How Can I Onboard This Employee Virtually?

So something very personal happened to me recently that I am sure is affecting others. I was exposed to someone who later was confirmed with COVID. Not only was I exposed but we also had a bunch of our employees exposed and, according to the CDC and local health department, two weeks of mandatory quarantine were what the doctor ordered.

Not only was I in the middle of hiring for more people, but I am also now down more people and up a creek without a paddle.

The good news? I had already placed ads and they were gathering applications, so I had a good list to pick from, but with half of the company quarantining, how are we going to onboard?

Luckily, we use Paylocity for all our HR needs and all the onboarding paperwork can be done online and digitally. When I am the hiring manager and we're hiring for general labor. the biggest challenge then becomes, how I can provide an awesome onboarding experience for these employees while under quarantine?

I am sure I am not the only person to go through this and if you encounter this down the road, here are 5 steps to help you make a great first impression with your future employees, even under quarantine.

Today's Tidbit

Step 1. All of your interviews can be done virtually through many different platforms. Though you would think everyone knows Zoom, there are still a lot of people who haven't used Zoom, especially people in general labor positions. So, make sure you are well-versed in all platforms for video conferencing. Last week I had interviews on FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, and Zoom.

Step 2. All of your onboarding paperwork should be digital and you should be connected with your recruiting platform. If you haven't made that switch yet, know that it will make your HR processes so much more compliant and will save you hours of time. I use Paylocity, but there are hundreds of these types of services out there.

Step 3. If you can't be there with your new employees and they will have to go through some training plans at home, find the videos online for the things that you would normally show them in person. You would be surprised how many training videos there are online that cover the same things you would. Take the time to research and create a virtual training plan. Also, employees want their expectations clearly defined. If they are completing their onboarding virtually, ensure they have a detailed checklist, with links to the content you want them to consume.

Step 4. Dedicate daily time to your new employees, where you can jump on a virtual call to go over what they learned. Bring a lesson each day to cover, be prepared to answer questions that they may have, but then also make it a time to get to know them. Make it fun, make it exciting, and get them pumped to get on the job site.

Step 5. This whole situation requires a massive amount of patience. If someone told me that my company was going to need to hire everyone virtually without meeting them, I would not have agreed to get it done within a week. As it is, though, this is not the time to get frustrated because, like me, you still need to hire someone. This is the time to be super patient, super flexible, and super resourceful.

These are the five steps I took to overcome the latest COVID-19 challenge to be tossed our way. If you find yourself in this position and need help feel free to reach out.