Hybrid work has become a standard option for most organizations, but it’s also made the process of welcoming new staff more complex, meaning a thorough remote onboarding checklist is a must for HR pros across all industries.
Updated: December 10, 2025
At this stage, hybrid work isn’t a new concept. And, thanks to return-to-office rumblings and many organizations pivoting away from fully-remote work, hybrid employment is looking more and more to be the most likely balance that appeases both employers and employees.
But, as a result, HR teams are investing heavily in overhauling processes, procedures, policies, and systems to accommodate remote work, including the way they onboard new employees.
We know first-hand how complex this process is: at Outback, we have employees all across North America, so onboarding remote team members is something we’ve become deeply familiar with.
Every organization is unique. But, with that being said, there are some consistent best practices you can implement in any business to make sure that new employees are set up for success.
And to help you nail it, we’ve created a remote onboarding checklist that’ll give you a step-by-step guide for welcoming new remote team members and getting them up to speed.
Create and Share Role Manuals and KPIs
When you’re trying to onboard remote employees, you need to have resources and documents that cover every single detail. That’s why this is the first step in your remote onboarding checklist.
While every organization is different, there are a few key things that you can incorporate into each.
Role Manuals
Within your role manuals, you may want to include things like:
- Company-wide software for things like project management and internal communication
- Company processes like booking vacation time and any security information
- Role-specific software and step-by-step instructions for how to use it
- Role-specific tasks, ideally including how-to guides for all key functions
- Work hours and availability
- Response times for communication
- Personal time during office hours
- Async vs. sync communication expectations, including when real-time responses are needed and when async communication is appropriate across time zones
- Core hours for teams spanning multiple time zones, including when everyone should be available and how to schedule meetings respectfully across time zones
- Video call expectations, including when cameras should be on, how to avoid back-to-back meeting fatigue, and alternatives like walking meetings
The goal with these documents is to teach employees everything they need to know to hit the ground running.
KPIs
Your employee’s KPIs will be ultra-specific to their role, your organization, and the industry in which you operate.
Generally, they’ll involve things like the tasks that comprise their role function, as well as how the remote employee’s success will be measured.
To make this engaging, interactive, and, quite frankly, not tedious and tiresome to work through, we’d recommend doing this with a mix of documents, videos, and even audio recordings.
Determine How and Where Onboarding Materials Will Be Hosted
There’s a good chance you’re going to have a whole ton of onboarding materials for your new employee, so finding a way to keep it all organized and easily accessible is key.
One option is to set up a dedicated website that has everything your new employee needs. That said, you could also always opt for a simpler solution, like Google Drive, Microsoft SharePoint, or Dropbox.
What matters most is that it’s easy to navigate and is organized in a way that lets your new remote hire work through it systematically.
Develop a First Week and 3-Month Itinerar
The next step in your remote onboarding checklist is to develop both a detailed first week and three-month onboarding plan so that your new team member knows exactly what to expect and when.
First Week Itinerary
Your first-week itinerary should include:
- Software training
- Process training
- Organizational familiarization
- Cross-department introductions
Anything and everything that your new employee will need to do in their first week should be listed. That way, they’ll never feel uncomfortably idle or find themselves wondering what they should be doing.
Three-Month Onboarding Process
Your three-month onboarding process should be focused on longer-term milestones for your remote employee to strive towards once they’ve gotten past the preliminary onboarding period.
This can include:
- A first project
- Weekly meetings with managers
- Building a career development plan
- Development of KPIs/metrics to achieve
- Performance review
Determine Any Hardware Allowances in Advance
If your organization offers new remote employees a hardware allowance, ensure you’ve communicated with them about it well in advance of their first day. That way, you can ensure they’ve got everything they need and are ready to hit the ground running.
This could be things like:
- Desks
- Ergonomic chairs
- Monitors
- Computer hardware
- Stationery
- Webcams and microphones
- Headphones
Consider not only the things they need to work but also the things that can make it more comfortable to do their job. After all, a happy employee with a great workspace will ultimately be more engaged and productive.
But hardware isn’t the only thing you need to cover. Your remote work policy should also address:
- Internet and connectivity stipends: If you offer reimbursement for internet costs or cell phone bills, make sure new hires know how to submit those expenses
- Co-working space allowances: Some remote employees prefer working from a co-working space occasionally. If you offer a stipend or membership for this, communicate it upfront
- Equipment replacement and upgrades: Clarify what happens when equipment breaks or becomes outdated, and how they can request replacements
- Tax implications: Depending on where your employee lives and works, there may be tax considerations, especially if they work across state or country lines. Point them toward resources or advisors who can help them navigate this
- Work location flexibility: Be clear about whether they can work from anywhere or if they need to stay within a certain geographic area for legal, tax, or time zone reasons
The more transparent you are about these policies from the start, the fewer misunderstandings you’ll have down the line.
