Onboarding in a virtual or hybrid environment isn’t just another HR challenge to check off your list. It’s your opportunity to engage employees, set clear expectations, and reduce costly early turnover right out of the gate.

But here’s the catch: outdated onboarding methods don’t work in this new environment.

Gone are the days of awkward icebreakers, stacks of compliance documents, and endless Zoom calls. Virtual and hybrid onboarding success requires innovative strategies filled with creativity, empathy, and purpose.

Whether you’re welcoming a remote software developer or a team member splitting time between home and the office, we’ve compiled actionable best practices to ensure onboarding leaves a lasting impression.

Why Virtual and Hybrid Onboarding is the New Standard

The pandemic accelerated a shift to remote and hybrid work models, and the trend isn’t slowing down. Recent data from Gallup shows that 56% of employees in the U.S. now work in hybrid or fully remote settings. With the talent pool no longer confined by geography, HR professionals like you are tasked with rethinking onboarding programs so they connect, inform, and inspire hires wherever they are.

Yet, poorly executed onboarding is often the silent productivity killer. According to SHRM, employees with a negative onboarding experience are twice as likely to seek other opportunities within their first year. The stakes? They’re high. But fear not, we’ve got seven tried-and-true strategies to help you prevent onboarding blunders.

1. Create a Strong Preboarding Process

Who says onboarding starts on Day One? A robust preboarding process sets the foundation for success while ensuring that new hires feel welcome before they officially start.

Here’s how to create a slam-dunk preboarding experience:

• Send a personalized welcome email with key dates, resources, and friendly encouragement.

• Provide access to company tools early, like Slack or Microsoft Teams, helping them feel connected from the start.

• Arrange welcome calls or notes from their team to foster a sense of belonging.

First impressions happen early, and preboarding ensures those impressions are positive.

2. Make Compliance Tasks Engaging (Yes, Really!)

It’s no secret compliance training tends to have people snoozing behind muted Zoom screens (or worse, feigning technical difficulties to duck out). But it doesn’t have to be like this.

Inject some fun into the process with activities like a virtual compliance scavenger hunt. How it works:

• Scatter key documents (digitally, of course) through a shared platform or intranet system.

• Create engaging clues or prompts for employees to track down critical compliance information.

Not only does this turn a typically mundane task into an activity employees actually enjoy, it reinforces important policies in a memorable way. Everybody wins.

3. Craft a Self-Directed Learning Program

Problem: Some virtual or hybrid settings make face-to-face training impossible. Cue the endless stream of PDFs, right? Wrong.

Solution? A self-directed learning program.

This approach provides employees control over when and how they learn while tailoring content to their individual needs. Examples include:

• Microlearning videos designed to cover bite-sized topics in under five minutes.

• Interactive eLearning modules on platforms like Lessonly or WorkRamp.

• Role-specific playlists of must-learn information, ranging from tools to culture lessons.

Self-directed learning is flexible, scalable, and empowering. And it stops throwing your new hires into the dreaded one-size-fits-all onboarding bucket.

4. Set the Stage with a 30–60–90 Day Plan

If new hires don’t know what’s expected, they’ll drift. Fact. Avoid ambiguity by building a clear 30–60–90 day plan that outlines realistic goals for new employees to accomplish during each stage.

For example:

• 30 Days: Understanding team roles, completing essential training, and attending key meetings.

• 60 Days: Starting independent projects, developing cross-functional relationships, and presenting progress reports.

• 90 Days: Full contribution to team deliverables, sharing insights, and identifying future goals.

This method instills clarity, confidence, and motivation in your employees from day one. Plus, it’s a simple but highly effective way to reduce early turnover during a vulnerable time in their tenure.

5. Leverage Customized Welcome Kits

Physical tokens can make a powerful impact, even if your workforce is geographically dispersed. Send your remote or hybrid hires a customized welcome kit. Ideas include:

• Branded swag like coffee mugs, t-shirts, or notebooks.

• Practical tools like a well-designed laptop stand or headphones.

• A handwritten note to give it that human touch.

These thoughtful gestures build an immediate emotional connection to your company and show that you value their contributions before they’ve even logged on.

6. Promote Connection Through Intentional Networking

Don’t underestimate how critical connection is in a remote or hybrid setup. Employees need to feel tethered to their coworkers but organic hallway chats just aren’t an option. Host sessions like:

• Virtual coffee meetups where small groups share fun facts or play games.

• Buddy programs pairing new hires with seasoned employees to ease their cultural transition.

• Team brainstorming spaces on tools like Miro, where ideas are born through collaboration.

Fostering relationships leads to stronger teams, improved engagement, and higher retention.

7. Actively Gather Feedback and Iterate

Onboarding strategies are never “set it and forget it.” They’re “test, listen, improve, repeat.” Build in mechanisms for gathering feedback, such as:

• Anonymous post-onboarding surveys.

• Direct debrief meetings with HR or line managers.

• Open Slack channels where new hires can share feedback at any time.

Listening to your workforce isn’t just good practice; it ensures you’re delivering onboarding experiences that evolve with the times.

Small Changes, Big Impact

Virtual and hybrid onboarding doesn’t have to be a headache. By blending these best practices into your own program, you’ll transform the process from a mundane series of checkboxes into an experience that creates highly engaged, committed employees.

Need inspiration or help refining your onboarding programs? Reach out to Culture on Camera for curated strategies that take your onboarding game to the next level.