This post was originally published by Nicole Schneider on lessonly.com.
I remember my first day at Lessonly by Seismic. Like many people on their first day at a new job, I was excited and ready to hit the ground running, but there was one aspect of my job that made me nervous—my manager was remote.
Through our use of Lessonly for my online employee training and development, we were able to quickly bypass many of the hurdles teams face when their members aren’t all in the same room. It’s been a few years since my first day, but the trend of telecommuting has continued to grow. As a result, companies are tasked with tackling the unique set of challenges these employees face, including onboarding via online training. Below, we’ll learn about three key components for effective remote employee onboarding and how a learning management system can help.
1. Introducing communication channels
When a person is new to a business, it can be challenging to learn the tricks of the trade. Knowledge gaps are especially difficult for remote employees since they can’t just turn to their neighbor of the nearest subject matter expert for advice. If they don’t know where to go with feedback or questions, it’s easy to feel stuck.
Consider this: If one of your remote employees needs help, do they know where to go? Are they aware of your company’s communication norms and expectations? Are they able to quickly get the answers they need?
Web based training software can help solve this problem by…
- Serving as a source of truth if teammates aren’t available to answer questions
- Providing a platform for communicating questions and answers specifically about training
- Introducing company protocols, including company norms, what is expected of them, when to use each channel, and how to get the support they need for security, IT, and role-related questions
2. Creating a sense of camaraderie
During the onboarding process, employees are learning about their roles and getting to know the company culture. A sense of belonging will make them stay, but they’re more likely to part ways if they don’t feel like a good fit.
Working remote can make it especially difficult for workers to integrate into the company culture. Differences in time zones, challenges with wifi or conference call software, and missing the day-to-day office talk can all make remote employees feel isolated.
Consider this: Have your remote employees been introduced to everyone? Do they feel comfortable reaching out to other members of the team or speaking up in meetings? Can you tell how far they’ve progressed in their training and how engaged they are?
An online employee training platform can help solve this problem by…
- Communicating the mission, values, brand, and company lingo
- Providing a platform for introductions to the team (meet the team training), the office (virtual tours), and available online training courses for employees (mentorship, coaching, additional training resources, etc.)
- Serving as a training tracker to evaluate employee progress and engagement
3. Providing role clarity
Remote employees may not have the opportunity to shadow a co-worker in their role or have a face-to-face meeting with their manager. As a result, it’s crucial that they understand what’s expected of them in terms of schedule and responsibilities.
Consider this: Does your training include specific details around an employee’s day-to-day work? Do employees know where to find this information?
Employee training management software can help solve this problem by…
- Introducing initial projects
- Setting deadlines for the first month
- Keeping things organized and breaking training into steps
- Avoiding information overload by offering a source of truth that can be referenced when employees can’t recall something they learned in the first few days
Remote work decreases company costs and improves productivity, but managing and onboarding remote employees both require a different approach than traditional in-office methods. Using remote training software can help cater your material to fit the needs of your team, no matter where they work.
Engage and onboard your remote employees with online training software to keep your team growing and connected, no matter where they work. Get a demo.