Send a Welcome Kit
Just because you’re onboarding an employee virtually doesn’t mean it has to be entirely virtual. If you want to make a great impression with them, add an in-person touch to your remote onboarding checklist and send them a physical welcome kit.
We’d recommend including things like:
- A hard copy of their employee handbook
- Company-branded swag to get them in the team spirit
- A gift card for a first day coffee or lunch
Whatever it might be, the most important thing is how this personalized gesture will make your new remote employee feel, and that’s worth its weight in gold.
Share Mental Health and Wellbeing Resources
Remote work can be isolating, and it’s important that new employees know from day one that their mental health and wellbeing matter to your organization.
Make sure your remote onboarding checklist includes information about:
- Employee Assistance Programs (EAP): If you offer one, explain how to access it and what services are available
- Mental health benefits: Outline any therapy, counseling, or mental health apps that are covered by your benefits package
- Wellness programs: Share details about any wellness initiatives, mindfulness programs, or fitness benefits your company offers
- Boundaries and burnout prevention: Talk openly about the importance of setting boundaries when working from home, taking breaks, and actually using vacation time
- Connection opportunities: Let them know about any employee resource groups, social channels, or informal hangout times where they can connect with colleagues
The goal is to normalize these conversations and make it clear that taking care of their mental health isn’t just okay. It’s expected.
Provide All Necessary Formal Documents in a Digital Format
One thing there’s no shortage of when you’re onboarding a remote employee? Paperwork. That’s why it’s vital that you make sure it’s all easily accessible (and signable) in a virtual format.
From tax forms to contracts and other various agreements, we’d recommend finding a service that can host these documents and let employees add their John Hancock.
One of the most popular services out there is BambooHR, which has an employee self-onboarding capability that lets them easily complete paperwork, but it’s worth doing some research to find the best platform to fit your needs. For situations where new hires need documentation to confirm their job status, you can generate an employment verification letter using a proof of employment template to ensure it includes all required details.
Write Up a Welcome Email with All Key Details
Before your remote employee’s first day, make sure to drop an email in their inbox outlining all the key details from your remote onboarding checklist.
This will ensure they know exactly what to expect the second they get started and won’t have to feel out of their depth.
Remember, starting a remote role is much different than working in the office. There’s no in-person welcome, no tour guide to take them around the office, and nobody to talk them through what to expect.
It all has to be handled through thorough digital communication.
Send Out an Introduction Email
Once you’ve sent your welcome email, the next most important email on your remote onboarding checklist is an introduction email to let everyone in the organization know that your new team member is starting and to tell them all a bit about them.
If you really want to make this more engaging, ask your new employee for a brief bio, a few fun facts about themselves, and a headshot you can include in this email.
Assign a Buddy or Mentor
One of the most effective ways to help a remote employee feel connected and supported is to pair them with a buddy or mentor who’s already embedded in your company culture.
This person should be someone outside of their direct reporting line. Think of them as a go-to resource for all the day-to-day questions that might feel too small to bother their manager with.
Your buddy or mentor can help with things like:
- Navigating company tools and systems
- Understanding unwritten rules and cultural norms
- Making introductions to key people across departments
- Providing a friendly face for casual check-ins
- Answering questions about everything from meeting etiquette to where to find specific resources
The key here is to choose someone who’s genuinely enthusiastic about helping new team members succeed and who has the bandwidth to be responsive. We’d recommend scheduling a few initial check-ins between the buddy and new hire, then leaving it more organic after that.
Book a Kick-Off Meeting with All Senior Leadership
It’s wise to ensure your new remote employee gets visibility with everyone in the organization, and this includes senior leadership and human resources.
For added impact and to get your employee excited about and ingrained with the organization, consider having these leaders walk the employee through a company orientation and overview, including:
- Company history
- Why you do what you do
- Organizational structure
- Mission and values
- Overview of the company’s products and/or services
- HR policies and procedures
- Details about benefits enrolment
- How departments work together
Not only will it be beneficial in getting them up to speed, but it’ll also help create a positive affinity between the employee and the company’s leadership team.
Book Meetings with Direct Managers
In your new remote employee’s calendar, you’ll want to book meetings with their direct managers. For one, this is a great opportunity to get some facetime together. It’s also an opportunity to go over the employee’s 30-, 60-, and 90-day goals as well as to address any questions they may have at the time.
Book Onboarding Meetings with All Training Staff
In addition to meetings with organization leadership and direct managers, your remote onboarding checklist should also include meetings with training partners from across various departments.
This includes product, sales, or service reps to go through everything your new hire needs to know about the company, from your products or services to pricing, sales tactics, and more.
Ensure Remote Employees Are Set Up with All the Software and Tools They Need
The last thing you want your new hire to deal with on day one is tech issues, so book some time for them to talk with your IT team to go through tools, software, communication channels and platforms, and passwords.
