Onboarding remote team members

I think so much of joining a new group is about tribal acceptance.

You timidly enter the circle, start conversations and monitor expressions to gauge how well you are doing.

You want to know do they consider me one of their own?

The responsibility will fall on both sides of course, if the group isn’t very welcoming or the individual doesn’t make an effort then thr whole thing falls apart.

What I think many companies may not have considered is that so much of this happens through body language and non-work related conversations.

So for someone starting a new job during COVID they are going to miss all the social monitoring and water cooler chat, because it’s not the done thing (yet) to organise as zoom call for just small talk.

If all the conversations are work-related it would feel more like a client-freelancer dynamic then a team relationship and some may not have knowingly signed up for the loneliness of a freelance job.

Remote working robs a lot of the social cues we usually pick up on especially in that all crucial ‘tribal acceptance’ phase.

I think the more socially embedded in the group you are the less likely you are to leave.

Even if the job is terrible you could enjoy it with friends at work.

All of you suffering together.

So I think onboarding remote workers should include non-work-related-get-to-know-you zoom calls dedicated time for team building and fun.