Remote work is now a norm for many teams, but successfully onboarding remote employees can still be a daunting challenge. When a new hire is starting from their living room instead of your office, you need to be extra intentional. After all the effort you spent recruiting that talent, you want their first days to affirm they made the right choice. In this guide, I’ll share best practices – from preboarding to ongoing engagement – to help your remote newcomers feel welcome, informed, and connected from day one. Let’s dive in!
Onboarding isn’t just HR paperwork – it’s the foundation of your new hire’s success and happiness. And when it comes to remote employees, getting it right is critical. Research shows a strong onboarding process can boost new hire retention by up to 82% and productivity by over 70%. Yet many companies fall short: about one-third of workers say their onboarding was subpar, and remote employees often face even more issues. The cost of getting it wrong is high – disengaged newcomers, slower ramp-up, or worse, early turnover.
On the flip side, great onboarding drives real business results. Companies that invest in excellent onboarding see significantly higher growth – Boston Consulting Group found they experience 2.5× more revenue growth than those with poor onboarding. New hires who feel supported are also far more likely to stay for the long run (in fact, employees are 69% more likely to remain at a company 3+ years if they had a positive onboarding). The message is clear: helping remote team members hit the ground running isn’t just a nice gesture, it’s a smart strategic move.
In a remote setting, every interaction must be intentional. There are no hallway chats or office tours to create a sense of belonging. It’s on us as managers to replace those with structured welcomes and frequent touchpoints. Let’s break down how to do that, step by step, to set your remote hires (and your team) up for success.
Remote onboarding starts well before the official “Day 1.” the period between offer acceptance and the first day – often called preboarding – is your golden opportunity to make a great first impression and prepare the ground for a smooth start. Here’s how to set the stage:
By investing time in preboarding, you’re sending a clear message: “We’re ready for you, and we’re excited to have you.” When day one finally arrives, your remote newbie will already feel more at home and less anxious because everything’s prepared. Now, let’s talk about that crucial first day and beyond.
The first day for any new hire is a mix of excitement and nerves. For remote employees, we have to work extra hard to make that day feel special and reassuring. Day one is an all-hands-on-deck occasion. Here are best practices to ensure your remote employee’s first day is welcoming and productive:
Start with a personal welcome: Schedule a video call first thing in the morning for a warm welcome. This could be you as the hiring manager or a small group call with their immediate team. Keep it friendly and low-pressure – the goal is to greet them with smiles, introduce everyone, and let them know we’re thrilled they’re here. I like to have each team member share a quick personal anecdote or an icebreaker question to lighten the mood.
Orientation & overview: Plan a structured orientation session to cover the basics. This might be a one-on-one video call where you walk through the company overview, mission and values, and how the team is organized. In an office, people absorb a lot just by walking around; remotely, you need to articulate “who does what” and how things work. Share an org chart, explain the products or projects they’ll be involved in, and give them a sense of “how all the pieces fit together.” Encourage questions throughout.
IT and tools check: Have someone (IT support or a tech-savvy team member) walk the new hire through setting up all the tools they’ll need. This could include logging into email, chat, project management software, development environments – whatever your team uses. Do a test run of critical software (for example, a quick Slack message or a test repository pull if they’re an engineer). By ensuring they can access and use everything on day one, you prevent frustration later.
Team introductions: Don’t rely on a single meeting to make the new person feel part of the team. Arrange a few introduction touchpoints. This could be a virtual team lunch or coffee break on Day 1 where the whole team hangs out on Zoom just to chit-chat and get to know each other as people. You can also have key colleagues schedule brief one-on-one intro calls with the new hire (15-minute “get-to-know-you” chats) over the first week. These casual interactions help replace the hallway greetings and start building relationships from day one.
Set the tone for communication: Use the first day to establish how your remote team communicates. For example, let them know “We primarily use Slack for quick questions and updates, and email for formal communications. We have a daily stand-up video call every morning,” or whatever your norms are. Clarify any expected responsiveness (e.g. “We don’t expect instant replies after hours” – a good thing to mention for work-life balance). When remote, new hires can’t pick up on office etiquette by osmosis, so spell it out clearly early on.
A manageable schedule: One mistake is overloading day one with back-to-back meetings or training. Remote or not, drinking from a firehose is overwhelming. Make sure the day one agenda has breathing room. Maybe a welcome call in the morning, a couple of orientation/training sessions midday, and wrap up with a check-in. Encourage them to take breaks to digest information (and remind them it’s okay to step away for lunch, etc.). You want them to log off on day one feeling excited and confident, not exhausted.
