Experts offer tips for successful onboarding in a digital age

Bringing a new team member into a business—and then making them feel a valued part of the operation—can be a challenge at the best of times. During a pandemic, with people working remotely and no water cooler around which to gather for introductions and valuable insider tips, it can be significantly more difficult.

Yet businesses cannot sleep, even in a time of crisis, and new hires must be introduced and blended into the work environment. As a result, companies have had to rapidly devise ways to welcome new faces and get them up to speed while safely managing the coronavirus. American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) members in the human resources field shared with The ACCJ Journal successful approaches to bridging the virtual gap.

Interim Tactics

“Integrating a new hire into a company under the current situation presents some specific challenges,” admits Eric Cole, president of Tokyo-based executive search firm Cole and Company. “Most of the companies we work with who have brought on new employees have invested more time in onboarding than in the past. They have allocated more time for video calls and added a more formal structure to communication by holding regularly scheduled video meetings.

*Eric Cole, President, Cole and Company*

“Overall, the feedback so far is that these interim tactics are working—but not to the extent of being in an office with people,” he said. “No surprise there.”

For many jobs, the induction into a new company is a crucial period during which the newcomer does a deep dive into the firm. It is far more difficult to replicate this process with video calls and takes longer, Cole added.

Ryan Yasunari, president and chief executive officer of recruitment process outsourcing company Envision Co., Ltd., said his firm would typically carry out on-boarding and training sessions at its headquarters, but new hires are now being provided with digital materials and the sessions are being conducted virtually.

And while the training aspect of the process has been largely successful, Yasunari said, “the most difficult aspect of virtual onboarding is creating a sense of belonging and connection to the organization.”

This was a common refrain in interviews with a dozen or more human resources experts for this story.

Adapt on the Fly

Kevin Naylor, vice president of business development at en world Japan, said many companies “have had to adapt on the fly,” acquiring new or additional hardware to facilitate effective remote work or implementing additional software or processes while, at the same time, increasing communication and engagement across their organizations. And some have struggled with onboarding due to unanticipated constraints.

*Kevin Naylor, Vice President of Business Development en world Japan*

“Even with the reduction in hiring over the past year, almost all firms have had to onboard someone,” Naylor said. “Unfortunately, few firms have had the wherewithal or initiative to fully overhaul their training and onboarding programs to suit the new, remote-dominant paradigm.

“Many have just expected this to be over sooner rather than later and have not thought it worthwhile to dedicate the resources to making a fundamental change in processes or practices,” he said. “This frequently means one trip to the office to fill out key documents and receive necessary hardware, then banishment to their home to start their new, quarantined working life.” And that approach is creating new problems, he believes.

“Almost all firms and all employees onboarded during the Covid-19 crisis are experiencing issues with disconnection and disengagement,” he said. “New employees have not had a chance to create an internal network, often leaving them lost when it comes to who they need to contact to solve problems or get advice. On top of that, they have not built a sense of trust or belonging, which makes it more difficult for them to come together with their team members to overcome challenges when there are disagreements or problems.”

Naylor believes that, arguably, the biggest issues concern the training of new hires, which he feels has been “at a significantly inferior level in comparison with years past.”

For Jeremy Sampson, managing director of Robert Walters Japan K.K., not being able to conduct training in person was the “biggest challenge” for new hires and the companies employing them.

“For organizations that have implemented remote work arrangements for the first time, the transition to remote processes has not been an easy task,” he said. “This is also one of the reasons companies have wanted to hire someone who could hit the ground running. There would be less training required. But with the right technologies and systems in place, training and onboarding new staff is possible.

The first step that companies had to take was investing in tech hardware and software, such as communication tools and cloud platforms, to support remote work,” he pointed out.

*Nancy Ngou Associate Partner EY Strategy & Consulting Co., Ltd.*

“For companies that were already equipped with the technology, the challenge was more around adapt- ing the training program to be facilitated online which, in many roles, is far more difficult than hands-on training in person.”

