How to manage remote recruitment and onboarding?

Implement a remote culture from the first contact with a future employee. Remember that in the case of remote contact, there will usually be more questions than during a standard recruitment process, e.g. “How will work be organized in different time zones?”, “Can I be sure the company will pay me on time?” In short, will I feel safe?

First of all, be open to organizing online recruitment meetings. Do this in a professional manner. Technology is your friend in this process. 

At Scalac, we use tools such as Zoom and Google Hangouts to organize calls and Calendly to book recruitment meetings. 

Make sure you inform the candidate how to prepare for the interview (equipment, Internet connection). Recommend that candidates test out all this stuff before the meeting. 

It is also crucial that both the candidate and the recruiter have their cams turned on during the meeting, as this will give the meeting a “human” touch. This is also the first step in building trust (because I know who I’m talking to). 

Don’t be afraid to sign contracts remotely. How can you do that? Here at Scalac, we start by sending document templates by email. The candidate then has the chance to read them carefully and ask any necessary questions. When all the documents have been filled in and signed, our HR specialist sends them to the candidate for approval (also via email). The agreement once approved by the employee is printed and forwarded to the CEO/CFO for signatures. You can use postal services, delivery companies. You can also try an online service such as DocuSign, at Scalac we usually send documents this way But remember – some employees will ask for a paper version anyway. In these cases we use previously mentioned postal services. As you can see, there’s actually no hassle to do all of this remotely. The only thing worth mentioning is that you should double check if you need to  send the printed version. Better safe than sorry! 

In my opinion, many companies often forget about a crucial  time in a new employee’s lifecycle. I mean the time between the recruitment period and the first official day at the company. We’ve all been there – you’ve got a new job, but you’re not working there yet. All kinds of questions come to mind when people are preparing themselves for a change of environment. That’s why at Scalac, Talent Heroes  try to be available at any time to allay any doubts people may have.  

We always have a Talent Team/HR Team representative – a dedicated person, who makes sure that the onboarding process goes well. This Talent Hero begins the onboarding process by sending a welcoming email, which gives the first pieces of important information. This will include:

• How to create an account on the company communicator (we use Slack), 
• Logging into company emails (we use G Suite),
• Where to find the Scalac Handbook – our online guidelines of how we work (we use xWiki). It’s good to have an up-to-date version of the company structure in this kind of document when you share it with new employees.  
•  The Talent Hero also introduces a mentor (more about that in a minute) and representatives from Finance, HR, Project Managers, and the Business Development teams. There are a few words about what the main areas of their responsibilities will be, so the new person knows where to direct certain questions or needs.

At Scalac, the mentor’s role is to be like a good friend for the first few months at the company (at least 3). This person provides mentoring talks and is there to answer any questions. The mentoring period depends on the individual needs of the new employee. We try to be flexible in this matter. The mentor is also responsible for introductions and encouraging welcoming words on Slack such as “Hi Folks, meet our new Scalac Teammate”, inviting new team members to say “Hello” to the rest of the team. This is how they can officially become part of the ship and the crew. It’s always a great feeling for someone new to get this first little sign that they’re welcome and that there’s a community – or as we call it a family – that they can turn to. 

Finally, on the first day, the mentor organizes an online meeting with the new team member to share any crucial information about “how we work” and answer any questions. The mentor shares all of the important contact people, pointing them to Slack and learns as much as possible  about his or her new teammate to support them properly in the future.

Remember that the first day of work should be productive. People want to feel that their work makes sense from day one. That is why it is so important that they have all the necessary tools they need. Make sure you deliver a laptop in advance and, if necessary, any other equipment such as an additional monitor or microphone etc. 

Our team has a dedicated person who is responsible for purchasing and shipping. We let her know about any new employee’s needs at the stage of signing the contract. New equipment is very often shipped with the contract. 

As part of the onboarding process, a new employee installs any necessary programs and applications on their laptop. He/she is supported by a Project Manager – the second (after the Mentor) most important person during the onboarding process.

While onboarding, we organize meetings with a Project Manager and a representative of the HR team. We’ve created a common onboarding list. This is editable so every new employee can check if he/she has got all of the important information and has done all of the onboarding steps. The Scalac Handbook, which I have already mentioned, is very helpful in this process. And anyone can alway go back to it whenever he/she needs it.