Best practices for hiring managers during COVID-19

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of the DND has transitioned to a remote workforce. If you have a new hire joining your team during this self-isolation period you are most likely going to be onboarding them virtually. Although most of the fundamentals of onboarding will remain the same you will have to adjust your approach accordingly.

A few key points to keep in mind:

Communication! Communication! Communication!

In this in environment, extra efforts must be made when communicating with new employees. Be sure to reach out at least a week prior to their first day of work to find the best means of communications for day to day and in case of an emergency (i.e. texts messages, calls, video calls or emails). You can recommend and introduce the various communications platforms based on your team’s current communication plan.

Are you a Defence Team communicator or Supervisor? If so, these toolkits can help you communicate about the return to work and to guide your team through these challenging waters.

Socializing in a virtual work environment

Be sure to ask if the new employee wishes to be included in any ongoing team social distancing activities, social committees, group chats or Facebook Groups in order to foster a social environment and encourage making personal connections with the team.

Busy Bee

It will be important to plan a tight schedule to ensure employees aren’t left wondering what to do next. Vagueness is the enemy! Be sure to break up the training and onboarding in steps or building blocks. You can prepare a set list of tasks to complete with deadlines and clear instructions or daily schedule with daily goals.

It’s important to set clear expectations on the new employee role and responsibilities to avoid confusion and ensure they fully understand what is being demanded. By introducing responsibilities gradually they learn more efficiently and quickly. It will also show that there is a significant investment made in them. It gives the impression of trust that you have been preparing for their arrival. You might be tempted to rush the onboarding so they can start producing sooner but this is actually detrimental to professional development and retention in the long run.

During the first week be sure to schedule time to discuss the following:

If you have hired a student, please refer to the Manager’s Onboarding Checklist for New Students to ensure they have a positive onboarding experience.

It takes a village!

Remember that in order to successfully onboard a new employee virtually you will have to get your team involved as much as possible to help instill culture. Pairing a new employee with a peer partner that will coach and educate them will help build strong lines of communication. Let them know they can communicate and ask questions whenever they feel the need to.

Stay flexible and adjust

Touch base regularly with the new employee and ask for feedback on the training and onboarding. Ask them how they have adjusted to the new role and the impact it has had on their work life balance. Adjust your schedule and theirs according to their needs.

Resources

HR GO RH App (available for free on iOS and Android)

HR Connect RH at 1-833-RHR-MDND (1-833-747-6363)

The National Civilian Welcome and Integration Team

Defence Team – COVID-19

Defence Team COVID-19 – Working Remotely

Learning Path for managers and supervisors of students

Resuming work

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