Most of us are all too familiar with how expensive it is to find and hire new employees.
And losing a new hire weeks or months after they join your team is even more costly.
2020 might be gone, but remote hiring is here to stay as the new norm.
So heres what I think needs to change.
First, take some time to consider what remote employees dont experience when they start a new job.
They dont walk into a room where new colleagues clap and celebrate their arrival.
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Sure, remote orientation programs exist.
Employees can meet with colleagues over Zoom.
Shared Google Drive files can guide new hires through processes, workflows, and even the company handbook.
But job satisfaction and company loyalty requiremorethan an introduction to the how-tos of a job.
They require a deeper connection to a companys organizational culture.
How exactly do you virtually transfer your teams values and belief system to new hires?
For me, it starts with understanding the theory of organizational socialization so lets dive in.
What is organizational socialization?
Organizational socialization is the experiences new employees have when joining a new organization, job role, or cohort.
Think of it as learning the ropes, where new teammates discover what matters most at your company.
Supervisors and coworkers play an integral role in shaping a new employees socialization at work.
Heres the challenge you face: serendipitous interactions and experiences with coworkers come naturally in an office setting.
Not so much with a remote workforce, where employees connect with colleagues through the confines of a computer.
Remote workers cant absorb the ambiance of an office environment.
They cant stop by a coworkers desk to chat.
Why organizational socialization matters
Why is a well-thought-out socialization process so important to your onboarding?
But how effective is it for your ever-growing remote workforce?
Rather than just consuming experiences, they contribute to the companys goals and objectives.
They embrace and exude your organizational culture.
The success of this stage depends on how effective you are with the first two stages.
Thats where well focus our energy, below.
Pre-arrival stage (or anticipatory socialization stage)
Successful onboarding occurs well before an offer is accepted.
Hiring remotely doesnt change that experience.
All they know is the digital impression you offer.
Make an effort to share the office experience on social media and your website.
What do your all-hands meetings look like?
One approach I particularly like is to publish an article on your blog about your meetings.
How do your teams collaborate?
What tools do you use?
Help prospects answer these questions.
Bufferhas made transparency a cornerstone of its brand identity.
Candidates know exactly what theyre getting into before they ever apply for a role.
Also, encourage current employees to add reviews on Glassdoor and other sites.
The more specific they are about the culture, the more effective the review.
Encounter stage
A candidate accepts your job offer.
Theyre now in the encounter stage, where their expectations meet the reality of the job.
This is where you could incorporate the theories we presented earlier.
They typically have a checklist of tasks to complete for their first 7, 14, and 30 days.
At the same time, HR fills their work calendars with one-on-one meet and greets.
This experience works well for employees who report to an office on a set schedule.
Its less effective for remote workers.
But these types of casual encounters are critical toward helping new teammates feel welcomed in your tribe.
Remote teams compensate with one-on-one video calls and a company-wide introduction on Slack.
These are a nice touch but they arent enough.
This meeting which could be 2-4 hours long, should be a mix of work and non-work related activities.
For example:
Dont get me wrong.
But dont treat them like a blanket solution to making new employees feel welcome.
Uncertainty reduction theory
We can tell a lot about a person from social cues and body language.
Remote employees dont have the luxury of either not even with video calls.
To overcome this, give those one-on-one onboarding calls a focus.
Have everyone on your team create auser guide a how-I-work document.
Have your existing employees share their user guide with your new employee before their one-on-one meetings.
Refresh for remote workers refresh often
The most successful companies retool their organizational socialization processes regularly.
At the end of their onboarding process, I like to ask new employees share their experiences.
Did their expectations before joining the team align with reality?
Did they get to know their teammates before jumping into work?
Do they feel like an integral part of the team?
She specializes in building teams to craft memorable brands and drive explosive revenue growth.
