A well-structured onboarding experience is crucial in helping new hires get oriented to a new work environment and company culture. It helps them integrate quickly into the team so they can start working productively in their new role. A good onboarding process should help a new employee feel welcome in order to start the working relationship on the right foot.
Designing a strong onboarding experience can be more challenging in a hybrid workplace where team members may be coming to the office or working from home on different days. With 64% of knowledge workers currently working in a hybrid environment, it’s important for companies to adapt the onboarding process to ensure a consistent and seamless experience for hybrid employees.
If your company operates on a hybrid model, here are some strategies to design an onboarding process that’s tailored to the needs of a hybrid workforce.
Design with hybrid in mind
Unlike a purely office-based or fully remote setup, managing a hybrid team gives you the possibility of blending the best of both worlds. When planning the onboarding process, you can decide which parts are better suited to in-person interactions versus focus time at home.
For instance, team introductions, one-on-one meetings, and company orientation or Q&A sessions could be held in-person to facilitate social interaction and connection. In fact, research from Microsoft shows that in-person time to build relationships during onboarding leads to higher retention in the long term. On the other hand, admin tasks like onboarding forms and software training can be completed virtually, so people can work through them on their own time. This ensures the best use of both in-office time and remote work days.
Start with preboarding
It’s normal for people to feel nervous about starting a new job at a new and unfamiliar place. In a hybrid workplace, this might extend to questions about working arrangements since hybrid work can mean so many different things.
A preboarding process can allay some of the anxiety by providing clarity and structure in the weeks leading up to the start date. Make sure the new team member receives their equipment and has access to the tools they need. Provide detailed information about your hybrid work structure, including attendance requirements, working hours, and hybrid work policies. You can also include an agenda for the onboarding process so they know what to expect, including which parts of it are online vs. on-site.
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Create opportunities for connection
Social interactions tend to happen organically in an office-based setup, but in a hybrid environment, you have to be more intentional about creating opportunities for social contact and connection. Leadership advisor and author Brian Elliott emphasizes the importance of face-to-face time during new employee onboarding because these interactions are “disproportionately beneficial when they happen in person.” They allow new employees to start building relationships, bond with colleagues, and feel like they belong.
Be proactive about scheduling one-on-one meetings so that the new hire can get to know their manager, teammates, and any other colleagues they’ll be working with. Assign an onboarding buddy for support and guidance to help them understand the company’s work culture and norms. You can also create onboarding cohorts so that new employees can connect with peers who are going through the same experience.
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Ensure smooth communication
A new employee is likely to have operational and logistical questions, so make sure you keep open lines of communication. Provide a list of key contacts spanning HR, IT support, and the team they’re joining. Ensure clarity around communication tools and norms, as well as expectations for response times.
A hybrid workplace usually requires an array of software tools for communication, collaboration, and project management. Be sure to provide new joiners with the training and resources they need to use these tools effectively, whether it’s Slack, Asana, or Loom. This will ensure that they’re fully equipped and enabled to participate and contribute.
Schedule frequent check-ins
The onboarding process usually presents a lot of information for new employees to absorb, which can be overwhelming at times. You can ease the process by scheduling frequent check-ins to help them adjust to their new role and team. According to Gallup, managers should play an active role by being “present, involved and available throughout new hires’ onboarding journey.”
New joiners may also feel shy about reaching out for help, so regular check-ins are a good way to see how things are progressing and if they need any support. It’s also an opportunity to get to know them personally and provide feedback and guidance as needed. You can also ask for feedback on the onboarding experience and use it to improve the process for future hires.
Setting your team up for hybrid work success
In a hybrid workplace, you need to be intentional about designing a smooth onboarding experience for new employees, one that makes the best use of in-person time as well as remote work days. When done well, a well-designed onboarding empowers new team members to get up to speed quickly and perform at their best while enjoying the flexibility of hybrid work.
Want more tips and insights to fine-tune your hybrid work strategy? Check out Oyster’s Hybrid Handbook, a comprehensive guide to the ins and outs of hybrid work, from building robust policies to communication strategies, performance management, and more.
About Oyster
Oyster is a global employment platform designed to enable visionary HR leaders to find, engage, pay, manage, develop, and take care of a thriving distributed workforce. Oyster lets growing companies give valued international team members the experience they deserve, without the usual headaches and expense.
Oyster enables hiring anywhere in the world—with reliable, compliant payroll, and great local benefits and perks.
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