10.5 Attraction, Recruitment, and Onboarding for Hybrid Workplaces
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5 min
Between June 2019 and June 2021, online job searches for employers offering remote work jumped by 460%. There is no doubt that flexible workplaces and work that can be done remotely are valued by job seekers as never before.
With most onboarding having shifted to being done remotely during the pandemic – and with that continuing – we need to get better at it. A PwC survey recently found that over 30% of employees find the onboarding experience worse now than in pre-COVID times. Let’s change that!
Preboarding
The First Day
Ensure that your new employee knows how and when they can reach you and check in with them frequently.
Orientation
Appealing to Candidates That Want Hybrid Work
Craft your message- One of the simplest things you can do is to add wording in the job posting title or at the very top of your job advertisement that work can be done flexibly, remotely, and that your workplace is a hybrid workplace.
- Reiterate this message throughout your company website and careers pages if you have them. Include employee testimonials about how the flexible workplace has benefited them and pictures of employees working remotely.
- Your existing employees can be amazing ambassadors and talent scouts. When employees feel supported in their workplace, they tell their friends and family – they can be a great source of talented candidates.
- Use industry and social networking sites to share how a hybrid workplan has been working well within your organization. This can attract job seekers who want to work with businesses who are making hybrid workplans work!
- Partner with local service providers that support people looking for remote or hybrid work such as people with disabilities. Some people with disabilities who need to work remotely or in a hybrid workplace may have struggled when work had to be done in an office. Hybrid workplaces are opening new opportunities for skilled, qualified people with disabilities to participate in employment.
- Importantly, what you promise, you must deliver. Don’t oversell the level of flexibility just to land a candidate. Ensure that what you are offering a candidate in terms of flexibility is what the business can support. Defining and planning for what hybrid work will mean in your organization will help you to reduce the risk of this happening.
- If a candidate asks for more flexibility or options not currently part of your workplan, don’t say no; consider if what they have requested could work and not just for that person, but for others too. Flexibility means being open in what you consider to be negotiable to land qualified, talented employees.
How to Effectively Onboard and Support New Hires in Hybrid Workplaces
Effective onboarding is a vital first step in welcoming a new employee to your organization and we don’t always do it well. Gallup found in a recent survey that “only 12% of employees strongly agree their organization does a great job of onboarding new employees.”With most onboarding having shifted to being done remotely during the pandemic – and with that continuing – we need to get better at it. A PwC survey recently found that over 30% of employees find the onboarding experience worse now than in pre-COVID times. Let’s change that!
Preboarding
- Meet with them via Zoom or MS Teams to let them know what to expect: forms that need to be completed, walk them through their new hire orientation plan, and let them know about team norms and dress code.
- Assign an onboarding buddy and get that person to send a welcome email introducing themselves.
- Ensure that all the information, tools, and technology that your new employee needs are sent and set up in advance of the first day so they can hit the ground running.
The First Day
- The most important thing you can do might be this: get your designated onboarding buddy involved on the first day. Microsoft studied the effectiveness of a buddy for new hires and found that 56% who met with an onboarding buddy at least once in their first 90 days reported being more productive. That jumped to 73% when they met two to three times with their buddy, 86% for those who spoke four to eight times, and 97% for those meeting more than eight times.
- Set up a virtual meeting for the new employee with the team. Get everyone to introduce themselves and ask them to set up informal one-on-one meetings to get to know each other and the work that they do.
- Build in some downtime for the new employee on their first day and ensure that they take breaks. Consider that some people are introverts and need some quiet time to recharge. Focus on mental health and overall wellbeing right from the start – this sends a message to your new employee that these aspects matter.

Orientation
- An in-person orientation process in the past has been an opportunity for new hires to build social connections as well as learning what they need to know about their new employer and new job. With most onboarding now happening as a mix of remotely and in person, being thoughtful and planning for it is important to its success.
- Consider how to engage with each new employee and adjust the process as needed. The magic word in hybrid workplaces is flexibility. Plan, test, and revise as you go. Ask for feedback from your employees and consider how to improve the process for the new person.
Keep Checking In
Your relationship with your new employee has only just begun; setting up an effective onboarding process is just the start. Continuing with regular check ins will help you to build a healthy relationship and ensure that your employee feels supported. It will also help you to see when and how an adjustment to the hybrid workplan might help to improve productivity and inclusion for that person (and others).Sources
1 Gallup. (2019). Creating an Exceptional Onboarding Journey for New Employees. Retrieve from gallup-perspective-creating-an-exceptional-onboarding-journey-for-new-employees.pdf (acrip.co)
2 PWC. (2021, Janvier 12). It’s time to reimagine where and how work will get done. Retrieve from https://www.pwc.com/us/en/library/covid-19/us-remote-work-survey.html
3 Microsoft. Strategies for Onboarding in a Hybrid World. Retrieve from Strategies for Onboarding in a Hybrid World (microsoft.com)
2 PWC. (2021, Janvier 12). It’s time to reimagine where and how work will get done. Retrieve from https://www.pwc.com/us/en/library/covid-19/us-remote-work-survey.html
3 Microsoft. Strategies for Onboarding in a Hybrid World. Retrieve from Strategies for Onboarding in a Hybrid World (microsoft.com)
Disclaimer:
Hire for Talent has made every effort to use the most respectful words possible while writing these materials. We realize, however, that the most appropriate terminology may change over time. We developed these materials with the intent to respect the dignity and inherent rights of all individual.
Hire for Talent has made every effort to use the most respectful words possible while writing these materials. We realize, however, that the most appropriate terminology may change over time. We developed these materials with the intent to respect the dignity and inherent rights of all individual.
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