Onboarding was already an imprecise art at many companies before the pandemic of 2020. Many different companies use many different ways of making sure that new hires were brought up to speed as quickly and efficiently as possible. This was all, of course, a lot easier in a general sense when we were all sharing offices across the land instead of working from home as most of us do now.
So remote onboarding is a whole other ball of wax in and of itself. How do you share the lay of the land for a new hire when “the land” itself is mostly virtual? How do you present a cohesive rundown of life at your company when that workday life is harder to get a bead on than ever thanks to our New Normal, however long it may last. In the name of figuring this new reality out, here are 13 companies that have gotten a head-start on remote onboarding. They share their methods with us below.
When did HubSpot begin the process of remotely onboarding your new employees?
Onboarding at HubSpot, called Foundations, is a remote-inclusive and highly flexible onboarding experience that ensures all of our amazing new hires get the foundation they need to be successful. And while we’ve always had remote onboarding, we transitioned to 100% remote only for the new hire experience, starting in March 2020, when our offices closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What are the basic challenges of remote onboarding vs. in-person onboarding, and how have you dealt with them?
Moving to an entirely remote onboarding experience presented unique challenges and opportunities. Many of our new hires found themselves in situations they did not plan for – working 100% from home when they planned to be in one of our offices, adjusting to working from home for the first time, managing childcare or care of a family member, navigating their home and office being the same space, etc. To combat the challenges of onboarding remotely, we provided additional training on our technology, added in extra optional sessions to help foster a real sense of community, and worked closely with our Remote Program Manager to help all our new employees become more comfortable working from home.
Can you give us some specific examples of how your company onboards remote employees in 2021?
We quickly pivoted our new hire programming to be more remote inclusive in several ways, including introducing remote work guides for managers and new hires, incorporating new hire case study assessments into our onboarding experience, and tracking live participation via completion data in our education operating system, Learn@HubSpot. Participants of remote onboarding are also encouraged to have their Zoom camera “on” to foster a sense of inclusion, belonging, and active participation.
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When did you begin the process of remotely onboarding your new employees?
We announced on Thursday, March 12, 2020, that we were going to have all of our employees working from home. Our first fully remote onboarding class was Monday, March 16, 2020. We had four days to figure out scheduling, equipment, and what our virtual onboarding experience was going to look like.
What are the basic challenges of remote onboarding vs. in-person onboarding, and how have you dealt with them?
It boils down to three challenges: logistics, belonging, and experience.
Logistics:
Ensuring that we have all of the equipment and system access ready prior to someone’s first day caused us to really hone into our process to understand the amount of time we need to get someone equipment and access to all of our systems. We had to ensure that each one of our teams was aligned on timing and having open lines of communication if there were any delays.
Belonging:
Our culture is one of the most important aspects of our company. We prep all managers and teams prior to a new hire starting about best practices to ensure that our new team member feels included in our Culture. We also spend time with each new hire to ensure they understand norms, expectations, and how we operate. One of the keys was that we do this is to ensure that all new hires understand our cultural values of Transparency, All In, Customer Obsessed, One Team, and Scrappy.
Experience:
Ensuring that every step of the way our new hires are having an amazing experience. We have started new hire slack channels, have dedicated points of contact for each new hire, and have created an onboarding experience that sets them up for success.
Can you give us some specific examples of how Qualtrics onboards remote employees in 2021?
In 2020 we onboarded 700+ employees to our organization virtually. We are dedicated to creating an amazing experience through various channels of learning including virtual classrooms, office hours, and learning on demand through our Learning Management System. We are consistently looking for ways of improvement through collecting data at every meaningful touchpoint in the new hire’s journey. We take that data and we search for common trends to improve the overall experience for our new hires.
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When did Verisys begin the process of remotely onboarding your new employees?
We began the process of onboarding our new people on March 18th of 2020. The pandemic forced us to move remote and within two weeks we had transitioned our company from an onsite company to a remote-based company.
What are the basic challenges of remote onboarding vs. in-person onboarding, and how have you dealt with them?
One of the biggest challenges we have face is making sure we had clear instructions on how to set up a computer. Not everyone is skilled in setting up a computer and we need to make sure that we focused on the user experience as we onboarded new hires. We are constantly adjusting our onboarding based on real-time feedback that we receive.
