Sharing Company Values In Remote Onboarding

Most onboarding programs focus on the what and the how... But they forget the feel. I’ve been there. Years ago, I’d tick all the boxes—logins, training schedules, org charts—and still wonder: why do new hires feel lost? Turns out, onboarding isn’t just about information; it’s about experience. Here’s what I’ve learned to focus on: 1. Safety: Make them feel prepared and welcome. A small touch—like logging in early and playing music—sets the tone. 2. Belonging: Help them feel connected. Values should be shown in action, not just words. Say everyone’s name and welcome them as they join sessions. Start with a 15-30 minute stand-up each morning so the cohort can connect, ask questions, and build camaraderie. 3. Trust: Share a clear plan and connect their role to the bigger picture--give them shared purpose. And senior leaders showing up? Game-changer. When you focus on these 3 elements, onboarding goes from surviving day one to thriving from day one. If you’re building (or rethinking) onboarding, I hope this helps. I’ve been there, and I’m always happy to share ideas or answer questions—just drop me a note. Because a great onboarding experience doesn’t just welcome people—it makes them stay.

What’s the #1 cause of frustration and friction you encounter as an organizational leader? We believe the answer centers on “unmet expectations.” We have observed a common 4-step cycle when companies hire new employees and begin setting expectations. The cycle goes like this: Step 1: Hope. After a new hire, the supervisor is hopeful the new employee will fulfill their assigned role perfectly, and the employee is excited about their new job. Step 2: Unclear expectations. Rarely does the supervisor take the time to engage the new employee and deliver a clear duty description with roles and responsibilities. Despite not delivering clear expectations, the supervisor is sure that the employee understands their expectation of “ABC” but often the employee has a very different picture of the expectations and believes their job entails “XYZ” Thus, they quickly transition to the next step. Step 3: Frustration. The supervisor grumbles, “My darn employee won’t do their job!” While the employee complains, “My boss is a toxic leader!” This leads to a critical decision in Step 4. Step 4: Fire/Quit/Tolerate. The supervisor fires the employee. The employee quits. Or they maintain the work relationship, but the team suffers due to suboptimal performance. A healthy 4-step cycle looks like this: Step 1: Hope. This remains the same. Step 2: Clear Expectations. The supervisor sits down with the employee and gets to know them during onboarding. They both share their backgrounds, hobbies, families, goals, and strengths/weaknesses. The supervisor asks, “What are your expectations of me as your supervisor?” The supervisor creates an environment of caring engagement and open communication. Only when this is complete, does the supervisor clearly lay out the expectations for the employee in the form of 1) Company Values 2) Required Skills 3) Roles and Responsibilities 4) Goals/Key Performance Indicators. Step 3: Review Standards. The supervisor regularly sits down with the employee and reviews these agreed upon standards. The supervisor praises the employee for areas of compliance, holds them accountable for areas of non-compliance, and helps the employee solve problems and develop in their role. Step 4: Conform or Leave. The supervisor is on a firm foundation and the employee chooses to either conform to the clear standards or leave the team. This healthy cycle is vital to solving two critical aspects of organizational leadership. The first is building culture. The values the supervisor describes to the employee are the desired cultural values of the company. Relaying the importance of these at the outset and routinely reinforcing them is essential to building the company’s desired culture. The second aspect is holding people accountable. The clear initial discussion and following one-on-ones minimize emotions from the equation and make holding someone accountable a much easier and feasible endeavor. Looking for more leadership development? Message me!

The way most companies onboard is a wasted opportunity. There’s a big difference between feeling like you were “hired and onboarded” vs. “selected and welcomed in.” Our research found that when organizations treat onboarding as a “sacred moment,” it has an outsized impact on making work meaningful. Traditional onboarding processes are designed to reduce ambiguity. But when they focus too heavily on rules, compliance, and paperwork, the process can leave new hires feeling overwhelmed and uninspired. In contrast, we heard amazing examples of companies seizing the opportunity to make onboarding a springboard for a meaningful work experience. Zappos does a deep dive into their ten core values and invites people from across the company to share a story about each one. 15Five treats onboarding as a time for self-reflection, asking new employees to share their strengths and what it looks like when they are at their best. BetterUp encourages new employees to “speak up and share what is meaningful to [them]” so that the company can in turn focus their efforts on providing meaningful work for each individual. Have you had an onboarding experience—positive or negative—that sticks out to you? Let’s discuss. ⤵️ #onboarding #onboard #training #newemployees #meaningfulwork