Better onboarding: How to get employees off to a strong start after COVID-19

The process of onboarding has been seen as an important element of HR for a number of years and becomes even more essential now.

By Dakota Murphey | July 16, 2020 at 10:16 AM

Zoom meeting on laptop One of the most vital aspects of onboarding should be the introduction of the new member of staff to the rest of the team. (Photo: Shutterstock)

There can be no doubt that COVID-19 has caused massive changes for businesses around the world. One of the major ways that might be overlooked, is the way it has altered how companies actually operate internally. With working practice altered, it is also necessary for organizations to take steps to think about how they are going to integrate new staff into the mix.

The process of onboarding has been seen as an important element of HR for a number of years, but if your business is continuing to bring staff on board in the same way that they had in the past – you could be making a mistake.

Recommended For You

Bringing in new staff could be more challenging now, partly because it may be harder to integrate teams that may not have the same level of interaction that they had before. So, here we take a look at what you need to change to improve your onboarding practice after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Update procedures in accordance with COVID-19

The first thing to note about your onboarding procedure is that it needs to change with regards to COVID-19. It is likely that the way that your business operates has changed significantly due to the pandemic. For example, you may now have a much larger number of staff members who work from home, or flexibly.

That means you need to completely rethink everything about your onboarding policy. Many pieces of information will need to amended or scrapped entirely.

Conduct virtual interviews

It could be a great idea to conduct any interviews–before or after the hire–virtually. Use video calling software like Skype or Zoom; these have become far more reliable and also commonplace over the course of the pandemic. The advantage here is not only are you able to conduct face-to-face discussions without having to worry about COVID-19 but also that you will save a significant amount of time.

Through virtual interviews, you can follow the same format as you would if the person was in the room with you. It also stops the inconvenience for them of having to get to your location – especially if you are implementing more flexible policies, as discussed above.

Ensure paperwork is digital where appropriate

One easy change that can make things not only safer after COVID-19, but also faster and easier to manage is the digitization of paperwork. Sending contracts through the post and waiting for them to be returned is hugely time-consuming. And paperwork can even be signed electronically.

Of course, sometimes it can be appropriate to have paperwork, even in a COVID-19 environment. "We are seeing a number of clients becoming more interested in high quality printed employee handbooks," says the team at YouLovePrint, specialists in printed materials "these can help businesses to present themselves as professional."

Get your employee started on the right technology

Technology has become an extremely important part of how many team members carry out their work–even more so that before. If your company, like many others, has been forced to have staff work remotely, you may have found challenges in ensuring that your team members are all working from the same software so that their work can be properly integrated.

This is something that it is essential to manage when you are bringing a new member of staff into the team. They must be provided with all of the relevant information about the technology that they need to use in their role. This includes everything from key software and hardware through to team communication apps and more.

Introduce the new employee to the team

On the subject of communication, one of the most vital aspects of onboarding should be the introduction of the new member of staff to the rest of the team. This can be much harder without a physical environment that you can necessarily rely on.

It may be the case that you have some members of staff working remotely and some at the office– in any case, you need to ensure that you can get workers communicating.

Final thoughts

Better onboarding can create a much productive team with better rapport amongst the members. This can be crucial in building your businesses as the economy begins to recover from the COIVD-19 pandemic.

Dakota Murphey has a wealth of experience in business management, with over 10 years of experience she's worked on a number of successful campaigns. She now enjoys sharing her knowledge through her writing and connecting with like-minded professionals.


Read more:

NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

By Kristen Smithberg | May 16, 2025

Employees say they are happy at work, but many report anxiety about job security and are taking steps to protect their jobs.

Satisfied or stuck? How workers really feel about their job

By Rob Whalen | May 16, 2025

Employees are now able to immediately reallocate the value of their unused time off toward a wide range of individual goals with convertible PTO.

How flexible benefits can address the banked time off problem

By Lynn Cavanaugh | May 15, 2025

If employers opt to make private investments part of their Empower 401(k) plan, participants will be able to access investments from Goldman Sachs and other asset managers through managed accounts.

Empower opens door to private market investments for its 401(k) plan participants
Address Your Clients' Evolving Long-Term Care Needs Effectively link

Guide

Sponsored by Trustmark Voluntary Benefits

Demographic shifts and rising costs make long-term care (LTC) a critical concern for employees of all ages. Equip yourself with insights into the LTC challenge and discover flexible hybrid solutions to help your clients prepare.

Broker's Guide to Mastering Client Open Enrollment & Boosting Employee Experiences link

Guide

Sponsored by isolved

Your HR clients often face common open enrollment pitfalls, such as administrative burdens and inadequate employee communication--leading to negative employee experiences. Learn how you can help your clients address these gaps. This guide offers brokers actionable insights to advise on streamlined processes and effective communication plans that will foster employee (and client!) satisfaction.

Employer Trends Across the Benefits Landscape: An HR Pulse Survey link

Report

Sponsored by New Benefits

Rising costs & low engagement challenge employers. This HR Pulse Survey reveals key trends from HR leaders across various industries and looks at the opportunities for brokers to elevate service, address pain points, and demonstrate ROI, especially with non-insured benefits.