How to Welcome a Newly Recruited Virtual Employee

When you hire the services of an outsourcing company, it's made sure by the company that the professionals who are hired fit the bill and can do a good job of what's expected from them. Outsourcing companies also make sure that technology is put to use in such a way that once these professionals are on their desks, it's almost as if they're working out of your place of work and not from a location half a world away. We won't be able to anything about other outsourcing companies but that's how we work at virtualemployee.

But no matter how carefully a new virtual employee is selected and recruited by the outsourcing company, you'll still have to work on them for the first few days because: Firstly, You need to give them a lowdown on the job and the skills it requires; and second, Interaction with other employees of your organization right at the start will give them a feeling that they're a part of, and are connected to, your organization. Both these factors are very important because they make sure that a good job is done and also because employees who are proud of the organization they work in, proud of its achievements, are always more productive and more efficient than employees that are not. As far as welcoming new virtual employees to the fold is concerned, experts say that the theories of employee induction that work in the physical world hold true for the virtual world also.

Here are few steps you can take to make sure things start on a right note from day one itself:

Probation period. Always start with your virtual employees with a probation period in which you can see whether the employee is a fit in your organization and the employee can also see whether he's happy working with you. You can also use the probation period to judge the employee's capabilities, efficiency, style of working, and learning gaps, if any, for which he needs training.

Employee's induction in your organization and formal introduction with other team members. A new recruit's induction and introduction with the employees he'd be working with should ideally be done in a face-to-face meeting through video conferencing.

Telling an employee about your organization. Before actually rolling up his sleeves and getting to work, an employee should be told about your business and his role in it. One of the most effective ways of doing this is through online presentations and e-learning courses.

Set your expectations from a new virtual employee in black-&-white: Make sure your employee has a clear picture of the work culture in your organization and his targets. He should be in the know of the amount of work required and the performance indicators that will be used to judge him. These requirements should be discussed in detail and mutually agreed on.

Building a team spirit. To make sure that team members get to know each other better, use social media and frequent informal online meetings that will make it clear to the employee that he's an important part of the team.

Tell him about incentives and career growth opportunities: Because virtual employees (like all other employees) will have incentives, benefits, and career-growth opportunities tied to their productivity, they should be told about the measurable parameters that will be used to judge their performance.

These few steps will make sure that a comfortable relationship is formed between a virtual employee and your organization, and will also keep your employee motivated to achieve his targets.