GUIDE TO DESIGNING AN ONBOARDING

PROGRAM FOR YOUR REMOTE TEAM

What’s Inside OVERVIEW - ONBOARDING YOUR REMOTE TEAM PAGE 3

SURVEY SAYS PAGE 5

WHY ONBOARDING MATTERS? PAGE 6

3 BENEFITS OF ONBOARDING REMOTE TEAMS PAGE 7

ONBOARDING CONTENT BEST PRACTICES PAGE 8

PRE-BOARDING PAGE 9

THE CASE FOR SWAG PAGE 11

PRE-BOARDING TIPS PAGE 12

ALL ABOARD – CRAFT YOUR WELCOME PAGE 13

INVEST IN COMMUNICATIONS AND COLLABORATION TOOLS PAGE 14

WELCOME PACKAGE AGENDA - WHAT TO INCLUDE? PAGE 15

IDEAS FOR GETTING BUY-IN FROM EXISTING STAFF PAGE 17

INTERNAL CULTURE LESSONS PAGE 18

RECOGNIZING CULTURAL DIVERSITY PAGE 19

CREATE QUALITY LEARNING EXPERIENCES PAGE 20

ONBOARDING IDEAS WORTH TRYING PAGE 21

KEY TAKEAWAY PAGE 22

SOURCES PAGE 23

Overview-Onboarding Your Remote Team

Your onboarding process should provide an insider's view of your team including who you are and what you aspire to achieve. How often

does meet as a group? How does the team store critical documents, confidential files, and contact lists? What is the process of ordering

supplies, booking travel or organizing events with customers? These are just a few examples of questions you'll want to answer from the

start. Think of what you would want or need as a new employee and take a look at the examples provided here based on what other

organizations whorunvirtualoffices aredoing.

FirstImpressionsmatter.90%ofemployeesdecidetostickaroundlong-term withinthefirstsixmonthsofemployment.¹

Stayfocusedonimpartingyourownculturethroughout.Considerthelistsofbestpracticesonthefollowingpagesasyougetstarted.

3

“ Here’s w hat w e’ve learned: the first w eek

at a company has an outsized impact on how

you feel about the organization, how you

get yourself ram ped up and how effective

you w il l be” 2

Percolate Co-founder Noah Brier

Survey Says...

Remote work has been on the rise in the last few decades. More than 1.7 million Canadians worked from home in 2008 at least once a week, up

almost 23 percent from the 1.4 million in 2000, according to the most recent Statistics Canada report in 20103

. A recent Global Workplace

Analytics and FlexJobs showed that 3.9 million workers, or almost 3% of the total U.S. workforce were working from home at least half the time in

2015, an increase from 1.8 million in 20054

. The advantages of running a remote workplace have been clearly laid out in research. These include

saving on overhead costs, higher productivity, employee satisfaction, and diversity of talent pool. Research also points to potential drawbacks

from being a “Digital Nomad". Issues like isolation, lack of social cohesion and are among the pitfalls.

5

If you are looking for coworking spaces these resources below are a great place to start

10 Must-See Coworking Spaces Across Canada

23 of the Best Coworking Spaces in the U.S.

Global Map of Startup Coworking Spaces- StartupBlink

The 5 Most Beautiful Coworking Spaces in the World

The 20 Best Coworking Spaces Across the Globe

Why Onboarding Matters?

• Companies with an onboarding process achieved

a 63% year-over-year improvement in customer

satisfaction.

• According to a recent Allied Workforce Mobility

Survey, 23% of new hires leave before their first

anniversary.

• Companies with an effective onboarding processled to a 60% year-over-year improvement inrevenue. 5

6

3 Benefits of Onboarding Remote Teams

Taking stock of where your team's

strengths and areas of concern or

challenges exist. New Employee

surveys or focus groups are a

great way to capture current

state strengths and weaknesses

of existing programs.

Reflecting your business mission

and philosophy: If done correctly

you will have a communication

tool to reinforce your company

mission and philosophy.

Demonstrate transparency and

caring: Giving your employees

and vendors a proper welcome

at the outset encourages open

dialogue and signals that you

care about your team's success.

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Onboarding Content Best Practices

Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31501/why-every-business-blog-needs-evergreen-content.aspx

Keep content short with "snackable" sections that

employees can absorb quickly. Short bits of information will

be less overwhelming.

Make your material available so that your team can access it anywhere, anytime by making it mobile friendly and easily

shareable.

Include content that is fresh and easy to update.

This is what social marketers call "evergreen" meaning content is

easy to update and remains relevant for a long time.

