3 Common Virtual Onboarding Challenges [Solutions Included]

Since 2005, the number of people working remotely has increased by more than 159%. As businesses embrace distributed and remote work standards, virtual onboarding has become an integral part of their growth. However, virtual onboarding imposes new challenges in hiring new team members, which many companies are still struggling to overcome.

Keep reading to find three common virtual onboarding challenges.

(Looking for more ways to onboard new team members virtually? Create streamlined virtual onboarding experiences that align, educate and energize new hires from day one with our Virtual Onboardings Employees Rave About guide.)

Sessions are Passive

In some virtual onboardings, new employees often show up to sit and watch. There are too few opportunities to build meaningful connections, and the onboarding manager is more concerned with checking off items on the onboarding checklist. Being too focused on a list means you are missing the things that really matter, like overall comprehension and team building.

Solution:

• Schedule purposeful introductions with other team members and top executives. Don't assume 'meet and greet' chats will happen on their own and don't leave this crucial engagement to happen asynchronously in chats. These interpersonal moments are vital during the onboarding process
• It is critical to take one-on-one time to understand where the new hire is struggling or excelling. Consider pre-scheduling meetings in advance for onboarding health checks. It is common for managers to meet weekly with the new employee during the first few weeks.

Onboarding is Disorganized

Starting a new job is overwhelming enough. Imagine searching for instructions, links and documents that are scattered between emails, Learning Management Systems and calendar invites. Having to locate and keep track of content adds an extra layer of stress to the first days. There is rarely a persistent hub or place to come back to review materials. 

Solution:

Create a branded virtual space or hub. This virtual onboarding space should include documents, access to Zoom meetings, videos and additional training materials. Having one centralized hub makes it less complicated and time-consuming to track down needed documents and links. Including an onboarding plan to reference later would be helpful as well. 

Process is Forgettable

After onboarding, the difficulty continues. Commonly, there is nothing put in place in virtual settings to make joining the team a memorable experience. Team members are left feeling isolated, uninspired and generally unprepared for the next steps. 

Solution:

The onboarding sessions should be engaging for everyone, including the onboarding coordinator. Having an entertainment factor makes it worthwhile and meaningful. An unengaging and forgettable onboarding all comes down to the right content. The meetings and workshops that take place during the onboarding sessions need to be more than a Zoom link.

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At Filo.co, we want to help you develop and retain the right talent with collaborative live onboarding & training experiences. Uplevel your employees' first impression with virtual Onboarding Campuses that drive engagement, connection and productivity today by contacting us.