Onboarding remote workers in the age of COVID-19

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and a hard pivot to remove work, it’s likely your HR team has their hands full onboarding and offboarding employees. As we know from working with high-growth startups, this process is closely tied to your IT needs.

Based on our decade-plus of experience working with fast companies, here are some areas to consider when onboarding remote workers in the age of COVID-19:

Provide a clear confidential data policy and an acceptable use policy to all new employees

The onus is on you as an employer to set out clear expectations around how employees should manage, transmit, and store data. A strong Confidential Data Policy will give examples of confidential data and specify limits on use and disclosure of such.

Likewise, an Acceptable Use Policy will clearly state your company’s expectations around proper usage of company technology. Again, examples should be included, such as guidelines around usage of the company network, password management, copyright violations, email policy, privacy, guidelines for authorized access, and more.

Plan and implement laptop provisioning and access privileges during remote onboarding and offboarding

Now that your team is going remote, you should have an organized and clearly communicated system for onboarding and offboarding employees or contractors. You’ll find that having this system in place will save you stress and ease what could otherwise be bumpy transitions. Keep track of passwords and access privileges in a centralized location that can be managed easily by your IT team. 

Here are some questions to consider in relation to onboarding remote workers:

Is there a designated IT staff member in charge of managing user accounts?

Do you have system for assigning, removing, and documenting access privileges during the onboarding or offboarding process?

Are you purchasing, provisioning, and shipping computers, phones, or equipment, and is there are team member assigned to this role and a clear process in place? Have you considered how you’ll retrieve all devices and IT assets when an employee is fired or laid off?

Will you allow your remote workers to use their own devices for company work? If so, do you have a plan for how to wipe data if and when that person is no longer employed by your company?

Take time to plan whenever possible

We’ve all struggled to respond quickly to all kinds of change during the COVID-19 pandemic. And for many of us, careful planning can be a luxury. However, a little effort at creating a system can go a long way to retaining your sanity in the midst of these rapid pivots. 

Still thinking through these challenges? For more insights, check out our article on Laptop provisioning, management, and safety.

If you’re looking for IT assistance as you negotiate a hard pivot to remote work get in touch. We’re very familiar with remote work and are happy to help.

LimeTech is a creative tech company with a focus on innovation and adaptive change. We use technical know-how, design skills, and deep experience in entrepreneurship to help companies advance their business goals. Do you need IT planning, mobile app development, web design, or remote work solutions that will take your business to the next level? Get in touch today and find out what we can do for you.