Designing Onboarding Programs for a Remote Workforce

Designing Onboarding Programs for a Remote Workforce

We’ve been reading how COVID-19 has transformed our workplaces, compelling HR and L&D teams to devise strategies to support remote learning.

Employee onboarding programs have always been a part of most L&D strategies to welcome newbies – especially in global organizations. A solid onboarding program for new employees would typically include welcoming the person; introducing them to a mentor; orienting them to the company’s culture, policies, and most importantly, imparting a feeling of being a part of a bigger family. While building an onboarding program, companies generally include a digital component, an ILT or a face-to-face component, and /or job shadowing to help the newbie study the hierarchy, processes, best practices, and manage expectations.

So, what has changed? Well, remote/virtual onboarding is becoming universal.

We have unknowingly implemented the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework that improves and optimizes learning using scientific insights.

We have taken a page out of the UDL framework to structure instruction to meet engagement, representation, and expression using goals, methods, materials, and assessments.

The COVID-related disruption has compelled organizations to rethink their traditional onboarding design and deployment strategies. Now they have to navigate through the challenges of harnessing existing technological and non-technological tools to continue onboarding differently.

Organizations are adopting a Universal Design for Onboarding (UDoN) that integrates e-learning assets, virtual instructor-led training (vILT), video calls, phone calls, and regular touchpoint meetings with each other for a holistic and well-executed experience. It meets the need for face-to-face interactions and weaves in social collaboration tools to help remote learners manage their isolation and gain support.

Universal Design for Onboarding can tackle learners, technology, and learning approach in the COVID-related disruptive world by ensuring the following:

Changes for Newbies = Engagement and Representation

• Individualizing the onboarding process for the new recruit by connecting him/her to a coach/mentor who can help him/her get settled and get in touch regularly, phone, video, etc., to make sure all’s well, and get used to a new system/processes.
• Creating a checklist or guide book or maybe even a touchpoint every second day to see that they’re comfortable with remote working.
• Gauging familiarity and comfort with video and audio conferencing, file sharing, online meetings, and video conferencing platforms.

Changes in Unlocking and Deploying Technology within onboarding software for small business

• Ensuring security protocols and firewalls for laptops
• Simplifying access to the VPN connection
• Ensuring availability of system administration for troubleshooting

Changes in the Learning Approach = Expression

• Creating a schedule and goals for the mentor while engaging with a newbie
• Creating engagement and community feeling in virtual sessions
• Encouraging content co-creation through whiteboards, annotations
• Using virtual breakout rooms to encourage post-session feedback
• Promoting small group projects to drive engagement and tackle the fear of isolation and remote working

In the times of social distancing, L&D teams have to ensure that there are designing onboarding programs for newbies that make them feel valued, appreciated, and understood. Learning leaders across the world have to ensure employee safety and business continuity while creating expert employee onboarding programs.

So then, UDoN for everyone?

– By Rukmini Chaudhary, Director – Instructional Design at MPS Interactive Systems