Pre-boarding activities could be:
- Send a video of your team where everyone present himself – could be work related or hobbies
- A video of the team showing the willingness to meet the new talent
- Organize a video call of the team so that the new talent can meet the team in advance and be familiar with some of the “faces” and “”names” at the beginning
- Invite the new hire to any relevant team building activities before the official start – ex. online quiz games, hybrid team gatherings etc.
- Write an email introducing the hybrid reality to the new employee – which are the digital tools that you use, when you go to the office and where the office is located or anything else you find relevant a new person will be more comfortable to know in advance
Onboarding activities to establish or enrich the sense of belonging is the next step toward building a culture of belonging in a hybrid environment. With the beginning of the pandemics the role of the managers significantly increased when it comes to welcoming the new employees and engaging them with the company’s culture. Small actions could increase the sense of belonging and inclusion.
- Regular meetups – Short 5-10 minutes meetings manager – new hire per day can significantly impact the experience of the new hire. The meeting goal is just a regular check up and can be organized online or offline depending on the work model or situation
- Yes/No feedback survey at the end of the onboarding to assess the experience and inclusivity level
- Collaborative experience – organize spaces (virtual – offline participants) for collaborative work. This can boost the engagement and the sense of belonging because thanks to technology the distance is not a problem when working together anymore
- Add the new joiner to groups of interests – New hires channel or the channel with jokes etc. so he/she can feel part of the community
- Ensure the communication process – when a new hire just joined the company it could be difficult at the beginning to remember who is responsible for this and that. Adding the employee to specific groups/ channels per team or assigning a mentor can boost this integration and reduce the tension of the new team member.
If you want to find out more, take a look at the PROSPER training modules.
