At the onset of this pandemic, working from home had been a mandate and attending office was an option for employees, but due to the increased number of COVID-19 cases globally and preventive measures taken by Govt. of India and several organizations, we had to completely shut our physical offices and enable working from home for all our employees immediately after Janata Curfew on March 22.
Even in times of crisis, we’re committed to delivering incredible employee experiences ensuring business continuity as our top priority.
Here is a brief overview of the revised virtual On-boarding process adapted specifically for new joiners who are:
Local Candidates and Outstation Candidates (PAN India or International)
All new hires were to receive the same important information that we give out onboarding Days, including their point of contact and the opportunity to meet fellow new hires.
Modified Orientation: Talent Acquisition team in collaboration with Learning and
The development team developed a modified virtual orientation for all new hires. Recruiters are responsible for contacting their new hire and supervisor/manager directly to communicate this change and to answer any questions.
Compliance regulations still applicable: Individuals continue to be held responsible for criminal background checks, education, and all other background check clearances in line with the policy.
After they start, respective HR Business Partner’s to organize additional remote check-in conversations for the new hires two weeks into their roles. This call will follow up on how they’ve found the first two weeks and to discuss any issues they may have come across.
New hires who are:
Local candidates: On Day 0, IT assets are assembled and delivered to the respective address/location provided by the new hire with the help of our local IT & Facilities teams. Safety is a priority, so we have ensured only two people from IT and Facilities will ensure this process gets completed in a few hours on a given day prior to Day 0. Local IT teams remotely connect with New Hires on Day 1, to ensure the smoothest onboarding as possible. This first part is done personally so we can troubleshoot any issues and immediately action requests.
Outstation candidates: Because of the restrictions we have in some states like Maharashtra, Delhi, etc., we consider creating VDI’s to our new joiners. In this case, we will be in direct contact with the new hire to coordinate the best solution. The only difference is we’ll wait until further notice to handover the physical IT assets. We’re currently not considering the logistics of shipping laptops to people’s homes due to the risk of breach from Information security and sensitivity.
All New joiners to attend the virtual two days New Hire Orientation online using Zoom video calls every Thursday and Friday depending on the number of New joiners starting every week. Learning and Development team to work with respective stakeholders and facilitate these sessions ensuring smooth and effective onboarding is complete during the same week.
Supervisors/managers to coordinate alternative onboarding plan for new hires, including a remote work schedule, flexible work arrangements, personal contact information from you as the supervisor to answer questions, etc.
I appreciate everyone involved to adapt to this change and continue to support and create a great candidate experience for all our new hires. Especially, Senior Leadership team for supporting this idea and making it a grand success.
(The author of this article is a Head of Talent Acquisition and Analytics at CDK Global India)