Can you give us some specific examples of how your company onboards remote employees in 2021?
For all of our new hires, we drop off their equipment in a safe manner at their house. We deliver new swag, and have balloons attached to their equipment. We also do an introductory welcome to the team messages on Slack.
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When did your company begin the process of remotely onboarding your new employees?
We began the process of remotely onboarding new team members in March of 2020, fairly soon after the pandemic shifted many of us to remote working. Our HR Operations team pivoted quickly ensuring our orientation sessions were ready to be delivered to new and future team members remotely!
What are the basic challenges of remote onboarding vs. in-person onboarding, and how has VistaPrint dealt with them?
One of our remote-first, guiding principles has and continues to be requesting extensive input from our team members. Through that request for extensive input, one of the challenges we’ve identified with remote onboarding is ensuring our new team members are able to build personal connections, fostering a sense of culture and community! We hold a virtual new hire social on Day 1 that gives our new team members the opportunity to get to know each other 1:1 using breakout rooms and then as a group through games like Scattergories. Our remote-first handbook also has a dedicated page to Virtual Engagement Ideas that teams leverage for their ongoing virtual social gatherings and teambuilding.
Can you give us some specific examples of how your company onboards remote employees in 2021?
We continue to hold a live, virtual orientation on Day 1 for our new team members- this includes a company, human resources, and IT overview. Our new hires also attend a virtual new hire social on Day 1, allowing them the chance to build more personal connections. We are in the process of identifying and implementing a learning management system that, once implemented, will allow us to expand and streamline our formal onboarding program to include the first 100 days of a new hire. This new, robust 100-day program will guide new team members through a remote-first experience, combining asynchronous and synchronous content, ultimately allowing for a more comprehensive process of orienting new team members to their role and the company!
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When did Clearcover begin the process of remotely onboarding your new employees?
Prior to the pandemic, our workforce was 30% remote, so we already had best practices and processes set up to onboard our new employees remotely. When we did go fully remote, we were able to quickly adjust for onboarding all employees moving forward. We have successfully onboarded 131 new employees to date and the feedback we have received has been very positive.
What are the basic challenges of remote onboarding vs. in-person onboarding, and how have you dealt with them?
One of the challenges we encountered is that the onboarding process didn’t feel personal. There is a certain nostalgia that comes with walking into the office on your first day and seeing the smiling faces of your new coworkers. The People Team partnered with Brand and Marketing to create a new hire video that is now sent to new teammates on Friday before they start. We wanted to still be able to welcome our newest employees and let them know that we can’t wait to meet them. Additionally, we send a Welcome Box with Clearcover swag including a t-shirt, Swell water bottle, stickers, and pens to also make our employees feel welcomed.
Can you give us some specific examples of how your company onboards remote employees in 2021?
Getting setup remotely can be a challenge. We provide setup videos for their computers so that they can move through self-paced. Additionally, we have a group session with all the new hires on Monday with IT to go through the process and ensure our new hires are comfortable with their computer setup. Additionally, on a new hire’s first day, we have a live Company Overview zoom session to demonstrate our Core Values and Operating Principles in our day-to-day work. On their second day, we have a benefits session that reviews the details of our plans and how to get enrolled. All of these sessions have all of our new hires together so that they are able to get to know each other too. Every quarter we host a new hire virtual coffee with our senior executive team. It allows time for our new teammates to meet our leadership and get to know them through ice breakers.
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When did Imprivata begin the process of remotely onboarding your new employees?
Imprivata’s global offices have remained closed since March of 2020 and the majority of our employees began working remotely for the very first time. We had to adapt to this new normal and began aligning our process internally to support remote hiring and onboarding. Our process continues to evolve and expand to support the ever-changing needs in a remote environment.
What are the basic challenges of remote onboarding vs. in-person onboarding, and how have you dealt with them?
One of the biggest challenges of remote onboarding has been ensuring the process runs smoothly and our new employees feel supported prior to and on their first day. In order to do this, our team meets regularly to review the onboarding process to identify and address areas of improvement. Our typical 90-day check-ins with new hires have moved up to 30 days so we can stay on top of our remote onboarding process and get a pulse for how it’s working.
