Remote work is quickly becoming an accepted, if not desirable, element of the American way of life. Have a look at these numbers. Some of them may surprise you!
- Roughly two-thirds of businesses employ remote workers.
- According to Inc., one-third of employees will work from home by 2028.
- 70% of people in the world work from home at least once a week. More than half (53%) of all employees work remotely for the majority of the week.
- Approximately one-third of remote workers work 80% to 100% of the time from home.
According to a recent survey, 80% to 90% of the workforce would prefer to telecommute at least part of the time. Today’s knowledge workers expect to be able to work from home. It’s no longer a differentiation.
How do you ensure that remote workers are a member of the team if you hire them? How can you integrate them into your business culture while also teaching them the responsibilities of a new job? The solution is digital onboarding.
Why Use Digital Onboarding?
Remote workers are used to working from home. The ideal new hire is self-motivated, eager to get to work, and self-sufficient. Traditional onboarding does not have various advantages that digital onboarding has. And it’s not simply useful for distant workers. These advantages will also be appreciated by office workers.
It’s Easy
Rather than dampening first-day enthusiasm with a slew of paperwork to do and tedious videos to view, digital onboarding gets that stuff done ahead of time. Instead of wasting time in a conference room, your new employee will be able to spend Day One—whether in or out of the office—learning the ropes of his or her new role.
It’s Standardized
Every employee goes through the same onboarding procedure. When you use software like Vigilink Workforce Management Solution to set up digital onboarding, you ensure that every box is ticked every time. Using a library of state and federal forms, gather the relevant papers. Share company policies, benefit information, and other important documents in a central location where they can be reviewed at any time.
The new hire portal includes:
- Federal and state tax forms
- Benefits enrollment and plan information
- Employee handbook
- Payroll setup
- E-signature
- Completion confirmation
- WOTC application and filing
- Background and reference checks
If your onboarding process is less than ideal, you may assess what works and what does not and make improvements to ensure that everyone has a great experience.
It’s Efficient
Producing and distributing reams of legal documents and forms is time-consuming (and costly!). You can use digital onboarding to download materials once and distribute them to new hires without having to make several journeys to the printer. You don’t have to waste an employee’s time walking a new hire through the onboarding process. Digital onboarding walks your new hire through the process step by step, at his or her own pace.
It’s Engaging
Those who telecommute three or four days a week are the most engaged. Surprised? This schedule strikes an appropriate mix between on-site collaboration and off-site autonomy. In-person training isn’t always required. Allow your new employee to perform what he or she can from home. Next, make the most of your time at work by developing in-person relationships with coworkers and colleagues. When you’re face to face, digital onboarding clears the way for you to focus on what really matters.
It’s Thorough
Create a checklist for your new hires and hiring managers using your onboarding software. Authorized users can log in to ensure that tasks are performed and to follow up on any outstanding issues. Add videos of safety or training to YouTube and link them to your checklist. Your new hire will be able to view them at his or her leisure. Assigning duties guarantees that every box is checked and that nothing gets missed.
Whether you’re hiring someone to work remotely full-time, occasionally telecommute, or work from the office every day, digital onboarding makes the process less onerous for everyone involved. Nobody likes to spend their first day on the job filling out paperwork.
How Do I Onboard Employees Digitally?
Here is a basic onboarding workflow for remote onboarding.
- Personalize your New Hiring Portal for the job. This includes documents such as tax filings and direct deposit authorizations. Remove any superfluous documents. For example, you may not require all new hires to complete WOTC paperwork.
- When the new hire accepts the employment offer, phone them to thank them. Explain that they will receive an email including a link to your New Hiring Portal. The Portal will include step-by-step guidance for new hiring paperwork. Inform them of the expected completion date, which is usually within a week or two.
- Send an email including a link to the New Hiring Portal.
- Ensure that any essential equipment, such as a laptop or headphones, is delivered by IT.
- Each time a newly hired employee submits a form, the system will send an update to the administrator (or anyone you specify). Send a reminder email or text if he/she forgets about a paper.
- The recruiting manager plans the first day’s activities. Set a time for the employee to meet with each of their teammates, whether they will work remotely or on-site.
- If the new recruit will be present on the first day, plan a team-wide welcome meal.
