Small-biz tip: How to onboard a remote employee

November 13, 2024

By Kim Komando

If you’re a small business owner, onboarding a new employee virtually can be a huge undertaking. Taking a new hire out to lunch, giving them a tour of the office and introducing them to coworkers is often an integral part of the experience, but that might not be possible if you hire remote employees.

We went to the experts on hiring for answers, our sponsor LinkedIn. Read on to learn about hiring virtually and leaving your new team member with a great first impression.

1. Before they start

The pros at LinkedIn split successful onboarding into six phases. The first isn’t after your new hire has already come on board but about two weeks before they begin. Here’s what you should do before your new employee’s first day:

2. First day

Two weeks later, the paperwork is signed and your new employee is ready. Here’s what you should do on their actual first day of work:

3. Second day

Here’s what you should do on your new employee’s second day of work:

4. First week

Two days down. Now what? Here’s how the rest of the first week should play out:

5. First month

After a week, your new hire will have a good feel for the job. Here’s what you should focus on during the first month:

6. Month two and beyond

And what happens after that first month? Onboarding doesn’t have a firm endpoint, and everyone is different regarding how long it takes to acclimate to a new environment. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

Even in the office onboarding can feel stressful, but we hope this quick guide helps you get started. Starting with hiring, bringing on a new employee can be time-consuming and expensive.

It doesn’t have to be, though! We’re not talking about free job boards. You’ll end up with an inbox full of resumes that don’t fit the role you’re hiring for. That’s why we use LinkedIn at Komando HQ.

Right now, visit LinkedIn.com/Kim and get $50 off your first job post.

https://www.komando.com/tips/small-business/onboard-remote-employee-linkedin/