The best leaders know how important it is to identify top talent and build effective teams. And every time you add a new employee, the team dynamic shifts a little–for better or worse. In the midst of today’s pandemic, not only are teams working remotely, but many are adding new team members, growing at a time co-workers can’t get to know each other in the usual ways.
Engaging new employees quickly and effectively may be more important now than ever. Here’s how to help shorten the process.
Starting Off on the Right Foot
Human resources departments have typically taken the lead on employee orientation, sharing the ‘need-to-know’ information about company history, benefits, badges, and the like. It’s important to make sure this critical information is easy to access remotely with an intranet or social platform that works consistently, and on the day a new team member starts. Then you can focus on the human connection that will develop and retain top talent.
In today’s pandemic, it is okay for onboarding to take the online approach. The only difference is, instead of an in-office session, you’ll be meeting new teammates in a different way.
Lending Tree has taken the basics a big step further, assigning a culture ambassador to connect with each new employee regularly, to help them feel they have a ‘place’ in the company.
In the absence of day-one, in-person orientation sessions, HR executive Angela Kirkby recommends using technology to build connection. Link new hires who start the same day electronically so they can develop cross-functional networks from the start.
There is no replacement for a detailed onboarding plan from the supervisor. Who does the new employee need to meet and who needs to meet them? What should they read to put them on the same level as longer-term employees? What media should they follow to keep up to speed on your industry? A thorough plan demonstrates your commitment to helping every new staff member add value as quickly as possible. Don’t skip this important step.
Working effectively as Teams
Technology from Slack to Microsoft Teams to Zoom and others can help with workflow, but effective teamwork also demands collaboration and connection from everyone.
While the first day of a new job is exciting for the new employee, it can also be a little unnerving for the existing team. LendingTree’s new Sr. Director of CRM Joyce Poole met some of her direct reports for the first time through video, so getting to know each other on a personal level was critical for the team to gel. Joyce posted daily questions on Slack so she and her team could learn more about each other’s shared interests and ‘superpowers.’
A Place to Belong
Having friends at work is about more than just basic human interaction. It indicates a feeling of belonging and contributing to a greater whole. The communications team at Novant Health gets that.
New Novant internal communications team member Breonna McDuffie, who started her job just as the pandemic erupted in March, says she felt welcomed right away. In addition to regular check ins, her leadership team had cookies delivered to every employee at home in time for the group’s departmental meeting. And one team happy hour kept things lively by including guests from a llama farm.
Virtual social hours do work, in spite of Zoom fatigue. Scheduled regularly within traditional work hours, they are a serviceable replacement for informal chats that might previously have happened over coffee in the canteen. It’s critical to identify who will take charge of making these events happen, even if you rotate the responsibility among members of the team. Whether you plan online games or host conversations over individuals’ favorite beverages, these sessions make sure teams take time to connect on a personal level.
One Chance for a Warm Welcome
Whether the employee is entry level or a seasoned leader, every new staff member appreciates a warm welcome. Here are some questions companies should ask themselves when onboarding a team member remotely:
- How does your organizational structure support orientation from a distance?
- Who should take the lead to roll out the welcome mat, including regular follow ups?
- How do you share company culture as well as key knowledge?
- What’s the right balance between formal and informal onboarding?
- How do we help team members get to know each other as individuals?
Effective Starts Build Effective Teams
Though specific results vary be company and by team, you’ll know your efforts have been successful by the confidence new employees show as they jump into new work…and the way your existing staff members embrace the new person.
And if you’re lucky, the team will tell you straight out—as Breonna’s team has in dubbing themselves “Team Awesome.” When your employees feel that kind of connection, you know you’re doing something right.