Can you give us some specific examples of how your company onboards remote employees in 2021?
In addition to our standard onboarding process which reviews benefits, IT, and company information; we work directly with hiring managers to set up a first-week schedule that includes a schedule of meet and greets, pictures of teammates, and fun facts/useful information for the new hire. New employees also receive their Imprivata swag straight to their home office prior to their start date.
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When did Appian begin the process of remotely onboarding your new employees?
We began onboarding remotely at the end of March in 2020.
What are the basic challenges of remote onboarding vs. in-person onboarding, and how have you dealt with them?
We have a super interactive and collaborative 3-day onboarding program that is difficult to replicate in a virtual world. It is challenging to host a program like this with varying time zones. However, several employees in each of our geographic regions have stepped up and taken on segments of our onboarding program to offer a complete experience regardless of location.
Can you give us some specific examples of how your company onboards remote employees in 2021?
All new hires joining Appian go through our virtual 3-day orientation that uses a mix of healthy competition, collaboration, and information. Through virtual breakout rooms and hangouts, these new employees are able to feel like they’re “in the room.” The best part about this experience is that the only difference between this and our in-person onboarding is the inability to be in the office.
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When did Quartet Health begin the process of remotely onboarding your new employees?
We began the remote onboarding process in early March of 2020 due to Covid-19.
What are the basic challenges of remote onboarding vs. in-person onboarding, and how have you dealt with them?
There are many logistical problems that companies face when moving from in-person to remote onboarding. Luckily, we already had the infrastructure in place to move to remote onboarding fairly easily, so the problem then became, how do we engage our new hires and get them ingrained into the company culture? Since we already have a robust onboarding program, we wanted to make sure we were introducing our new hires to some of the culture pieces as well, like our company book club, our employee resource groups, and Donut, which is a tool we use to encourage cross-team introductions.
Can you give us some specific examples of how your company onboards remote employees in 2021?
Here at Quartet, we believe it’s incredibly important to provide all our new hires with a robust onboarding program. To do this remotely, we start by sharing details about what they can expect from their first weeks before they start to help them understand our expectations and to reduce any anxiety they may have with beginning a new job. On their first day, we offer an overview of the company, as well as meetings with our IT team to get their equipment setup (which has already been shipped to their home). From there, they meet with all the different departments within Quartet to understand how that team contributes to our business as well as how they might interact with them. Throughout the rest of the week, we set up regular touchpoints with HR so the new hires can ask questions, provide feedback on their experience, and of course fill out necessary paperwork. During their first week, we make it a point to introduce new hires to a few different ways they can get involved in our culture and get to know more of our team. Some examples are joining popular Slack channels (non-work related), joining one or more of our multiple Employee Resource Groups, and joining our Donut channel, which automatically pairs a new hire with someone from a different department so they can get to know people at the company that they may not normally interact with. Finally, we also pair a new hire with a Buddy to help guide them during their first few months to be a resource for their role and help them get involved in the culture at Quartet.
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When did Smartling begin the process of remotely onboarding your new employees?
We started remote onboarding in March 2020. Some of the new hires have been to the office at that time, so it was pretty easy. Later that year all new hires were interviewed and onboarded remotely.
What are the basic challenges of remote onboarding vs. in-person onboarding, and how have you dealt with them?
Quick sync up – you cannot just go over to someone’s desk or chat with them while you are making coffee in the office cafe. We have daily/weekly stand-ups and AMA sessions for new hires with various team members for more “face-to-face” time.
Can you give us some specific examples of how your company onboards remote employees in 2021?
They receive all invites, equipment, and swag prior to start day. One day one the training plan is presented and reviewed. There are daily/weekly sync-ups with the manager and a teammate. We also have quarterly company-wide training sessions.
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When did your company begin the process of remotely onboarding your new employees?
We provide onboarding the week prior to new employees starting.
What are the basic challenges of remote onboarding vs. in-person onboarding, and how have you dealt with them?
Due to the fact that Beacon Hill is a nationwide company, we have a good onboarding program in place for remote workers that follow each state’s guidelines. We made Form I-9 adjustments based on the USCIS guidelines and updated Training materials to abide by COVID-19 guidelines.
