7 Easy Ways to Improve Your Virtual New Hire Training Program in 2021

Nothing is more anticlimactic than being excited for your first day of work – only to find out that everyone’s out of the office on PTO; add on top of it, a fully virtual new hire training experience. Employees experiencing this are likely to feel unimportant and disengaged. A recent study by Adobe showed that 55% of HR professionals say the holidays are the most stressful time of the year for companies onboarding staff.

As a hiring manager, you’ve invested a lot to get that new hire to his or her first day. If they quit because their onboarding was less than spectacular, you lose that investment (an average of $4,000 per hire) and your team will start the New Year shorthanded.

Regulatory compliance Recap September 2020

7 Easy Improvements for your New Hire Training Program

Here are seven strategies on how to effectively train your new hires virtually during the holidays that will make them feel welcome during the holidays.

  1. Check-in with supervisors and training managers
    Set your new hire up for success by checking with the training manager and supervisors to ensure someone will be in the workplace or available via video conference to help kick off your new hire’s virtual training experience. If the training manager plans to be out on PTO, ask them to delegate this extremely important responsibility to another person on their team. It’s critical to ensure your new hire has the training, shadowing or other activities strategically planned to help them feel productive even when their hiring manager isn’t available.
  2. Communicate the length and schedule of the virtual new hire training program
    Communication from either the hiring manager or training manager on how long their virtual training experience is expected to last sets the stage for clear expectations. Understanding what is expected can help reduce the anxiety of the first day and first few weeks. New hires may also have family activities or seasonal travel they will want to schedule in advance. Help them balance work and life with schedule information so they can make their plans.
  3. Turn your camera on
    I can already hear your groaning. Turning your camera on during live training sessions can provide an added human connection in the virtual new hire training experience. Showing up on a camera delivers an important personal touch. Don’t overlook it.
  4. Use variety in new hire training
    Let’s be honest, sitting in front of your computer all day long listening to someone talk at you can be boring. Not to mention, the content is likely not being retained. Use a variety of different training formats to keep new hires engaged. OnCourse Learning offers a unique and broad combination of compliance and professional development training delivered in a format that is right for your employees – online self-paced, videos and webinars.
  5. Make it personal
    Share a little bit about yourself. Maybe it’s a family picture or your favorite ice cream flavor. Make it even more personal by including your new hire’s family or interests. Ask them to prepare a bit about themselves to share in their virtual new hire training sessions.
  6. Locate your new hire’s team
    Find out which colleagues will also be taking time off for your new hire’s first day or first week. Ask them to introduce themselves in a short, friendly welcome video they can create using their video conferencing tool or even their smartphone. The video(s) will help the new hire get a sense of their team and recognize friendly faces when they are able to report to the workplace.
  7. Keep the dialogue open
    Starting a new job is scary enough, let alone starting remotely. Let your new hire know they can count on you as a resource when questions or concerns come up. Don’t let the newest member of the team feel like they are on their own. Everything you do to provide a great training experience only reinforces their decision to come work for an excellent new organization.

On average, 50 hours of new hire training are invested in each employee as part of their on-boarding. With all that time invested in teaching and coaching a new employee, don’t let “the most wonderful time of year” be the reason why they end up leaving.

Additional Resources for Improving Your Virtual New Hire Training Program:

Work remote

10 Security Best Practice When Working Remote

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compliance training programs

The Anatomy of High-Impact Compliance Training

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compliance training programs

The Four C’s of Compliance Training

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Rachel Davis - Product Manager at OCL

OnCourse Learning empowers financial institutions to prepare their frontlines, compliance teams, executive leadership and board of directors with comprehensive enterprise compliance, risk management and professional development education that is effective and engaging. Over 10,000 clients and partners have adopted OnCourse Learning solutions to efficiently manage complexity, change and growth. Plus, over the course of our 40+ year history, we have trained over 200,000 individuals with our NMLS-approved licensure and continuing education courses.

Rachel Davis - Product Manager at OCL

OnCourse Learning empowers financial institutions to prepare their frontlines, compliance teams, executive leadership and board of directors with comprehensive enterprise compliance, risk management and professional development education that is effective and engaging. Over 10,000 clients and partners have adopted OnCourse Learning solutions to efficiently manage complexity, change and growth. Plus, over the course of our 40+ year history, we have trained over 200,000 individuals with our NMLS-approved licensure and continuing education courses.

By |2021-01-15T09:19:56-06:00December 22nd, 2020|Bank, Credit Union, Financial Services|0 Comments

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