Just like with new clients, you must onboard your new employees as well. Reading a job description and explaining the job duties to the new employee is not always efficient in acclimating the new hire.
Aside from explaining the duties and assigning them a work area, there are quite a few things that can be done to ease the transition for your new team member.
1. Walk them through accessing their company email. - I know it sounds trivial but this can be so frustrating some times. Walking him or her through this step will help ease some of the nervousness from their minds.
2. Sit with them and give them a short tutorial on any software you use to run your business. - Most people are not up on the latest software or applications so learning a new program is stressful! Trying to navigate it alone!? YIKES! Giving your new hire a hands on tutorial shows them that you understand that learning a new program is difficult and that you value their presence. Yes, I know you can point them to YouTube but your sitting down with them will go a long way to instilling loyalty and a sense of belonging in them.
3. Check in with them. - Once a week check ins during their first 90 days can actually help increase their productivity. You can answer any questions or concerns they have, direct them to the company wide resources, introduce them to key members of the team, let them know who to go to for particular pieces of information or questions. Work them into the culture you are trying to build within your company.
4. Time cards. - How do they submit their time to you for payment? This is a BIG one. Of course you want to know how long they worked and what they worked on and the new hire wants to be paid. How does this process work? What is the payment schedule?
Don't let your virtual business stop you from employing these procedures. Video conferencing software like Zoom have made it easier than ever to chat with your virtual employees and hold weekly meetings. You can share screens, write notes, chat, and even record for future reference. There are also apps like Slack or Microsoft Teams that combine file sharing with team messaging and video conference capabilities that will not only increase your performance within your business but also within your team.
Brick and mortar or virtual, your business will thank you when you implement these procedures to onboard your new team members.
If you are ready for this step or are thinking about your first hire, schedule a call with AMH and ask about our Tailored COO program.
