Remote and hybrid work aren’t temporary. 71%of companies have realized that people can actually be more productive even when they’re not physically present at work, and companies now are sticking to it for good. What does this mean? In-person orientation, while valuable for face-to-face connection, is now often replaced or supplemented by virtual onboarding to accommodate distributed teams. So your virtual onboarding needs to be extra—extra clear, extra intentional, and extra human.
Why? Because without physical presence, onboarding gets harder. New hires can’t read the physical room. They won’t experience those crucial “coffee chat” moments where real knowledge gets shared—every signal they would normally pick up about how things really work is completely invisible. Many organizations have tried to replicate their traditional office environment in a virtual environment, but this approach often falls short of fostering the same level of engagement and connection.
Want to build a modern onboarding system that works with the remote model? Stay with us because this guide will cover the 2025 best practices for virtual onboarding (and retaining top talent).
Why remote onboarding needs its own strategy
Let us paint you a picture. In the office, new hires naturally absorb information from overhearing conversations. They pick up on company culture through hallway interactions, and learn who to ask when they need help. But in a remote setup? Nada. You can’t replicate that with a Zoom call. And trying to force-fit those in-person activities into a virtual setting often leads to awkward and clunky experiences instead.
Onboarding remote employees presents unique challenges that require a dedicated remote onboarding process. Onboarding remote is not just about moving existing steps online; it’s about rethinking how to support and integrate new team members in a virtual context.
Now, if you’re wondering why you should care about remote team onboarding, the answer is in early productivity and retention. A new hire who feels disconnected and unsupported will take longer to ramp up, produce quality work, and ultimately stick around. In fact, 6 out of 10 managers have had employees quit during probation due to poor onboarding. Meanwhile, virtual onboarding implemented correctly can:
- Speed up time-to-impact
- Build confidence and clarity
- Reduce early churn
- And align new hires to how things really work—not just what the handbook says
It also alleviates common remote employee experience challenges, such as:
- Decision fatigue on micro-decisions daily, like the Slack channel to use for a specific question, task to prioritize, or even as trivial as turning a camera on for a meeting.
- Isolation and loneliness from being physically separated from co-workers.
- Learning the company’s culture and values.
- Navigating the virtual org chart and understanding who to reach out to for specific questions.
- Technical difficulties and setup of the right equipment, software, and access.
- Adapting to the unique aspects of the remote environment, where building relationships and integrating into the team require different strategies.
Long story short, trying to use the same in-person onboarding flow—same agendas, same slide decks, same meet-the-team intros—and just run it online is a productivity killer. Virtual onboarding needs its own strategy, plain and simple.
Preboarding: Setting the tone early
The period before your new hire’s official start date—what we call preboarding—is absolutely crucial. As soon as the candidate accepts the offer, it’s important to begin engaging them to set the stage for a successful onboarding experience. Think of preboarding as your chance to create an emotional onramp (anticipation, connection, and belonging before work even begins) and increase the likelihood of retaining first-year employees by about 11%. Let’s dive into how to nail it.
Your welcome communication
Your onboarding emails should be warm, personal, and genuinely enthusiastic. The welcome message must emphasize your excitement about them joining your team. Briefly mention what they can expect in the coming weeks and perhaps include a fun fact about your company. Just keep it concise and celebratory.
Alongside the warm fuzzies, get practical:
- Provide clear, step-by-step IT setup checklists
- List down the software they need to download, the accounts to be created, and the contact person if they run into issues.
- Establish preferred communication channels (such as email, chat, or meeting invitations) for the new hire to ensure effective connectivity and collaboration.
- Proactive guidance minimizes Day 1 tech headaches and shows you’re organized.
Tip: Include a short, engaging welcome video from the manager to help new hires really feel like part of the crew.
Provide access to systems and software
Imagine showing up for your first day and not having the keys to your digital workspace. Frustrating, right? Granting new hires limited, but essential, access to key systems and software before their start date is a must. Make sure the new hire has all the necessary software installed and a reliable internet connection to ensure they can access, edit, and customize onboarding materials remotely. That’s is you want them to familiarize themselves with the tools they’ll be using, explore relevant resources, and even complete basic tasks.