Can you give us some specific examples of how your company onboards remote employees in 2021?
We have a universal onboarding system that is tailored to provide state-specific compliance documents. This system is offered online through staff. We also provide company-wide trainings through our online E-University.
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When did Salesforce begin the process of remotely onboarding your new employees?
In early March, we transitioned to a fully remote Onboarding experience globally. We were fortunate that we already had a remote version of our program in place prior to COVID-19, but there was still a lot of room for innovation. In July we started completely re-vamping both of our main onboarding programs, to make them even more engaging and provide networking opportunities virtually.
What are the basic challenges of remote onboarding vs. in-person onboarding, and how have you dealt with them?
First and foremost, helping employees to build connection with different people across the company and truly feel a part of our culture. Previously, we had the luxury of bringing them into an office and allowing them to network with other new hires. We have had a to get creative to still bring that same feel. The second challenge is getting them set up on their computers remotely. We are fortunate to have an extremely talented Business Technology team who have been able to consistently innovate this process.
Can you give us some specific examples of how your company onboards remote employees in 2021?
Last year, we remotely onboarded 10,000 people, and employee feedback scores improved by 4% compared to our in-person program. We took the best of what we had and found other ways to make the program even better: * We’ve introduced networking opportunities for employees to meet colleagues throughout their region (EMEA, APAC, etc.), as opposed to just meeting those in their office. * Before, volunteering was only in major offices during the onboarding process, now everyone volunteers in their first week. * We invite our tenured employees (10+ years) to present about our unique culture and offer different experiences at the company from those who know it best.
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When did Phenom begin the process of remotely onboarding your new employees?
We moved to virtual onboarding in June 2020.
What are the basic challenges of remote onboarding vs. in-person onboarding, and how have you dealt with them?
We moved from 3 full days of onboarding down to 2 days. Our challenge was prioritizing our content to make it work for the new timeframe. We also had to collect video content relevant to the new format.
Can you give us some specific examples of how your company onboards remote employees in 2021?
We onboard new hires virtually through Zoom. We use a variety of content related to self-learning, live facilitation, and recorded micro-learning sessions throughout the two days.
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When did Motivosity begin the process of remotely onboarding your new employees?
There’s “first day” onboarding and then there’s the long term view of onboarding associated with instilling culture and company values. Though as a small business many of our new hires have been in the office for their first day, we’ve had to rely on remote strategies for onboarding as Covid restrictions have escalated.
What are the basic challenges of remote onboarding vs. in-person onboarding, and how have you dealt with them?
Culture is a key to happy employees but can be hard to introduce to new hires when they aren’t there in person. Video meetings aren’t always conducive for building culture either. We use our peer-to-peer recognition platform as a key part of virtual onboarding. New employees get a real-time view of how our culture works.
Can you give us some specific examples of how your company onboards remote employees in 2021?
Beyond the things you’d expect (WFH flexibility, virtual meetings, etc.) our biggest success has been in helping new team members feel like part of our community. We focus on sharing individual, team, and company highlights in very visible areas. We recognize and appreciate team members for their day-to-day efforts which is a core part of our culture. And we share stories, practically in real-time, of where we see our corporate values being lived by peers.
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When did EQRx begin the process of remotely onboarding your new employees?
We have been doing virtual onboarding since our inception in August of 2019. Having hired more than 75 percent of our current employee base since COVID-19 virtual onboarding has been the norm, not the exception.
What are the basic challenges of remote onboarding vs. in-person onboarding, and how have you dealt with them?
Starting at a new company virtually can be difficult, so we foster excitement by sending a branded package with the new employees’ tech already setup, and EQRx personalized swag. Over the course of the first week, we curate a series of introduction, educational and mission-driven sessions to empower our new teammates to jump in and have an impact right away.
Can you give us some specific examples of how your company onboards remote employees in 2021?
We send video-based emails with messages from executives and teammates, along with personalized swag to them ahead of starting. We have all-hands introduction Zoom sessions for all new teammates, and a series of curated sessions and meetings to get them up and running. We also created an internal podcast series featuring some of our executives and advisors for additional insights into the mission.
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