Onboarding is just as important, if not more so, for international team members who may not have previously worked remotely or for an organization outside of their home country.
Use this guide to help you adapt your onboarding process for international workers.
Importance Of Onboarding For International Workers
Onboarding is crucial for international workers because it helps them adapt and succeed in a new work environment that may be vastly different from their previous experiences.
Here’s why onboarding matters for international employees:
Facilitates cultural integration
Proper onboarding helps international workers understand the company’s culture and local work environment, enabling them to adapt to cultural differences and communication styles more effectively.
Accelerates productivity
A structured onboarding process provides international workers with the training, tools, and resources they need to perform their roles effectively, reducing the time to reach full productivity.
It should ensure that new hires understand their responsibilities, how they’re contributing to organizational success, performance expectations, and growth opportunities within the company.
Reduces turnover and increases retention
No one wants to feel like an afterthought. Effective onboarding makes international hires feel welcomed, supported, and valued, leading to higher job satisfaction and lower turnover rates.
Ensures legal and compliance adherence
Onboarding ensures any necessary new hire paperwork is completed in compliance with local and international employment laws.
Key Elements Of Global Onboarding Process
Global onboarding involves integrating new hires into an organization across different locations while addressing cultural, legal, and organizational differences. Key elements include:
Consistent core experience
Establish a standardized onboarding process (we recommend a 30-60-90-day plan) that ensures all employees, regardless of location, receive the same core experience and understand the company's mission, values, and culture.
Local adaptation
Customize onboarding to accommodate local regulations, cultural norms, and language requirements. This may include country-specific HR policies, compliance training, or language support.
Compliance and legal requirements
Ensure HR compliance globally with local employment laws, including mandatory training, documentation, benefits enrollment, and tax requirements.
Cultural orientation
Incorporate training that introduces cultural norms and etiquette, helping new hires navigate cultural differences and better integrate into the local work environment.
Role-specific training
Provide training tailored to the role and department, including specific tools, processes, and systems needed for the job.
Technology and tools
Many organizations will use digital onboarding platforms and learning management systems to help facilitate a consistent and easy experience across borders including completing paperwork, designing and delivering training, and tracking progress.
Support and feedback channels
Offer access to mentors, HR support, or local contacts to answer questions, as well as feedback opportunities to improve the process.
It's also advisable to measure the success of your onboarding program periodically as well. This could include asking for feedback from new hires informally, or administering a more formal onboarding survey with standardized questions.
Follow-up and integration
Of course, after onboarding is completed the worker shouldn’t be left out on a limb, so checkpoints are necessary after the initial onboarding phase to ensure ongoing support and address any challenges new hires may face.
7 Global Onboarding Tips And Best Practices
Here are some best practices for global onboarding to ensure a smooth and effective experience for international hires:
1. Standardize the core onboarding framework
Develop a consistent global onboarding framework that covers company values, mission, and culture while also allowing for local and role-specific adaptations.
This ensures that all team members receive the same foundational experience, regardless of location.
2. Provide cultural training and sensitivity
Offer cultural orientation sessions that help international hires understand local customs, business etiquette, and cultural differences. This helps them navigate the new work environment and build stronger relationships with colleagues.
3. Try and work in some in-person time
While potentially expensive, as Zack McGill highlights in our article on managing remote sales teams, “Having new employees spend 2 weeks in person with the entire team helps get things off to the best possible start. During this time they should:
- Do larger group training sessions where they are paired with different employees for activities and exercises
- Have meet and greets over coffee outside of the office
- Do “social outings” with fun activities like sports, VR, paintball (etc)
- Be given a per diem that allows drinks (giving team members money to go out with one another quickly builds friendships).”
4. Assign local buddies or mentors
If possible, pair new hires with a local buddy or mentor who can provide guidance, answer questions, and help them acclimate to the new work culture and environment. This personal support can be invaluable for international employees.
5. Keep updated on local laws and regulations
It’s important to keep updated on employment laws and regulations in the jurisdiction you’re hiring in. In his article on global HRM, Liam Reese recommends subscribing to newsletters and podcasts and attending HR conferences.
Also, hiring international talent in partnership with an employer of record service removes this particular headache as they’ll take on the legal responsibility of employment.
6. Incorporate a global welcome program
If feasible, host a global orientation session that brings together new hires from different locations. This can foster a sense of community and help them feel connected to the larger organization.
7. Gather feedback and continuously improve
Using methods such as onboarding surveys and stay interviews, collect feedback from international hires about their onboarding experience to identify areas for improvement.
For other ideas to help you improve your employee experience for new remote hires, consider these ways to optimize your onboarding process.
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