Keep jargon and acronyms to a minimum. Not everyone will understand the specific shorthand language of your

business.

1 2 3 4

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Pre-Boarding

As you design your program, you should keep in mind the difference between Orientation and Onboarding. Orientation is all

"housekeeping" items need to get someone ready for their new job —activities like completing paperwork, touring your office

and gaining access to critical tools and technologies. Onboarding, on the other hand, takes longer and encompasses all aspects of

teaching new staff about their role and how they fit into your to your culture and organizational structure. 6

Pre-boarding content can either be sent all at once or sent to your new employee in digestible sections before the start day. Most

companies choose to send Pre-boarding materials electronically however for a personal touch you could use a courier service

especially if you are planning on including company swag. Turn to the next page for more info on swag.

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"Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it

takes a whole company to integrate new

hires and get them up to speed“ 7

Sarah Alexander

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The Case for Swag

Adding a branded gifts to your onboarding kit is not just a case of giving handouts or

breaking the bank to impress the new team members. Thoughtfully including swag is also a

chance for you to once again reinforce your culture and values. Check out some creative

ways that leading companies say "welcome, we're happy you joined our team! Who doesn't

love getting free gifts! 8

• At marketing platform Percolate new hires get professional headshots, Percolate swag, a handwritten letter and a Kindle. Co-

founder Noah Briar explains “That's linked to the core idea that we are a learning organization. It's our responsibility to help

encourage people to continue to read and make themselves better,” 9

• Co-Working space provider Breather gives values Postcards that include their core values and shows off some of their

beautifully designed spaces. 10

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Pre-Boarding Tips

Burning Questions

Insert answers to burning questions that must be

addressed on day one or week one. Google Forms is a

great tool to use to create interactive surveys, FAQs or

Glossaries.

First Week Agenda

Create an itinerary for the first days weeks or months.

It is critical to give employees a clear picture of what to expect before

they start working for you.

TIP 01 TIP 02 TIP 03 TIP 05TIP 04

We l c o m e E m a i l

Infuse your welcome email with the history

of your company. Try to personalize this

message as much as possible and let your

new hire know you are excited about the

career journey you are about to take together.

Include essential info l ike l ist of key contacts,

technology resources and mandatory forms.

Mission and Values

Connect mission and goals to real

accomplishments andinclude detailed stats on how you are doing

against your objectives List your short-term

and long-range goals.Use pictures, video or

images to give an impression of what your

business is all about.

Customer Service

Who are your customers? How do you deliver services

to them? This part of your package is your chance to

showcase some great publicity, winning proposals

or industry awards.

Tip: Why not include actual customer quotes and

highlights of business wins in this section?

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All Aboard – Craft Your Welcome

It goes without saying that starting off on the right foot with your new staff should include a warm and heartfelt

welcome message. Still, if your team is not in your city, country or continent, making your welcome message stand out

and feel sincere can be a difficult task. Whatever format you use for your welcome note, you should be answering

these crucial questions: Who are we? What do we believe? How do we treat our customers and staff? What problems

do we solve with our products or services? Why did we start this business venture? Why is our team vital to us?

There is no replacing human interaction in the form of face time when introducing your new employees to your team

whether that comes in the form of team building events, strategy sessions, brainstorming sessions or social gatherings.

Even if your team is geographically dispersed, some small amount of in-person onboarding activities can be built into

your plan where possible. If there is no way to come together physically, a video introduction is a great alternative.

On page 21 check out some creative ways that leading companies say "welcome, we're happy you joined our team!".

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Invest in Communications and Collaboration Tools

Running a small business from remote locations present a unique set of challenges and pressures for embracing emerging technologies. Budget

constraints, lack of time and employee resources can further drain resources for planning to integrate collaboration tools if you are not running a

traditional bricks and mortar office. Your ability to effectively use digital collaboration and communication tools from the start will make a huge

difference. The List below has suggestions for the kind of applications best suited for virtual teams.

Source: https://skillcrush.com/2016/10/24/remote-work-tools/

Projects

Conferencing CloudStorage

TeamChat

Google Hangouts

WorkPlaceby Facebook

Slack

Asana

Jira

Trello

HangoutMeets

Join.Me

Zoom

Google Drive

Drop Box

Box

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Welcome Package Agenda What to Include?

1

2

3

4

5

6

OUR MISSION VALUE S & CULTURE

Storytelling is an especially effective way toteach lessons about your culture. For anexamplecheckout Zappos Culture Book.

TEAM BUILDING ICE BREAKERS

Try to include activities that all staffparticipate in. To make new employeesfeel at ease, leadership should also takepart.

