Developing a Remote Onboarding Process

Most HR teams think their onboarding is solid. → Laptop ready. → Paperwork completed. → First day meet and greet? Check. But here is the truth we see behind the curtain: Most teams skip the parts that matter most for long-term success. Here are two steps most teams forget during onboarding and what to do instead. 1. 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 Telling someone your values is easy. Showing them how the team 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 works is the magic. New hires do not struggle with the handbook. They struggle with the unwritten rules. Give them real language instead of vague gestures. For example, instead of asking… "Do you use Slack?" Try saying… "Our team lives in Slack during business hours. We expect same day responses for most messages and a quicker reply if it is from your manager or during core hours." Other examples to spell out clearly: • How often leaders drop in for updates • When cameras are expected on • How people give feedback • When it is okay to block focus time • Preferred communication style (short pings or detailed notes) And pair them with a culture buddy. Someone who can answer real questions like "Is it normal to send a calendar note before messaging the VP?" That saves so much social anxiety and avoids awkward first month missteps. 2. 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 A job title is not direction. People want to know exactly how to succeed. → Get specific. → Paint the picture. Instead of saying… "You will lead onboarding." Try… "In your first 30 days, you will run onboarding for three new hires. Success looks like zero missed system access steps, plus a feedback survey score of 4.5 or higher." Then schedule a 30 day check in. Not to judge. To support. Ask questions like: "What has been clear so far?" "What has been confusing?" "Where do you need resources or examples?" And tell them one thing they are doing well. Everyone needs a confidence anchor early. Strong onboarding is not fancy. It is clear, human, and consistent. Which onboarding detail made the biggest difference for you in a new role? If this sparked ideas, share it with another HR pro building better onboarding. #OnboardingTips #HRLeadership #PeopleFirst ♻️ I appreciate 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 repost. 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗥 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀? Click the "𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿" link below my name for weekly tips to elevate your career!

My remote hires (probably) ramp faster than yours. Here's why: Most remote onboarding means a calendar packed with Zoom meetings and endless Slacks from strangers. No real connection. No clear priorities. No clue how tall anyone actually is. It can feel isolating, especially when you’re new and eager to prove yourself. That’s why I take a different approach at UserEvidence. I meet every new hire in person during their first week. Wherever they live, on their home turf. Every time, it leads to the same outcome: faster ramp-up, stronger confidence, and immediate momentum. I’ve improved this process three times now, cutting out fluff and getting feedback from every person to make it even better for the next hire. They each get a beast of a Notion page that covers: - Key people to meet (and why those meetings matter) - Important docs and links to review right away - A roadmap for their first 30, 60, and 90 days, clearly outlining expectations and where I need them to take ownership From day one, new hires have full visibility into what's working, what's not, and where our biggest opportunities lie. They don't have to hunt for information, either. It’s all there for them: board decks, old marketing roadmaps, past OKRs, and a clear breakdown of the agencies and freelancers we partner with (plus their “superpowers” and how to best work with them). By the end of week one, we’ve already had honest and vulnerable conversations about: - How we can best work together  - Our working styles and weird work quirks to be aware of (we all have them) - What success looks like in their role - Where they want to grow and how I can help We also make time for fun and get to know each other outside of work. Like our upbringing, favorite life stories, and who we are as humans. Work matters, but who you work with matters even more. Building trust right out of the gate makes everything easier.

I’ve onboarded remote hires across time zones, continents, and cultures. And here’s what I’ve learned: Remote onboarding doesn’t ⭐fail⭐ because of location. It fails because of assumptions. Assuming someone will “just speak up.” Assuming they’ll know what success looks like. Assuming they feel like they belong. Without hallway chats or shadowing, remote employees miss all the informal context that makes onboarding feel human—not just functional. Here’s how I’ve made it work: 💬 Over-communicate expectations and priorities 🎥 Use video, even for 15-minute check-ins 📅 Create a rhythm of connection—1:1s, team intros, buddy syncs ☕ Encourage informal conversations (yes, even virtual coffee chats) Remote doesn’t have to mean disconnected. In fact, with the right systems, it can feel even more inclusive. It took me many years of learning the hard way to build this out. And I’d like to share it with you, no strings attached. (see link in comments) That’s why I built these practices right in our Manager Onboarding Kit—to help leaders support their teams with intention, no matter where they are.