Tip: Use platforms like Roboform or LastPass for security measures
Send a welcome kit
Nothing fancy here, but it can be a big deal. It’s just you sending the equipment (like a laptop) and onboarding packages (like a welcome letter, employee handbook, and company policies) in advance. Be sure to include company resources such as the company’s organization chart, intranet information, or links to internal knowledge bases to help new hires get familiar with your structure and support channels. It shows you’re invested in your new hire’s setup. A tangible representation of your company culture, and helps bridge the physical distance.
A guide to choosing the right tools for virtual onboarding
Alright, we’ve set things up with a solid preboarding strategy. Now, let’s move on to the digital toolkit that will power your remote team onboarding.
A structured remote onboarding program and onboarding program are essential for ensuring new hires are engaged and equipped from day one. Remote employee onboarding is most effective when it incorporates online training and training videos, providing flexibility and ongoing development for remote workers.
To make sure every step is covered, use a remote onboarding checklist as part of your process.
Video communication
- Zoom/Google Meet/Microsoft Teams: These are your go-to platforms for virtual meetings, team check-ins, and even casual “virtual coffee breaks.” Onboarding use: Video conferencing is essential for remote onboarding, enabling smooth, engaging, and human onboarding experiences through live orientations, training sessions, and ongoing performance management.
- Loom/ScreenRec: This is for asynchronous video messaging. Onboarding Use: It’s great for sending quick onboarding updates, explaining complex processes, or providing personalized feedback without scheduling a full meeting.
Documentation
Effective documentation significantly improves onboarding outcomes, increasing employee satisfaction and understanding of business processes.
Google Workspace (Docs, Slides, Sheets, Sites): A suite for creating and sharing documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and even internal websites.
Onboarding use: This is your central knowledge hub for onboarding. And since Google Workspace has seamless integration, this creates a dynamic and interconnected onboarding experience.
Project management
- Asana/Trello/ClickUp: These tools are for organizing tasks, assigning responsibilities, setting deadlines, and tracking progress on onboarding activities. They are especially effective for managing onboarding tasks, allowing you to centralize, assign, and monitor each step of the new hire process.
Onboarding use: You can create detailed project templates for each new hire, outlining every step of the process—from pre-boarding paperwork to their first 30-60-90 day goals.
Feedback
- Google Forms: A free, web-based survey administration tool that’s part of the Google Workspace suite.
Onboarding Use: You can easily create short, focused surveys to gauge a new hire’s experience and use them to communicate regularly, ensuring ongoing feedback during the onboarding process.
How to structure the first 30/60/90 days
Integrating a new remote employee presents unique challenges, as new employees often face difficulties connecting with colleagues and understanding company culture in a virtual environment. Team introductions and informal interactions are crucial for helping new team members build relationships and feel connected from the start. Implementing a buddy system can make a new employee feel welcomed and supported, fostering strong relationships within the team.
Next comes the phase of actually integrating your new remote hires into the team. In general, onboarding assumes a steady progression of learning. So, here’s how you can structure the first 30/60/90 days to make that happen.
Work with role-specific learning paths
Your learning plan needs to be tailored to the specific role and responsibilities of each new hire. It’s important to provide training that equips employees with the skills and knowledge needed for their positions, and to offer opportunities to train new hires according to their roles.
Don’t onboard a software engineer like a marketing manager or like a sales rep. Likewise, a marketer doesn’t need to learn the same things as a backend engineer. A CS manager shouldn’t be stuck watching product demos all week. Instead, build modular onboarding paths by role.
Example for a sales role:
- 30 Days: Understand product demos, learn CRM basics, shadow experienced reps on calls.
- 60 Days: Conduct initial product demos, manage a small pipeline of leads, understand sales process documentation.
- 90 Days: Independently manage a larger pipeline, achieve initial sales targets, contribute to team strategy discussions.
Example for an engineer:
- 30 Days: Deploy “Hello World” to production on Day 1, shadow code reviews without pressure to contribute, set up development environment with pair programming sessions
- 60 Days: Own a small bug fix end-to-end, attend architecture discussions as observer, complete security and testing protocols
- 90 Days: Lead development of small feature, participate in design discussions, mentor newer engineering hires
Set clear goal setting sessions and checkpoints
Setting clear, measurable goals with defined milestones or checkpoints provides direction and allows you and the new hire to track progress. It is essential to set clear expectations during goal setting sessions to ensure both parties understand objectives and responsibilities.
