It can be argued that an efficient and well-conducted hiring process can set up a candidate for a great onboarding experience. There is some truth in this, but onboarding is essentially a blanket term for a series of steps to help integrate new hires into an organization and help them understand their roles, company culture, and expectations. 

A hiring process cannot be tasked with this immense responsibility.

A smooth onboarding process helps employees settle in quickly, but it’s also their introduction to a workplace, and it forms their first impressions. 

Can the role be challenging and fulfilling? Will there be a good work-life balance? These are the questions employees will ask themselves during those first few crucial days.  And when it comes to global onboarding, especially with offshore teams, the process becomes more complex.

Global onboarding is a process of welcoming and integrating employees from different countries. With remote work on the rise and offshoring becoming a common business strategy, companies now need their onboarding processes to meet the needs of a distributed workforce. This article will explore what global onboarding means, how it has traditionally been handled, and the best practices for offshore onboarding to set your remote teams up for success.

What is Global Onboarding?

Global onboarding goes beyond providing access to systems and setting up meetings. Before making an onboarding plan, businesses must consider cultural differences, time zones, and varied legal or regulatory requirements in each country.

Traditionally, global onboarding was handled either by third-party agencies or managed internally by HR departments through standardized practices. Large corporations with offices worldwide typically had regional HR teams who would handle the local onboarding process. Country-specific regulations were met, and new hires were introduced to company policies and procedures in a stress-free way.

However, this traditional model was too rigid and generic to engage an employee properly, and it would never work for an offshore team. 

With offshoring—hiring employees in lower-cost countries to take advantage of skill sets and reduce operational costs—the global onboarding process has become more flexible and specific to the needs of each offshore location. 

Best Offshore Onboarding Practices for Global Teams

When onboarding offshore employees, businesses must create an inclusive and efficient process that prepares their new hires for success. Here are eight best practices for global onboarding offshore employees:

Tip: Begin before the beginning. Do not carry a sack of documentation into the employee’s cubicle or set up a 2-hour Zoom meeting on their very first day. The employees must feel comfortable and welcome, so overwhelming them with information is a strict no-no.

Set up a small but sturdy preboarding process. If you have an onboarding portal, help them access it after signing the joining documentation.  

1. A Structured Onboarding Plan

Create a step-by-step guide to cover paperwork, introductions to team members, and access to the company’s systems. Provide detailed timelines and resources so offshore employees know what to expect at each stage of the process.

Since offshore employees often work remotely, a digital onboarding platform should handle documentation, training materials, and communication tools. Having everything they need in one place makes planning easier for employees.

2. Cultural Awareness

A Brazilian team cannot be expected to integrate seamlessly into a Texan company without help. An Indian team will also need to know more about an Australian company before they can comfortably communicate with their colleagues there. Cultural differences affect how employees perceive their onboarding experience. Offshore teams come from diverse backgrounds, and their working styles, communication preferences, and expectations vary.

Encourage the onshore team to be curious about the culture of the country their colleagues are in. 

Small gestures like understanding local holidays or preferred communication methods can make offshore employees feel included and appreciated. It’s not always possible to be on top of everything cultural, but little efforts go a long way.

3. Think about Time Zones

This is very important when onboarding offshore employees. Offshore teams may have different time zones; only some communication can be async. Be prepared to handle time zone discrepancies. 

The burden of being in a different time zone should not only rest on the offshore team. If possible, rotate the “difficult” time among the onshore and offshore teams. 

Provide comprehensive information about this to both teams during onboarding. Make sure that the new hire isn’t inconvenienced. 

4. Provide Local Mentorship

Offshore employees work remotely or in offices far from the company’s headquarters. This physical distance can be extremely isolating. Having local support and mentorship can feel like a heaven-sent in these situations. 

Assigning a mentor or buddy from the same country or region helps new offshore hires acclimate more quickly. The mentor can answer questions, offer guidance, and help the new hire understand local working customs. Having a point of contact in the same time zone can improve communication and help offshore employees feel more connected to the organization.

5. Set Clear Expectations from Day One

Offshore employees need to understand their roles and responsibilities clearly from the start. One of the best global onboarding practices is to set clear expectations from day one. Define their job roles, performance metrics, and short- and long-term goals early on. 

Discuss these expectations during onboarding and provide written documentation for future reference. Employees who know what is expected of them are more likely to feel confident and deliver better results.

6. Promote Inclusion

It’s easy for remote employees to feel disconnected. Encourage team integration. Host virtual meet-and-greet sessions, team-building activities, and cross-cultural workshops to put the new employees at ease.

Depending on the company culture, any simple ice-breaker event will yield results.

Offshore employees should also have opportunities to interact with their onshore counterparts and build proper working relationships. They cannot be allowed to “feel” like a separate team. Otherwise, there’s no point in offshoring operations. 

Conclusion: Is this all there is to Global Onboarding?

Global onboarding is very different from traditional onboarding.

It needs a well-thought-out strategy considering different cultures, time zones, and business practices. These are some of the practices for global onboarding, but ultimately, onboarding has to be tailored to each specific team and employee. 

With all the chaotic information out there, this can seem daunting to anyone.

Return to the “walk a mile in their shoes” trick when in doubt. What kind of information would you have wanted to know if you were the employee being onboarded? What sort of a welcome event would you have preferred? Making a solid onboarding plan is possible by being transparent about your work needs. 

The more comfortable and sensitive the onboarding process, the more chances a company has of making a great impression on an employee and retaining them for a long time.