01 Apr How To Induct New Staff Remotely

As companies across the globe face challenges that were unheard of before, the wheels of industry continue to turn for many. And, whilst companies are adapting to working-from-home life, a new challenge has arisen in the guise of inducting new starters remotely.

Prior to starting

Any new starter will undoubtedly be nervous given the current circumstances, which is why you will need to keep in regular contact with your new starter prior to them starting. Let them know your plan of action for training and keep them updated regularly on anything that may change as the situation progresses.

Setting them up for working from home

Your internal or external IT resource will no doubt have a procedure in place for setting up staff to work from home. Make sure they are aware well in advance of the individual’s start date, so that no delays occur.

Induction calls

Once your new employee has started, ensure you have a thorough plan of induction/training calls set up, so that they can hit the ground running. Remember, they can’t just pop their head out from behind a screen with a

quick question, so ensure your schedule is as clear as possible. Be contactable as frequently as possible to best answer any questions.

Signing documents

There may be a number of documents your new starter will be required to sign (e.g. company policy), and if signed hard copies are too difficult to obtain, a document signing software such as Pandadoc is a great tool for allowing people to sign documents via a computer. That way, they don’t have to sign hard copies, rely on post or be present in person.

Regular communication

New starters will, understandably, need regular communication to ensure they are kept up-to-speed. It’s best to stick to communication by voice or video, rather than email, in the early days. It gives you both a chance to understand each other’s language and mannerisms better, which can be difficult over email.

In addition to the regular communication apps you may be familiar with, such as Skype and Microsoft Teams, alternatives such as; WhatsApp Web (allowing you to use WhatsApp on a computer), Slack (an online instant messaging and project management app) and Zoom (video calls) are brilliant apps that can help make the induction a smoother process. At the very least, some form of instant messaging app is critical for easy and quick communication.

Need advice?

If you need any advice on hiring, inducting or general communication with staff during this lockdown period, please don’t hesitate to contact our team in Jersey or Guernsey who are always available to help.