Cole agrees that “structured video calls cannot replace serendipitous meetings with co-workers, line managers, and so on. Learning the ins and outs of a new job comes from interacting with others, including direct and indirect stakeholders.”

Yet, in his experience, some of his clients have responded impressively under these tough circumstances, “by being authentic, friendly, and caring in their approach to training new staff.” “They make the most of the tools that they have and do the best they can in the current situation, sometimes with surprisingly encouraging results,” he said. “Many have found that the increased reliance on the structure of regularly scheduled video calls helps with the technical knowledge aspects of induction.

“Setting clear goals and then scheduling follow-up meetings to review performance helps bring newcomers up to speed faster than a completely informal approach,” he added.

Longer Process

Nancy Ngou, an associate partner with EY Strategy & Consulting Co., Ltd. and an ACCJ governor, said that an orientation process that previously took place in person over a week or so is now spread out over a more extended time frame, with obvious drawbacks. Besides the difficulties of training, the next hurdle is to make newcomers feel part of the organization and that they have the support of their colleagues.

“The biggest challenge is finding ways to convey the company’s culture, which is often displayed through the collective energy generated in the time new staff spend with the facilitators and other colleagues,” she said. “It’s about meeting fellow newcomers face-to-face and creating that bond. It’s far more difficult to have those impromptu, one-on-one conversations to get to know new colleagues individually when you are on a virtual group call.”

*Jeremy Sampson Managing Director Robert Walters Japan K.K.*

Employers have been finding creative ways to connect new hires with existing staff to give them a flavor of their new working environment, she added.

Ngou, who is a co-chair of the ACCJ Human Resource Management Committee, believes “it’s important to make them feel special and let colleagues get to know them so they feel a part of the team. In my team, we invite new hires to our virtual social events even before they start working. We assign ‘buddies’ so they can stay in touch and can get to know their future colleagues.”

This was also an issue that became apparent with clients of Robert Walters Japan, said Sampson.

“Social isolation and lack of interaction with peers are common frustrations that professionals face when working remotely,” he agreed. “During the early stages of work from home, we did see the rise of online nomikai [drinking parties] and online team gatherings to address these shortcomings.

“While they were a bit of fun and a novelty at first, I think many people have since moved on from them,” he added. “More team engagement during the course of the day, more video calls rather than only audio, and finding ways for greater collaboration in the day-to-day business can often be far more productive and beneficial than an online drinking session or catch-up.”

Envision’s Yasunari said new employees were encouraged to reach out to their colleagues immediately after joining, and regularly planned social events went ahead virtually. The company even surprised staff with gifts sent to their homes to enjoy during the get-togethers.

Encourage Interaction

“We are also running a program that provides a stipend to employees who wish to gather for a virtual happy hour after work, as we believe having strong relationships within our team is crucial to our success as an organization,” he said.

*Ryan Yasunari President & CEO Envision Co., Ltd.*

Naylor agrees that such initiatives are important and beneficial, but he feels they may fall short as relationships and trust are built over time.

“We have seen the most impact with firms that have created special ‘clubs’ for new joiners to share ideas and challenges over time, and to support one another,” he said. “Another thing that has worked is assigning a ‘buddy’ from another team or division to check in on new hires from time to time and also facilitate introductions to others in the organization. This has been especially effective where senior members of management have been able to get actively involved.”

Critical Care

Experts emphasize that the onboarding experience has a big impact on employee retention, and it is therefore critical for organizations to ensure that their processes enable new joiners to feel engaged and part of the team. For some, that might mean permitting them to spend some time in the office. Checking in regularly will also help. Be clear about goals and expectations. Personalize the experience. Be flexible and patient.

Cole sums it up neatly: “Care about your people and show it through your actions. We strongly believe that the culture of a company—and the character of its leaders—is defined by their actions when times are challenging.”