of the puzzle.
Your company's success isn't just about selling products and services; it extends to how you train, retain, reward and recognize your crew. Hiring the best talent marks a significant step, but it's just the beginning; ensuring that each new team member is skillfully guided and equipped for their role is the final and most crucial step.
In the remote working era, Onboarding transcends the traditional role of adding new team members to your in-house office routine. It transforms into a strategic, intentional integration process that requires planning, organization and connection between the Manager and new team members.
The significance lies not just in having a thorough area of responsibility (AOR) for the role but in knowing how to expertly navigate the AORs to build goals with actionable deliverables. Imagine possessing a state-of-the-art vessel but lacking the knowledge to steer it effectively – the destination remains elusive. That's why creating an Onboarding Roadmap is the first step in mapping your Onboarding Journey.
At Virtual Work World, our commitment to seamless onboarding and training processes has been shaped by our hands-on experience of over 15 years. Here's a glimpse into our Onboarding Roadmap Planning Process:
In our experience, clarity and structure are vital in the onboarding journey. We go beyond by creating detailed timelines for our clients, outlining every goal they must achieve throughout the Onboarding process. We outline the goals into four facets:
Within these four facets, we further break down the goals into training modules to be covered over the course of two weeks. These training models cover getting to know the people, processes, services, prices, business background, customer lifecycle, current OKRs, 30, 60, 90-day planning and more.
💡Pro Tip: When breaking down the goals for the four facets above, create various Onboarding Meeting Sessions with respective meetings agendas to deep-dive into each facet over the course of two weeks.
To ensure that your team members understand the Onboarding steps, we recommend crafting an Onboarding Handbook. An Onboarding Handbook is a comprehensive guide meticulously crafted to ensure your team members understand their roles, grasp company expectations, and navigate the intricacies of the company policies and procedures (e.g., check-in policies, payroll processes, time-off processes, etc.).
Drawing on our experience, we recognize the importance of setting transparent expectations from the start to keep team members informed and accountable. This Handbook can continue to guide your team beyond Onboarding, helping them understand expectations, nuances of the roles, systems they need access to, and any company policies and procedures they must adhere to.
The Onboarding Agenda is a linchpin in our process, carefully encompassing the Onboarding Goals and Timeline to provide an actionable two-week learning schedule!
Using each of the four facets from the Onboarding Goals and identifying the key topics and tasks that need to be covered, we recommend you create a granular two-week schedule encompassing the daily work hours, which can help with covering all of the goals outlined, helping new team members to understand the company and its evolution, assisting with training on tools and answering any questions they may have.
From ensuring seamless tech stack access to establishing goals that delve into understanding people, processes, and services, the Onboarding Agenda is a comprehensive tool that leaves no stone unturned.
💡Pro Tip: Break down the various training topics into "Onboarding Sessions" and actionable "To Do Tasks" for the new team members. Here's an example of an Onboarding Session with an agenda under the facet "Get to know the People & Process.”
First Day (Monday)
(9:30 AM - 10:30 AM) Onboarding Session 2: Get to know the People & Processes
Agenda:
- Meet with the Department Head/s to dive deeper into the company's background and services.
- Business Lifecycle Review: Discuss how the business started, the evolution of the company and where it is now.
- Business Goal: Dive into details on the OKRs and North Star goals for the company in 2024.
- Overview of the Company's Products and Services
- Overview of Pricing & Fee Structure
- Introduction to the Teams
--- Review company org chart
--- Overview of various teams within the company
--- Discuss the key functions and responsibilities of each tea
--- Discuss the preferred forms of communication within the teams
--- Discuss how teams may work together cross-collaboratively on providing services
--- Discuss any team member introduction calls that need to be scheduled
- Q&A Session
To Do Tasks (10:30 AM - 11 AM):
- Review the Onboarding Handbook and note any questions you may have
- Using the company background learnings, audit the website to ensure the information is accurate and note if any improvements are needed
At the heart of our onboarding process lies the Onboarding Checklist. This checklist is the Manager's internal guidelines on all the tools, topics and items they must address to ensure seamless Onboarding.
Using your Onboarding Agenda, tailor your checklist to the tools you'll be training on, the topics you'll be diving into and the access that needs to be given. A few topics we recommend including are:
💡Pro Tip: Let your Onboarding Agenda guide you! For each topic you'll be training on, put it on your checklist to prepare relevant information for the details in the four facets, prepare the training materials/presentations, prepare case studies you can share with the new member, etc.
Utilizing our experience, we've optimized a tried and true framework for ensuring Onboarding Success. When building your own Onboarding Roadmap, we recommend you follow the Virtual Work World 6 C's of Seamless Onboarding:
Company Policy: It's important to introduce new members to the internal policies and procedures of the company, ensuring a smooth entry into the company's operations.
Company Background: Understanding the ethos and evolution of a company is crucial for new team members. At VWW, we advocate diving deep into the company's background during Onboarding, covering the company's beginning and evolution. This topic gives the new team members a perspective on the company, its growth, and future goals.
Clarification: Ensuring new hires have a crystal-clear understanding of their roles, responsibilities, and objectives. This clarity sets the foundation for a focused and secure start in the company.
Culture: Beyond policies and background, immerse new hires in the company's ethos, people management perks, and social norms. Understanding and adapting to the company culture is key to their integration and long-term success.
Connection: Onboarding is not just about covering the work; it's also about fostering a relationship and getting to know each other to get the best out of the business relationship. This connection encourages a sense of belonging and is instrumental in effective teamwork and collaboration. We recommend starting every Roadmap with Introductions and icebreakers to set a positive tone.
Check-In: In our experience, successful Onboarding is not a one-time event but a continuous process. We encourage our clients to foster a culture of ongoing support and adaptability. Regular check-ins complete the Onboarding cycle, providing ongoing support, addressing concerns, adapting the process based on feedback and strengthening the business relationship. This continuous engagement is essential in ensuring a smooth transition for the hire.
At VWW, our Onboarding Philosophy is grounded in what we've found to work best. We believe in not just adding team members but cultivating an environment where they can thrive. As we navigate the wild waters of the modern workplace, a forward-thinking approach to Onboarding and Training is crucial for organizational success. Embracing and creating an effective Onboarding Roadmap involves balancing technology, personalization, and a deep understanding of the company's expectations.
As we set sail to hire top-tier talent in 2024, let's acknowledge that securing top talent is just the initiation of our voyage. The ultimate success lies in fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, ensuring that each member is not only onboard but fully equipped to navigate, innovate, and propel your ship to success.
If you need support navigating an unchartered Onboarding Roadmap and feel overwhelmed by the pressure to get all the details covered — Virtual Work World is here to do this for you!
Don't spend your precious time trying to figure this ship out, wondering if you are reading the compass right— let us take the wheel!
We're here to tailor an Onboarding & Training solution for your company, ensuring seamless integration for your new team members. We cover everything within the Onboarding Roadmap, as well as hosting the first Onboarding Session and training your Managers on how to navigate the entire process.
Discover the VWW difference – where Onboarding is not just a process but a pathway to lasting success. Contact us today to get started!