MEET YOUR NEW TEAM

To maximize efficiency invitenew hires toexisting town hall, one on one or regularteam meetings.

LET'S DO LUNCH

First day or first week lunch is a chance forthe team to bond and learn about oneanother.

MEET YOUR MENTOR

Even if you don't have a formal mentoringprogramyoushouldpairnewemployeewithmoreexperiencedpeers.

HOW WE CONNECT

Describe how your Intranet, chat, email, socialmedia etc. are used for communicationbetweenco- workers.

This is by no means an exhaustive list but gives you an idea of what you can include so that you are covering what your new hire needs

to get up and running .

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Welcome Package Agenda – What to Include?

Offer a mix of learning experiences includingonlinecoursesand opportunities to work onactualprojects.

7

9

11

8

10

12

FAQ/HOW TO FIND CRITICAL INFO

Add an FAQ section to your existingintranetplatformor create an employeenewslettertoanswer priority information.

WHAT'S HOT/UPCOMING EVENTS

What is covered in your newsletters, eventscalendar or weekly emails? Build excitementby giving newhires a brief preview.

BRAND GUIDELINESCreateand sharea design guidedetailingproperuse of your logo, coloursand layouts. Clickherefor anarticleonhowtocreateyourown.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES PRIVACY AND DATA PROTECTION

We hope it won't happen, but in the event ofa security breach what is the plan? Describehow you expectyour team to protect yourassets.

HOW TOSTeach your new team members about howto submit expenses, make travel requests,andcompleteotheradmintasks.Shortvideosareusefulforthiskindof instruction.

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Ideas for Getting Buy-In From Existing Staff

When existing employees become actively engaged in the new hire process, they are more likely to help their new peers to integrate and

become productive faster. Open up the process as much as possible to employee involvement to gain valuable insights. Lack of consultation

with all stakeholders in the initial stages of your program could translate into inflexibility and content that is less relevant. Relying on just the

top layer of your company to plan your onboarding strategy also means less opportunities for professional development.

CONTENT CREATORS

Set up a system where existing

staff can contribute their ideas.

Start an onboarding champions

committee to funnel

ideas. One idea is to have a Roving

reporter/man or woman on the

street interviewing current and

new employers to give an insiders

view.

NAME IT

Naming competitions are a great way

to ensure your existing employees

take some ownership and pride in

your communications tools. Have

them name your Intranet,

Newsletters and other

Communications tools related to

new employees. Offer small prizes

such as movie tickets and restaurant

vouchers

Build in recognition for more

experienced employees who

participate in onboarding or

mentoring programs. Leverage

existing rewards programs if

possible. It's a smart idea to do

this at specific milestones like the

first month, six months, or first

year of the program. Make the

criteria for winning awards

transparent.

RECOGNIZE SUCCESS

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Internal Culture Lessons

• According to Forbes, 89% of hiring failures are due to poor cultural fits 12Your ability to highlight the importance of your

internal culture for new team members is crucial to their success. Some companies value cultural lessons so highly that

they have published books, manuals and even incorporated them into the design of their offices (see examples below) 13.

• Eyeglass maker Warby Parker displays values and mission statements on the walls of its shops.

• In addition to the Zappos Culture Book the online retailer prints its values on walls, websites, customer packaging, t-shirts

and many other customer facing items.

• Netflix has produced a Slideshare and prides itself on a culture of Freedom and Responsibility

A recent Deloitte study showed that 95% of

candidates believe culture is more important

than compensation. 11

9 5 %

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Recognizing Cultural Diversity

By 2032, immigrants will account for up to 80% of Canada’s population growth14. The impact of this trend on business owners can not be overstated.

Recognizing the diversity of culture within your team plays a huge role in the success of your onboarding efforts.

Here are some other cultural diversity tips:

Encourage leadership and staff to take a Cultural intelligence quiz and unconscious bias training to help you get a baseline of where strengths and

weaknesses lie in this area. Testing your Cultural Intelligence, or "CQ" helps you to measure your ability to relate and work successfully in culturally

diverse situations. 15

Use tools such as Globe Smart and The Cultural Intelligence Center. These resources will help you better understand how cultural diversity can

impact your organization.

There are a number of activities that businesses can undertake to learn about diverse cultures including finding cultural mentors and paying close

attention to differences in communication styles . 16

On a practical level use time zone converters to make sure you are sensitive to the timing of meetings and staff gatherings involving geographically

dispersed teams.

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Create Quality Learning Experiences

53%of Millennials say learning new things or having access to professional development opportunities would make

them stay at their jobs.