By thoughtfully structuring the first day, you replace the missing office tour and in-person welcomes with virtual equivalents. The key is to balance necessary onboarding info with plenty of personal connection. When a remote hire ends their first day thinking “Everyone was so welcoming and I already know what I’ll be doing,” you’ve done it right. Next, let’s ensure that positive momentum continues through their first week.
The initial week is critical for building your new remote employee’s confidence and momentum. I like to plan out the first week in detail so that each day has purpose without being overwhelming. Here’s how to make the rest of week one count:
Create a week-one roadmap: Give the new hire a day-by-day plan for their first week. This roadmap might include a mix of training sessions, one-on-one meetings, and introductory tasks. For example, a well-structured week could look like:
1) Monday: Company orientation and team introductions.
2) Tuesday: Role-specific training and setup (systems, tools, processes).
3) Wednesday: Initial project overview and small starter task.
4) Thursday: Meet cross-functional partners (people from other teams) and review documentation.
5) Friday: Culture and social connection activities, plus a first-week feedback check-in.
This is just an example, but the idea is to break the week into themes so they’re not doing one type of thing all day. By the end of week one, they should have a basic grasp of the company, their role, and have met many colleagues.
Provide bite-sized training: Instead of an 8-hour deluge of webinars or reading materials, break training into digestible chunks. Maybe two hours per day are devoted to learning (product demos, reviewing documentation, mandatory HR trainings), and the rest is interactive or hands-on. Use a variety of formats: live video workshops, recorded training videos they can watch and pause, and written guides. This keeps them engaged and accommodates different learning styles. Remember, remote hires can’t lean over and ask questions in person, so encourage them to note questions and follow up in daily check-ins.
Assign a small starter project: Nothing builds confidence like accomplishing something in your first week. Identify a small, non-critical task that the new hire can tackle by week’s end. It could be fixing a minor bug (for an engineer), writing a short blog post (for a marketer), or processing a simple ticket. The key is that it’s relevant to their role and achievable. When they deliver it, celebrate it! This “small win” shows them they can contribute and reinforces that they belong on the team.
Regular check-ins (daily if possible): I cannot overstate the importance of frequent check-ins during that first week (and beyond). Schedule a brief 15-30 minute sync at the end of each day in week one. Use this time to ask how they’re feeling, clarify any questions, and adjust the plan if they’re feeling lost or overwhelmed. Remote employees can feel like they’re bothering you if they have to constantly reach out, so proactively opening a channel each day makes it easier for them to voice concerns. It also helps you gauge their comfort level and pace. You might uncover, for example, that they’re struggling with a software login on Tuesday – and you can fix it by Wednesday instead of discovering weeks later they never got access to something.
Balance structure with flexibility: While you want a plan, don’t pack the schedule so tightly that the new hire has zero downtime. Everyone needs a bit of unstructured time to process information, explore the company wiki, or simply set up their workspace. Encourage them to take that time. Perhaps by mid-week, you can say, “Spend Thursday afternoon getting comfortable with our product on your own and note down any questions.” This communicates trust and allows them to self-direct some learning.
By the end of the first week, your remote employee should feel more grounded: they know the key people, understand the core tools and processes, and have even checked off a task or two. They’ll also appreciate the support system you’ve put in place. Next, we’ll focus on deepening their connection to the team and company culture, which is often the trickiest part of remote onboarding.
One of the biggest challenges with remote work is helping new hires feel like they’re truly part of the team and the company culture. In an office, culture can be absorbed organically – remote teams need to cultivate it actively. As a hiring manager, team integration is just as high a priority as skill ramp-up. Here’s how you can help a remote newcomer build strong relationships and sense of belonging:
Implement a buddy system: Pair the new hire with an “onboarding buddy” – a friendly, experienced team member who can be their go-to for questions and social integration. This is someone outside of the direct manager relationship, so the new hire can ask the “silly questions” freely. A great buddy will check in daily, introduce the new person to others, and provide encouragement. The impact can be huge: at Microsoft, new hires with onboarding buddies were found to be 73% more productive and significantly more satisfied than those without! Many successful remote-first companies like Buffer and GitLab use buddy systems to integrate new employees into both their role and the culture. Choose a buddy who’s approachable, knowledgeable, and has a bit of bandwidth to help out.
