Best practices for onboarding remote employees

Checklist items
37
Items due before or on day one
17
Items due in the first 30 days
20

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Best practices for onboarding remote employees are the same five as for anyone, done with the distance taken seriously: the paperwork and the equipment finished and shipped before day one, a welcome email with the video link and a named person to ask, a first week planned in calls rather than left to chat, the handbook acknowledged with the remote-work and equipment policies explained, and check-ins at week one and month one that are written down. The onboarding checklist on this site produces the list, free and without an account; HeadcountDesk Pro keeps it and chases the open items.

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Equipment shipped and recorded

Laptop, monitor, phone, with serial numbers, shipped to arrive before the start date and recorded against the employee for the return later. The free onboarding checklist on this site has the line; Pro keeps the record.

The first week in calls

A calendar of introductions and working sessions, each a call with a name, not an invitation to reach out. The named person to ask is on the calendar every day of week one.

The remote policies, explained

Hours and availability, time recording, the equipment and data rules, expenses. In the handbook, acknowledged, and explained on a call in week one. The free employee handbook template on this site has the sections.

Written check-ins, more often

Week one, month one and in between, on a call, with notes filed. The distance hides problems; the check-in finds them. The free review template on this site records the goals. From the vendors' own pricing pages: Homebase lists Essentials at $24 per location per month billed annually or $30 monthly, with a free Basic plan for one location of up to ten employees; BambooHR lists Core at $10 and Pro at $17 per employee per month; Deputy lists Core at $6.50 per user per month. HeadcountDesk Pro is $24 a month per location.

Best practices for onboarding remote employees: common questions

What is different about onboarding a remote employee?

The equipment has to arrive first, the first week has to be scheduled as calls, and the check-ins have to be more frequent because nothing is seen in passing.

Is the onboarding checklist free?

Yes, with no account. Pro keeps it and sends the reminders.

How is the I-9 done remotely?

Under the rules in force for remote document examination; the checklist carries the deadline and the method your business uses.

Will it do what you need for Best practices for onboarding remote employees?

Tell us what your business needs and we will tell you straight whether HeadcountDesk Pro does it today, whether it is coming, or whether you are better off with something else. A person reads these and replies.

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