- 30-Day Goals: Focus on foundational learning, understanding team processes, building key relationships, and achieving initial small wins. Goals should be relatively short-term and easily achievable.
- 60-Day Goals: Build upon the first 30 days, focusing on increased independence, contributing to team projects, and demonstrating a solid understanding of core responsibilities. Goals should show progress towards full role proficiency.
- 90-Day Goals: Aim for greater autonomy, consistent contributions to team objectives, and a solid grasp of the role’s key responsibilities. These goals should align with initial performance expectations.
Schedule manager one-on-ones and team integration plans
No amount of documentation or training can replace a human connection—especially in a remote setting. That’s why structured 1:1s and integration plans are critical. Regular one on one meetings between the new hire and the hiring manager are essential for providing feedback, addressing concerns, and building strong team relationships, which helps mitigate feelings of isolation. Set up a standing weekly 1:1 and create a simple team integration plan with key collaborators. Every manager should have an “Onboarding 1:1 Playbook” with questions, prompts, and a structure. It standardizes quality and reduces ramp-up variance across teams.
Tip: Schedule formal checkpoints at the end of each 30 days to review progress against goals, provide feedback, and adjust the plan as needed.
Quick tips on building human connection remotely
Another good practice for virtual onboarding is being intentional about introducing your company culture. Supporting remote team members and remote workers as they work remotely is essential for building strong connections and ensuring everyone feels included. Fostering a company’s culture remotely can lead to an exceptional employee experience, helping new hires feel engaged and valued from the start.
Here are some quick tips to start with:
- Start by making sure faces aren’t just names on Zoom calls. Set up virtual team intros and casual coffee chats for new hires so they can meet people outside their immediate projects. It’s simple, it scales, and it matters.
- Use a non-work-related Slack channel for hobbies and life updates, and create buddy systems so new people have someone to lean on from day one.
- Never leave engagement to chance. Schedule regular, lightweight touchpoints that aren’t about work. Think remote happy hours, learning sessions, or quick check-in games.
- Most importantly, encourage informal moments. Whether it’s a “how’s your weekend?” or a quick chat about interests, those little things add up.
- Encourage work life balance and support employees who are working remotely by promoting flexible schedules and providing resources to help them manage their time and well-being.
How to measure onboarding effectiveness
Effective onboarding plays a crucial role in employee retention, as a strong onboarding experience can significantly increase the likelihood that new employees stay with the company long-term. Additionally, the hiring process directly influences onboarding effectiveness, since clear communication and candidate evaluation during hiring set the stage for a smooth transition into the company.
And lastly, quantify everything. We’re talking about understanding the remote employee experience. If your onboarding process is turning new hires into engaged, productive, and sticky team members. A few key metrics that will tell you are:
Productivity
What does “productive” even mean for different roles? We need to get granular. Effective onboarding helps new hires become productive in their new job by supporting them as they adapt, set goals, and receive feedback during their initial period.
So, instead of a generic timeline, identify key milestones for different roles in your virtual onboarding. What are the 2-3 critical tasks or skills a new hire needs to master to be truly contributing in their first few months?
Engagement survey responses
Engagement surveys are crucial, but the questions you ask matter even more. Include specific questions about the onboarding experience, such as “How clear were the goals set during your onboarding?”, “How supported did you feel?” and “How effective were the virtual tools and resources provided?” Also, ensure new hires feel safe to provide honest feedback, both positive and negative.
Attrition within 3–6 months
If people are bouncing early, it’s on you. Onboarding gaps are often to blame for early churn. So, your exit questions must dig deep into their onboarding experience. Know what could have been done differently, if support is really sufficient, or if their expectations didn’t align. Look for patterns in the reasons for early attrition. Qualitative data is gold for refining your process, so have a system for collecting feedback and using it to improve your onboarding process.
Retain new remote hires with your virtual onboarding
When you nail your virtual onboarding, you get faster ramp times, happier new hires, and lower turnover. It’s one of the easiest ways to protect your revenue, boost productivity, and build a remote team that sticks. Quick recap of what works:
- Start with preboarding.
- Create human connection early.
- Track what matters. Gather feedback and improve.
Ready to reap the rewards of intentional remote team onboarding? Start simple. Build your onboarding framework. But if you’d rather hand it off to pros—LTVplus has your back. We offer remote staffing services that include comprehensive virtual onboarding processes. We’re productive from day one! Reach out to our team today.
