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The remote working environment has plenty of upsides: increased employee productivity, reduced office overheads, and a greater pool of talent to pick from, to name but a few — but its detractors are quick to point out its flaws. The chief issue with remote work is also its core essence; remote work happens away from the office.
When COVID struck and companies were forced to allow their employees to work from home, cubicle-loving critics pointed to the importance of face-to-face interaction as a key reason for a ‘return to normality’. They cited the tragedy of missing out on groundbreaking ideas spawned from chance encounters at the water cooler. They warned of the cultural decay that could seep in when colleagues became little more than profile pictures on Slack.
And most relevant to this article, some fretted about how poorly new hires might be integrated without the structure and familiarity of an in-person workplace.
Fast-forward a few years (can you believe we’re in 2025?!), and while many businesses have returned to some form of hybrid setup, remote work is very much the new normal for a large chunk of the workforce.
However, despite being five years sans office, there are still teething problems, particularly when it comes to onboarding new hires. So if you’re looking to zhuzh up your virtual onboarding processes, read on…
You might think onboarding begins on your new hire’s first day, but you’d be wrong. It actually starts from the moment they accept your offer. And sure, while the period between “offer accepted” and “welcome to the team!!” is usually a quiet one, it doesn’t have to be. This is your chance to make a good early impression, sweeping away any residual post-interview anxiety and going the extra mile to help your hire hit the ground running.
A clear pre-boarding plan helps you do this. The best kinds typically include a welcome pack for your new starter with all the necessary WFH equipment, a step-by-step process for setting their user accounts up, and a basic schedule for their first few days. This is crucial, because if someone’s waiting on a laptop still doesn’t know when they’re meeting their team, they’re going to feel unsettled. That unease lingers, even once things are up and running.
Keep it simple. Information overload is just as disruptive as onboarding without preparation. Don’t fill their inbox with documents or cram their calendar full of meetings — just offer structure. Think of it like dipping into a swimming pool for the first time — it’s your job to make sure the pool’s at a comfortable temperature, not turn it into a giant hot tub.
Remote work has opened up hiring in ways that were once impossible. But hiring someone in another country comes with its own complications. If you’ve ever tried to draft a contract that complies with local labor laws in a place you’ve never set foot in, you’ll know how quickly it becomes overwhelming.
This is where an Employer of Record, or EOR, comes in. An EOR such as Deel or Remote acts as the legal employer on paper, handling contracts, compliance, payroll, and taxation for international hires. That means you can bring someone on board in another country without needing to set up a local entity or become an expert in cross-border HR.
More than just a legal workaround, a good EOR partner helps you give your international team members a smooth, fair experience. They’ll receive pay on time, in the correct currency, with access to locally appropriate benefits. That level of professionalism sends a strong message about how your company treats its people — and removes a huge amount of friction from the onboarding process. In fewer words: it’s a win-win.
Watercooler-based hyperbole aside, being in the same room as your colleagues has undeniable advantages — communication being the biggest. Remote hires don’t have the benefit of observing how things are done or casually learning through osmosis (pun intended).
To tackle this, start with frequent check-ins from week one — schedule some short, 1-2-1 calls that aren’t about tasks or deadlines, but about setting context and making space for questions. Keep in mind, there’s a difference between being available and present, and a fifteen-minute daily calendar opening will work wonders for your new hires’ confidence and alignment, far more than a limp, half-hearted invitation to “Slack me if you need anything”.
In addition to this, it’s a good idea to try to eliminate ambiguity wherever possible. In practice, this is relatively simple: explain why things are done a certain way, not just how. Invite new hires to meetings where they can observe discourse without necessarily being involved. Essentially, give them a pass to be a fly on the wall; show them how the business works, rather than just telling them.
For remote teams, culture has to be intentional — no ifs or buts. And, despite what Michael Scott might tell you, it doesn’t live in breakroom banter or last-minute promises of a big surprise at the end of the working day — it’s about how people interact, how managers lead, and how feedback is delivered. And, regrettably, it’s also about awkward Zoom-based coffee mornings.
Jokes aside, our point is this: if a new hire’s first month is a blur of solo tasks and transactional chats, they’re going to feel a distinct disconnection not only with their colleagues but the business as a whole.
Create space for casual connection — not forced fun, but something organic. Maybe that’s a team playlist, a shared interest channel, or a weekly photo prompt. You don’t need to replicate the office vibe; you just need to create conditions where human connection isn’t an afterthought (or forced).
And, on the more corporate end of the scale, promote your company’s culture by celebrating it — if an employee’s achievements line up with the business’s values, reward them!
The trouble with most onboarding programs is that after the welcome week, things tend to trail off. The focus shifts back to business as usual, and new hires are metaphorically thrown from the nest and given two options: fly or fall. The problem is, without a clear sense of progress, even the most competent employees can start to feel uncertain about their abilities.
Every new hire should have a 30-, 60-, and 90-day plan — and someone who reviews it with them. These plans don’t need to be exhaustive, but they should spell out what success looks like at each stage. The first milestone might be understanding the product and tools. The second could be contributing to a team project. The third might involve leading something small on their own, and so on.
The point is to give people a ladder they can climb, one rung at a time. Combine that with regular feedback — not just praise or criticism, but actual coaching — and you create the conditions for someone to grow into the role with confidence.
Even without an office, it’s entirely possible to make new hires feel grounded, welcomed, and ready to contribute. Remote or not, people remember how they were brought in — so make it count. For more on the world of remote work, check out our guide to WFH equipment, or head back to our blog index. Thanks for reading!