Starting a new job while remote can suck. Imagine your first day: You get your laptop and login info. Set up all the software and benefits. Lovely HR folks onboard you but it’s all going through the process. You don’t actually meet your teammates though or learn about your work until later. That would feel kinda lonely, eh? 😔 Imagine a different first day: 👋Your manager posted an intro message in the company new hires channel (at Slack, we call this #yay). 📮People from different teams message you offering to chat or welcoming you to the company! ☕️You have virtual coffee invites already. I joined Slack in April 2020. Remote. Didn’t meet anyone IRL for over a year! Yet, I felt welcome and included because Slack’s leadership is very intentional about curating the culture (David Ard Robby Kwok would directly welcome people!) People from across the company DMed me. To my slack colleagues reading this, this might feel obvious. However, a lot of companies are still figuring out hybrid culture - across time zones, cultures and borders 🌎🌏🌍 Today, I try to carry on the torch. Every Monday, I message the new hires in our #yay channel. On lighter weeks, I do 15 min coffee chats. For the ones in NYC, we coordinate office days. We might be in completely different parts of the company and never work together, but that’s also an opportunity to learn something new. It might be just one message or meeting for you, but it can make a HUGE difference in someone’s onboarding experience. So, carry the torch - go make someone’s first day amazing 🔥

I sent laptops to 7 remote hires. 5 quit within 90 days. Costly mistake.  Brutal lesson. I thought I was onboarding them. They felt abandoned. And the data proves I wasn’t alone: 🚫 63% of remote employees say onboarding was inadequate. 🚫 60% feel lost and disoriented after their first week. 🚫 Remote hires take 3-6 months longer to reach full productivity. A laptop in a box isn’t onboarding.  It’s a fast track to disengagement. So I rebuilt our process—and retention jumped 82%. Here’s exactly what worked: 🔥 The Buddy System ✔ Assign a mentor (daily check-ins for the first 2 weeks) ✔ Encourage “silly” questions—zero judgment ✔ Make support feel human, not bureaucratic 🔥 Connection Before Content ✔ Virtual coffee chats before training starts ✔ Executive welcome video on Day 1 ✔ Remote-friendly team social event in Week 1 🔥 Digestible Learning ✔ 90-minute training modules (no info overload!) ✔ Spread onboarding across 3 weeks, not 3 days ✔ Live discussions > passive video watching 🔥 Tech Readiness ✔ IT setup completed before Day 1 ✔ Test systems with the hire the day before ✔ Provide a digital “emergency contact” for tech issues 🔥 Culture Immersion ✔ Virtual office tour with real team stories ✔ Inside-joke dictionary (every company has one!) ✔ Daily connections between work tasks & company mission 🔥 Strategic Check-ins ✔ Week 1: "What surprised you?" ✔ Month 1: "Where do you need more clarity?" ✔ Quarter 1: "How can we better support your growth?” 🔥 Early Wins = Early Buy-In ✔ Assign a small, meaningful project in Week 1 ✔ Recognize their success publicly ✔ Show them how their work makes an impact Remote onboarding isn’t about dumping information. It’s about building confidence, connection, and commitment. Do this right, and your new hires won’t just stay. They’ll thrive. P.S. What’s one thing you wish you had in your first remote onboarding? ♻️ Repost this to help HR teams fix onboarding before it costs them top talent.