7 out of 10 respondents in a 2015 survey said that job-related training and development opportunities directly

influence whether they stay with a company. 17

Fundamental questions to ask include: Are people who are in training mode too busy to read long blog articles with

detailed instructions? Would short 15-20 minute how-to videos or images with captions showing steps be more

practical for your particular group?

Include a variety of enriching media (blogs, books, videos, webinars, podcasts) that will help the new employee

learn about your organization’s way of thinking. 18

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Onboarding Ideas Worth Trying

Sources:

1.https://toggl.com/out-of-office-growing-remote-teams

2. https://15378-presscdn-0-14-pagely.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Remote-Employee-Onboarding-Checklist-1.docx

3 https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/onboarding/2016/3-things-linkedin-does-during-onboarding-to-turn-new-hires-into-engaged-employees

4. http://www.greenhouse.io/

3Share

Culture

Help Scout's New Hire program uses icebreakers. Everyone who joins

the team answers a set of five questions and can go back and read

what everyone else has said. People discover things in common such

as that they grew up in the same area or have travelled to similar

places.

At LinkedIn they provide a look behind the "blue curtain" by sending

every new hire their interactive PDF, which showcases everything a

newhirecanexpectonthe firstday.Checkoutthe shortvideoLinkedIn

asanexample

Create a lending library of books that have influenced the

company's founders. Hold a Q&A with a class of new hires and

a co- founder to address all questions about the company’s

history, vision, and direction.

2Sneek Peek

4Stay on

Track

1Ice Breakers

Checklists and Templates you should check out

New Hire Onboarding Guide by Greenhouse Recruiting

Onboarding in a Box: by LinkedIn Talent Solutions

Onboarding checklist for remote employees by Becki Hall

Create a new employee success plan by Google

Work hacks from G Suite: onboard new employees like a Boss

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Key Takeaways

As soon as an offer is signed your onboarding efforts should begin.

Check in Often - Use checklists and surveys to check in with your new hires and other stakeholders to evaluate how the.

process is working out.

Develop a written onboarding plan.

Use technology to automate the process.

S T A R T E A R L Y

E N G A G E

E V A L U A T E

Make the first week and months stand out by adding special touches to give a warm welcome highlight your

culture.

Include Interactive Activities.

Use regular meetings to be transparent and honest about what new team members can expect in terms of culture,

values and responsibilities.

Ensure the program is evaluated at regular intervals.

Involve Stakeholders who can assist with the process and provideinput.

22Visit AB-Arias Virtual Assistance to learn more about getting help to create content for your onboarding programs.

Sources

1. https://www.greenhouse.io/blog/3-reasons-to-invest-in-new-hire-onboarding

2. http://firstround.com/review/the-only-onboarding-timeline-youll-need-from-offer-to-first-friday/

3. http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/virtual-companies-online-office-1.4223267

4. http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/21/pf/jobs/working-from-home/index.html

5. https://www.geteverwise.com/company-culture/building-an-effective-onboarding-program/

6. Source: https://www.smartrecruiters.com/blog/why-you-cant-afford-not-having-onboarding-in-your-hiring-success-strategy/

7. https://www.geteverwise.com/company-culture/building-an-effective-onboarding-program/

8. http://www.greenhouse.io/ New Hire OnboardingGuide

9. GIFs, Gifts, and Games: 4 Ways Companies Welcome New Hires on Day 1, Maxwell Huppert May 3, 2017

10. https://breather.com/blog/welcome-to-breather-a-case-study-in-better-onboarding-part-2/

11. https://www.interact-intranet.com/supporting-organizational-design-the-role-of-social-technology/

12. https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2012/04/25/the-most-important-reason-people-fail-in-a-new-job/#7c86abb3bd2c

13. http://futureofwork.nobl.io/future-of-work/the-inside-story-of-how-zappos-ideo-and-warby-parker-created-culture-manifestos-and-how-your-company-can-too-part-i

14. https://www.bdc.ca/en/about/mediaroom/news_releases/pages/entrepreneurs-stand-gain-from-adapting-trends-shifting-labour-demographics-technology-bdc-study.aspx

15. https://pagely-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/pagely.com/blog/2017/09/improving-cross-cultural-dexterity-among-leaders-and-managers-in-remote-teams/amp/

16. https://pagely-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/pagely.com/blog/2017/09/improving-cross-cultural-dexterity-among-leaders-and-managers-in-remote-teams/amp/

17. https://www.cedmagazine.com/article/2015/03/what-gap-what-generations-say-about-learning-and-technology- workplace

18. Henricksenhttps://leankit.com/blog/2016/12/keeping-remote-teams-cohesive-part-2-onboard-responsibly/

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