Remote onboarding for employees of all levels is no small task and to do it successfully, it requires planning. Successful onboarding is critical for an employee to be productive in their role and it plays a huge part in defining whether they stay with the business.

When working with someone remotely, you can only see snap shots and certain moments in time of them and their work. Gaining a wider picture of how they work is difficult. There are two key challenges that present themselves when onboarding someone remotely and these impact both the manager and the new employee:

1. It's hard to gain an impression of someone's efficiency and motivation, when you are not working alongside someone physically

2. The new employee may feel anxious as a result of not knowing how they are progressing, and it can be hard to maintain perspective

Getting a grip on how to manage these challenges and how to communicate effectively with your new employee are key to success for both parties.

Here are some key tips on how to manage these challenges:

1. Give regular feedback. People barely ever say they are receiving too much feedback, so try to give as much as you can. This can come in the form of scheduled feedback meetings as well as continuous on the job feedback. By giving regular feedback as the manager, you will notice and address any issues quickly. Delivering constructive feedback remotely is not easy and it's hard to know how its been received. 

2. Be consistent. Be mindful that new employees are receiving the same experience where appropriate. New joiners are often hyper aware, and differences will mean something to them. 

3. The unknown unknown. Be aware of what people do not know, especially when they don't even know that an unknown exists. That might feel mind boggling, but it's a real thing. When you start working for a company remotely, there will be so many unknown unknowns and the manager's role is to help remove these. 

4. Have a growth mindset. Angela Lee Duckworth's youtube videos are worth watching about this. A growth mindset is incredibly powerful, and in simple terms, it means that you have the belief that your new employee of capable of achieving and improving where necessary. Going into a conversation with a growth mindset is palpable and nearly always has an impact on the outcome. 

In summary, making a clear and detailed onboarding schedule will be time well spent, and scheduling time for regular feedback sessions is key.