85% say workplace loneliness is increasing 38% of ages 16–24 feel socially isolated there 26% now turn to a chatbot to fill the gap... Feeling left out is a problem with how work is run. Loneliness is often the result. What recent data shows: ❌ 85% say they feel left out at work → People aren’t seen, included, or recognised. ❌ 24% often feel lonely because of work → It’s 38% for ages 16–24. ❌ Many younger workers spend full days without a single real-time conversation. ❌ 63% of fully remote workers report this at least weekly, vs 35% fully in-office. This isn’t about personality or “toughness.” It’s about how we structure the day. What’s going on.... Loneliness grows when: → Work is efficient but low on human contact → We replace live conversations with messages and don’t add anything back → Heavy workloads push connection off the calendar → Invitations, visibility, and credit are unclear → Managers focus on tasks and skip relationships People still get the work done. They just feel less connected over time. What will not fix it.... ❌ Extra Slack reactions ❌ Another wellness app ❌ A quarterly offsite ❌ Forcing everyone back to the office None of these, on their own, rebuild everyday connection. What to do instead.... Keep it simple and measurable: 1. Guarantee one real conversation per day → A short check-in or huddle beats a long thread. 2. Be explicit about inclusion → Decide who’s invited, who speaks first, and how credit is given. Write it down. 3. Teach managers to run for connection as well as delivery → Use small habits: quick round-robins, clear check-ins, closing the loop with thanks. 4. Protect time for people, not just projects → When work spikes, don’t cut the few moments where people talk. 5. Treat this as a retention risk → People who feel isolated are more likely to leave. Track it like you track churn. People aren’t asking for “office best friends.” They want to do good work without feeling invisible. That’s a leadership job, and it’s practical. What will you change this week to make inclusion routine? 🔔 Follow Si Conroy and ♻️ Share if you like this. 📩 Weekly sanity in my ‘Founder Group Therapy’ newsletter: https://lnkd.in/erk_vfQc Sources: 📉 EY’s Global Belonging Barometer 4.0 (surveyed 5,000+ employees; US, UK, Germany, Singapore, India; Sept 2025 📉 Bupa Wellbeing Index 2025 (workplace health)

If your onboarding feels clunky, confusing, or last-minute… your client can feel it too. The work doesn’t begin after the payment. It begins the moment someone says “yes.” And this is where most people drop the ball. I’ve been there too. Until I started using AI to simplify, personalize, and hold space for my onboarding flow, without losing the human in the process. Here’s what that looks like: Step 1: Welcome, with intention: As soon as a client signs up, I feed their context to ChatGPT: “Write a warm welcome email to a new client who just signed up for [X service]. Acknowledge their goals, set the tone for our work together, and share what to expect this week.” It helps me start the relationship right, with presence, not a template. . . . Step 2: Kickoff kit, custom to them Instead of sending a generic Notion board or onboarding doc… I use AI to create a personalized one-pager: - Their name, goals, timeline - Pre-work checklist - Tools we’ll use - Access links - FAQs based on their niche It makes them feel seen. . . . Step 3: Pre-call prep that’s actually useful If I’ve collected form answers or voice notes, I prompt: “Summarize this client’s challenges and suggest 3 angles I should explore in our kickoff call.” I walk into the call aligned and calm. They feel it. . . . Step 4: Clarity recap - fast After the call, I feed my notes to ChatGPT: “Turn this into a call recap email with clear next steps and aligned expectations. Keep it real, not robotic.” It saves 30 minutes of staring at the screen and helps me build trust in the tiny details. . . . Step 5: Ongoing onboarding, quietly handled Need reminders? Nudges? Status updates? I’ll set up small AI workflows that keep things moving without nagging or micro-managing. Because onboarding isn’t a task. It’s the first chapter of your client experience. You don’t need AI to replace the way you work. But you can use it to hold the edges, so you show up more fully in the middle. That’s what onboarding should feel like. Intentional. Warm. Clear. And deeply human. If you want the actual AI stack I use to support this flow (without feeling cold or corporate), comment "ONBOARD" or DM me and I’ll send it over. Follow Vartika Mishra !