Schedule informal team interactions: Beyond work meetings, create opportunities for casual engagement. For example, set up virtual coffee chats: a 15-minute video call where the new hire and a teammate (or a small group) just talk about hobbies, weekend plans, anything not work-critical. You can organize a virtual team lunch during their first week – send everyone a food delivery voucher so they can “eat together” on a video call. Introduce a Slack “water-cooler” channel or fun channels (like #pets or #music) and invite the new hire to join and share. These informal spaces let them see personalities and feel the camaraderie that co-located teams get naturally. It might feel a bit forced at first, but it’s far better than a new remote hire feeling isolated.
Create a welcome ritual: Many teams develop their own tradition for welcoming new members remotely. For instance, some companies have a dedicated Slack welcome channel where every new hire gets a warm shoutout and team members chime in with GIFs and greetings. This public welcome not only makes the person feel celebrated, but it also breaks the ice for them to start chatting with colleagues. Another idea: have a collaborative “about me” document or internal blog post where the new hire can introduce themselves (share background, a photo, some fun facts) and people can comment. Embracing a ritual like this signals your team values each new person.
Encourage knowledge sharing and questions: New remote employees can’t just overhear how things are done, so encourage a culture of asking questions. One effective tactic is to set up a shared Q&A doc or an onboarding Slack thread where the new hire can post any question that comes to mind. Your team can monitor it and respond. Not only does this give the new hire a safe space to ask things (“Who do I talk to for access to X?” or “What does this acronym mean?”), it also creates a resource for the next hire. Emphasize that “no question is dumb” and even consider populating it with a few FAQs that others have asked before to get it rolling.
Introduce company culture explicitly: In a remote setting, you can’t rely on osmosis for culture. Plan sessions or materials to communicate your company’s values, norms, and quirks. This might include a meeting about company history and values, watching recordings of past all-hands meetings or team events, or one-on-ones with long-tenured “culture carriers” at the company. Some companies go as far as assigning a separate culture buddy (in addition to a role buddy) to focus on introducing the new hire to unwritten cultural norms. For example, if your culture prizes transparency, show them how decisions are documented openly; if you have a tradition of Friday afternoon games, invite them right away. The idea is to make the invisible visible, so the new person isn’t feeling like an outsider to the inside jokes or values.
Mind time zones and inclusion: Remote teams often span multiple time zones, which can inadvertently leave new folks feeling left out if most of the team is in a different zone. Be mindful and rotate meeting times if needed so the remote hire (especially if they’re the only one in their region) sometimes gets to attend live, or ensure recordings/notes are available if they can’t. Also, pay attention to language in communications – avoid local slang that might alienate or references that only original team members get. Making an effort to be inclusive in communication goes a long way to integrate new colleagues from different regions or backgrounds.
Building connections remotely won’t happen by accident; it takes deliberate effort from the whole team. But by using buddies, informal hangouts, and a culture that welcomes questions and personal sharing, you can make a new remote employee feel just as connected as if they were in the office. Next, let’s look at setting clear expectations and supporting your new hire’s performance in a remote context.
Imagine being the “new person” and not knowing what good performance looks like in your first month – that uncertainty can be magnified when you’re remote and can’t gauge by observing peers. That’s why a core part of onboarding is establishing clarity around responsibilities, expectations, and goals. Here’s how to give your remote hires the guidance they need to thrive:
Clarify role and responsibilities early: Schedule a dedicated session in the first week (or day one, if possible) to walk through the new hire’s job description, key responsibilities, and how their role fits into larger team objectives. This conversation should go beyond the job posting – get specific about their initial focus areas. For example: “You’ll be owning the onboarding email campaign project this quarter” or “Your first milestone is to resolve 10 customer support tickets unaided by the end of month one.” When remote, people can feel unsure if they’re focusing on the right things, so explicitly align on what’s expected of them in the first few weeks and months.
Set 30-60-90 day goals: A common best practice is to work with the new hire on a 30-60-90 day plan. For remote employees, this is a lifesaver. Together, outline what success looks like after 1 month, 2 months, 3 months. These goals might include learning targets (e.g. “By 30 days, complete training X and be familiar with key clients”), performance targets (“By 60 days, be handling support tickets independently”), and integration goals (“By 90 days, lead a demo in a team meeting”). Having a roadmap gives the new hire a sense of progression and purpose. It also helps you as a manager to periodically check progress against concrete benchmarks. Review these goals regularly (say, at the end of each month) and adjust if needed. The point is not to box them in, but to provide direction and a way to measure their ramp-up.
