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Equipment
The first port of call is to ensure your new starters are fully equipped with the tech required to begin working. With the bulk of courier companies still operating, any laptops/phone/equipment can be readily sent to your employees’ home addresses. Likewise, home delivery services are still up and running; if you do need to place orders, these are still being fulfilled to normal 3-5 working day timescales. Plan ahead and book/order in advance so your employees will be ready and able to get connected from day 1.
Logins & Resources
It's important that your new starters have access to the relevant servers, email accounts and softwares. Connect your new starters with your Operations/IT department ahead of time, providing a visual aid process of how they can login to their drives/folders and work remotely via applications such as Microsoft Remote Desktop. It is also a good idea to keep a record of all passwords that your new starter would require to login to any necessary platforms, portals or accounts.
HR
If your business is fortunate to have an online HR portal, you can direct your new starters to any relevant documents such as your company handbook, brand guidelines, or any relevant policies or benefits documents.
Hibob is a brilliant user-friendly platform that includes a company directory, org chart and a place to store all necessary company documents.
Ask your HR department to email over any requirements you may need from a new starter, such as:
Bank details
NI number
Right to work
Next of kin details
TEAM INTRODUCTIONS
We all know how daunting the first week in a new role can be…getting to know your colleagues, proving your worth and navigating your way around the office etc. This will naturally be much harder when working from home, so managers should be prepared by setting expectations surrounding communication and helping to make introductions.
Video conferencing apps are a great tool in times like these. Below is a list of options, however, consider your needs before choosing the one you want to run with. Will the purpose of the call be purely to have conversations? Will you benefit from having a screen sharing function (this can be particularly beneficial when training)?
TRAINING
It’s likely your business will already have robust training plans in place for new starters. Ensure you send over any relevant training modules and ‘How To’ guides to your new starters immediately. If virtual training is required, dedicate some time to identifying exactly what training is needed for each individual (not all training will be the same for all employees). Where group sessions can be held, make sure all participants know which platforms will be used and have the relevant logins to join the call/session.
It’s worth identifying which sessions you will need to make yourself available for. Where possible, delegate training sessions to members of the business you would identify as experts in their field or ‘super users’ of a particular technology or way of working.
With all of this, make sure you create a strict training plan or a week 1 schedule that new starters can stick to and be held accountable for, but similarly, they can reach out to you/their manager for guidance and advice if they’re struggling to know what to move onto next.
For any businesses that don’t currently have a formal onboarding process in place, this is something we can help develop alongside you. For assistance and guidance, you can contact our Major Partners Associate Director: kate.moss@majorpartners.co.uk
VISION, MISSION & VALUES
As much as you’ll be eager to get your new employees up and running and adding commercial value to your business as soon as possible, it is important to remember that they joined your business because they bought into something during the interview process… most likely for your leadership and the future of the business.
You’ll want to highlight your company’s vision, mission, and values in the handbook but it’s also worth having someone credible run a virtual session on this. Being able to highlight all the positives about your business will ensure your new starters’ goals are aligned with the business and will inject passion into their work and attitude.
TIMESCALES AND GOALS
Utilise this WFH opportunity to let your new employees get fully settled in and onboarded, ensuring you block in time at the end of each day to regroup and answer any questions they might have. It’s likely the hardest thing for them will be getting their head around new systems and ways of working, so be on hand and prepared to either dedicate your own time or ensure the support is there in the wider business. It would be beneficial to provide a contact list of everyone in the business and their job titles/roles, highlighting specific people to contact in regards to tailored questions.
From here, new starters will be ready to get going and do their job. Set clear expectations, set them their first assignment, put in realistic timeframes, and clearly identify the end goal.
Identify key milestones for the individual, the team, and the business for the immediate, mid, and long term.
Finally, while these times seem so uncertain, ensure you’re remaining positive yet realistic and truthful. Train your focus on the future of your business and the plans that you’re putting in place for when everything returns to an altered state of normality.
For any guidance, support, or advice on this topic, please contact our Major Partners Associate Director: kate.moss@majorpartners.co.uk