Your onboarding feels fine to you. To new clients, it screams disorganization. 𝟲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗴𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝟭/ 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗲 Intake form asks for their goals. Kickoff call asks for their goals again. First email asks for their goals a third time. Message received: you don't read what they send. → Consolidate information requests into one place. 𝟮/ 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 Contract says "starts in 5 business days." Welcome email says "starts next week." Kickoff invite is scheduled for 10 days out. Inconsistent timelines signal unreliable delivery. → One timeline. Stick to it. Update it everywhere. 𝟯/ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 Email comes from Sarah. Contract is signed with John. Kickoff meeting is with Maria. They don't know who their actual point of contact is. → Introduce the team structure upfront. One clear owner. 𝟰/ 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 Email says "upload files to Dropbox." Portal says "attach files here." Phone call mentions Google Drive. Conflicting instructions make them question everything else. → Audit every touchpoint. Use one system consistently. 𝟱/ 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 Welcome packet is 47 pages. Critical deadlines are on page 31. Login credentials are in paragraph 12. They miss key details because you overwhelmed them. → Put critical info first. Make it impossible to miss. 𝟲/ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 They sign the contract Tuesday. Hear nothing until the following Monday. No confirmation, no next steps, no timeline. Radio silence after commitment feels like buyer's remorse. → Immediate next step email after signature. No gaps. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: "If onboarding is this confusing, what's the actual work going to be like?" First impressions set expectations for everything after. Smooth onboarding signals smooth operations. Messy onboarding signals future problems. Small confusions compound into big doubts. By week two, they're already questioning their decision. Not because your work is bad. Because your process made them feel lost. Your process might make sense to you. But you've done it 100 times. They're doing it for the first time. And they're judging your competence by it. ♻️ Repost if onboarding reveals operations. ➕ Follow me, Louis Shulman, for more tactics to stay top of mind and beat the competition. 📧 Join our weekly marketing newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gYGzEeTb

🌧️ Loneliness is a reality I've faced—through long business trips, expatriate assignments, and family separation. Many of us have felt this isolation, especially in today’s dynamic work environment. Yet, 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱. https://aihr.ac/3WIO7kA ⬅️ In my recent article with Ioanna Mantzouridou Onasi, we explore the essence of loneliness and strategies to mitigate it in the workplace. Building on Psychologist John Cacioppo's EASE strategy, we look at using the acronym 𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗘𝗥 to combat loneliness: • Extend Yourself: Take small steps to reach out. Engage in social activities, even outside your comfort zone. • Accept: Understand that building connections is challenging and not everything is personal. Maintain a positive outlook and trust others. • Seek Collectives: Join groups or causes that interest you. Shared interests ease initial connections. • Include Others: Strengthen existing relationships. Reach out to trusted friends and family intentionally. • Expect the Best: Trust in others’ intentions. Believe in your worth and their desire to spend time with you. • Respect Yourself: Prioritize self-care with healthy habits in sleep, diet, exercise, and leisure activities. 🫶 It is always important to also be aware and intentional when supporting others experiencing loneliness: 𝗕𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: Show up and check in regularly. Your presence can be incredibly reassuring. 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻: Listen to understand, not to respond. Empathize without judgment. 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲: Invite them to join activities respectfully, allowing them the dignity to decline without repercussions. What strategies do you find most effective in addressing loneliness, especially in the workplace or during life transitions? 💬 #HR #HumanResources #StateofHR #HRCareer

No one talks about how hard it is to start a new job. Many organisations still talk about onboarding like it’s a checklist. A tech set-up, a policy doc, a welcome email. Maybe a team lunch if you’re lucky. But for many, starting a new role can feel lonely. Disorienting. Like you’re in the room, but not in it. You don’t know the unspoken rules. You’re unsure how to contribute yet. You’re figuring out who’s who and what matters. And if onboarding isn’t done with empathy and intention the result? Disconnection. Self-doubt. And a slow slide into disengagement. Because onboarding isn’t a week-long sprint. It’s not just HR’s job. And it’s certainly not about ticking boxes. It’s about creating connection. It’s about helping someone feel like a contributor, not an outsider. It’s about designing an experience that supports belonging and psychological safety from the get go. In a world where psychosocial safety is now both a legal and cultural responsibility… How are you shaping the first chapter of someone’s story in your organisation? Is your onboarding process building connection or breeding loneliness? It’s not just a nice-to-have. It’s a leadership responsibility. And it could be the difference between your next hire thriving or quietly looking for the exit. #onboarding #employeeexpeexperience #hiring #innovation