Communicate team norms and workflows: Remote teams often develop unique workflows – make sure your new hire is up to speed on how work gets done. This includes your project management approach (e.g. “We track everything in Jira, here’s how we use it”), communication norms (“We do a quick stand-up each morning on Zoom to set priorities”), and any specific processes (code reviews, content approval process, etc.). Share written SOPs or process docs if you have them. If not, walking through a typical task from start to finish can help illuminate unwritten rules. Basically, expose the “how” of the job, not just the “what.” This helps prevent a remote hire from accidentally misstepping or feeling lost about how to execute their duties.
Discuss schedule and availability expectations: Work-life boundaries can blur for remote workers. Be very clear about when and how you expect them to be available. For example, if your team works roughly 9–5 Eastern Time, let them know those hours (adjusted to their local time if different) are when they should be online and responsive. If you’re flexible about hours or have a results-only environment, clarify that too (“We don’t mind when you work as long as deadlines are met, but we do need you on our 11 AM team call daily”). Also address overtime or after-hours: remote employees may worry they’re expected to monitor email all evening – explicitly tell them if you do not expect that. Encourage healthy habits, like taking breaks and logging off at a reasonable hour. By setting these boundaries upfront, you help them maintain a work-life balance and avoid burnout.
Introduce metrics of success: Let the new hire know how their performance will be evaluated, especially if you have formal review processes. Will there be a 3-month review? What are key KPIs for their role? For example, a sales rep might be told, “By month 3 we expect you to make X calls per week and close Y deals.” A developer might hear, “Success means confidently owning the front-end of the app – we’ll pair program initially and by 90 days you should be committing code daily.” Knowing the criteria for success removes guesswork and anxiety. It also underscores that you’re invested in their growth – you’re giving them targets to hit and will support them in getting there.
Encourage two-way expectations: Onboarding is a great time to also ask the new hire what they expect or need from you and the team. Remote employees might have different needs – maybe they prefer written instructions or they value a weekly one-on-one for feedback. Make it clear that they should voice what helps them learn best. Setting this tone early makes them more likely to speak up if something isn’t working or if they need extra support. Ultimately, onboarding is a partnership: you’re aligning mutual expectations to avoid future misunderstandings.
When everyone is on the same page from the beginning, a remote employee doesn’t have to waste mental energy wondering “Am I doing okay?” They’ll know what’s expected and can focus on meeting those goals. This clarity builds confidence and autonomy, which are especially important for remote staff. Now, with expectations set, let’s ensure we equip them with the right tools to meet those expectations.
Technology is the backbone of remote work – and a smooth remote onboarding heavily relies on the right tools. As someone who’s overseen remote hires, I’ve found that using dedicated software and platforms can automate away the tedious parts and keep everyone on the same page. Below are some tool categories (and examples) that will make your remote onboarding process easier and more effective:
By equipping your new remote hires with these tools (and the know-how to use them), you remove many friction points from their onboarding. Automation and software can handle the repetitive tasks – freeing you to focus on the human side of onboarding. Plus, a well-tooled onboarding process signals professionalism; it shows the new employee that your team is organized and serious about helping them succeed. Next, we’ll look at maintaining momentum beyond that first week and continuously improving your onboarding approach.
Great onboarding doesn’t abruptly end after a week or even 30 days. One thing I always emphasize is that onboarding is an ongoing process – especially for remote employees. They will continue to encounter new questions and challenges as they settle in over months, not just days. Here’s how to extend your support to truly set them up for long-term success:
Keep the check-ins going: Don’t drop contact after week one. Schedule regular one-on-ones going forward (weekly or bi-weekly) where you specifically discuss how the new hire is doing in their integration. Use these to mentor, answer evolving questions, and give feedback on early work. Also encourage them to give feedback about how the onboarding is going. For instance, by week 4, ask “Is there anything you wish we had covered earlier? Anything still unclear?” Then use that insight to improve the process for them and future hires. These check-ins are also a good time to make sure they’re not feeling overwhelmed or isolated. A quick “How are you feeling about the team and the work?” can surface issues that you can address proactively.
Gradually increase responsibilities: As weeks progress, keep an eye on the new hire’s workload and comfort level. Gradually ramp them up to full duties. For example, after the initial small starter tasks, give them a medium-sized project in month two. By month three, they might be leading a feature or handling a client solo (depending on role). The idea is a steady build-up. If you notice they’re excelling, you can accelerate; if they seem to struggle, provide extra support or training in that area before piling on more. Remote employees can sometimes suffer in silence, so this careful monitoring ensures they’re not accidentally left behind. Tie these increasing responsibilities back to the 30-60-90 plan you set – show how they’re progressing toward those goals, and adjust targets if needed.
Create opportunities for continued learning: Onboarding blends into ongoing development. Once the basics are covered, think about what training or growth opportunities can help the new hire truly excel. This could mean enrolling them in an online course or certification relevant to their role, assigning them a stretch project, or having them attend virtual conferences or webinars. Many SaaS companies have a learning stipend – remind your new hire if that’s available. The best companies I’ve seen treat onboarding as Phase 1 of an employee’s journey, which seamlessly transitions into continuous development. Show your remote hire that you’re invested in their growth beyond just the initial orientation. It could be as simple as, “Now that you’re getting comfortable, would you like to pair up with a senior colleague on a new project to learn X skill?”
Solicit feedback and refine: By about 60 or 90 days in, you should have a formal check-in to gather the new hire’s perspective on the onboarding experience. You can do this via an informal chat or even a survey. Ask what worked well and what could be improved. Was any training irrelevant? Did they feel adequately supported? What was the hardest part about joining remotely? Use this feedback to refine your onboarding process documentation. Perhaps they’ll point out that the product documentation was confusing, or that they would have liked an earlier introduction to a certain team. This is gold for continuous improvement. It’s also a great sign to the employee that you value their opinion – it shows you’re committed to making the experience better. Many companies fail to update their onboarding over time, but the needs of remote hires evolve, so a feedback loop is essential.
Integrate them fully into company rhythms: As months go by, ensure the new hire is woven into the fabric of the company. That means including them in all-hands meetings, inviting them to optional social events or special projects, and making sure their voice is heard. Sometimes remote employees hired during a certain period can feel like they missed the “bonding” older employees had. Consider implementing a mentorship beyond the buddy – maybe a career mentor from another department after 3-6 months for cross-functional exposure. If you have virtual offsites or periodic team gatherings, make sure they’re fully part of it (and if possible, bring the team together in person at some point to solidify relationships). The goal is that by the time they are, say, 6 months in, no one even remembers that they’re “new” – they’re simply a fully contributing team member.
Finally, remember that for remote employees especially, onboarding bleeds into overall employee experience. The practices you start during onboarding – open communication, clear expectations, recognition, and inclusion – should carry on throughout their tenure. In essence, keep treating them with the same attentiveness you did in week one, just with less hand-holding as they gain independence. That’s how you turn a new hire into a happy, retained, and productive veteran of your team.
Onboarding remote employees isn’t a trivial task, but with the right approach it can be incredibly rewarding – for both the employee and the organization. A thoughtful remote onboarding program transforms “nervous newcomer” into “confident contributor.” It comes down to empathy, structure, and consistency. You’re essentially saying: “We understand the challenges of starting remote, so we’ve got a plan to help you every step of the way.”
Let’s quickly recap the journey: you begin by prepping thoroughly (equipment, accounts, welcome kit) so that everything is ready to go. You make Day One special with warm welcomes and clear orientations. You map out Week One to balance learning and doing, while checking in frequently. You deliberately foster personal connections through buddies and social interactions, preventing your remote hire from feeling like an island. You set clear expectations and goals so they know what to aim for. You equip them with great tools to work effectively and stay connected. And importantly, you continue to support and develop them well after the “official” onboarding period, reinforcing that they are a valued part of the team.
If you implement these best practices, your team’s remote onboarding will not only integrate new hires faster, it will also boost their long-term engagement. Remember, successful onboarding is a powerful retention tool – employees who feel welcomed and prepared are far more likely to stick around and do great work. In the remote context, where one can feel disconnected, a strong onboarding experience can be the difference between someone who merely “works a job” and someone who truly invests themselves in the company’s mission.
As a hiring manager or team leader, it’s your job to make sure that when you bring new talent on board (check out The SaaS Jobs for SaaS talent!), you set them up to flourish. With careful planning, the right tools, and a human touch, onboarding remote employees can be just as effective – and maybe even more intentional – than in-office onboarding. Put in that effort up front, and you’ll reap the rewards of a cohesive, motivated distributed team. Here’s to turning each new remote hire into a happy, productive team member for years to come!