You’ll also want to make sure you make it easy for the employee to get in touch with IT so they can troubleshoot any issues as they get onboarded.
If your organization uses AI tools, whether it’s for content creation, customer service, data analysis, or project management, your onboarding should include training on these tools and clear guidelines on company policies around their use.
This includes what types of information can be shared with AI systems, how to verify AI-generated outputs, and which tools are approved for use. With AI becoming more integrated into daily workflows, setting these expectations early prevents confusion and ensures everyone’s using these tools responsibly and effectively.
Train New Hires on Cybersecurity and Data Privacy
Remote employees are often working from home networks that aren’t as secure as your office infrastructure, which makes cybersecurity training absolutely non-negotiable in your remote onboarding checklist.
Before your new hire logs into any company systems, make sure they complete training on:
- VPN setup and usage: Ensure they know when and how to use your company’s VPN, especially when accessing sensitive data
- Password management: Set them up with your company’s password manager and teach them how to create and store strong, unique passwords
- Phishing and social engineering: Train them to recognize suspicious emails, messages, and phone calls that could compromise company data
- Data handling protocols: Clarify what data can be accessed on personal devices, how to share files securely, and what to do if a device is lost or stolen
- Physical security: Remind them to lock their screens when stepping away and be mindful of who can see their screen when working in public spaces
You’ll also want to make sure your IT team is easily accessible if they have questions or suspect a security issue. The faster they can get help, the better protected your organization will be.
Find Ways to Integrate New Employees with Team Members
In a traditional office setting, it’s much easier to build new connections with colleagues than it is when you’re a remote employee. Even things like in-passing conversations in the hallway, getting together for a quick coffee or chatting in the breakroom allow teammates to organically forge bonds.
And these bonds aren’t just important socially. They also create a solid foundation of company culture, which is pivotal to productivity, collaboration, and success.
That’s why it’s absolutely vital that your remote onboarding checklist involves at least one way (if not multiple) for employees to get to know each other better.
These can be things like virtual lunches or onboarding calls. But it could also be a virtual team building activity.
Not sure where to start when it comes to virtual team building? We’ve got a few suggestions you might like.
Icebreaker Event
The great thing about team building icebreakers is that you can learn so much about your colleagues in a way that feels natural, light-hearted, and low-pressure. From their virtual working habits to their favorite foods, personal things about them, or even some hilarious, outside-the-box facts, these icebreakers help them to get better acquainted.
So, get your team together on a video conferencing platform to chat through some incredible icebreaker questions, like:
- If you could add a word to the dictionary, what would you add and what would it mean?
- The zombie apocalypse is coming. Who are three people you want on your team?
- If you could choose your age forever, what age would you choose and why?
- Teleportation or flying?
- If you could be any supernatural creature, what would you be and why?
- If you had 25 hours each day, how would you use your extra time?
- If you were a wrestler what would be your entrance theme song?
- If you were a superhero what would your name be?
- If you were a superhero what would your superpower be and why?
- What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
- What’s the best advice you’ve ever given?
Looking for even more? Find 289 others in our article: The 300 Best Team Building Icebreaker Questions for Work.
Billboard Bingo
In this exciting musical challenge, teams will work together to score a bingo as quickly as possible. But this isn’t traditional bingo. It’s music bingo with a competitive twist!
Each team will receive a virtual bingo card filled with Billboard Top 100 album covers and missing lyrics. Your DJ host—straight from a classic radio studio—will drop two types of challenges:
- Find the Tune: Match album covers to song snippets.
- Find the Missing Lyric: Fill in the blanks like a true music pro.
Teams will collaborate in breakout rooms, screen-sharing their bingo cards while the host broadcasts song challenges across the airwaves. Listen closely, strategize with your teammates, and mark those squares fast. A live leaderboard keeps track of points, bingos, and speed.
Between rounds, the DJ host will mix things up with music-themed conversations and fun facts, making Billboard Bingo the perfect blend of competition and connection. Whether you’re a casual listener or a chart-topping expert, this game is a guaranteed hit for virtual team building events.
Price It Right
Price It Right is a high-energy, interactive team building experience inspired by the iconic TV game show “The Price Is Right,” reimagined to focus on team challenges as well as some quick solo games. Perfect for virtual or hybrid teams, this fast-paced game features an onscreen host, lively visuals, and all the nostalgic sights and sounds of the original show.
Players quickly form teams and dive into two action-packed rounds, filled with exciting challenges like the “One Bid” Face-Off, solo Price It Right stage games, and all-team breakout challenges. Teams will guess retail prices, strategize, and compete in hilarious games, submitting their answer verbally, via the quiz app, or on their cellphones for real-time play.
The event finishes with the adrenaline-pumping “Price Tag Trivia” lightning round, a rapid-fire finale testing players’ knowledge of brands, budgeting, and products. Points are automatically averaged into final team scores, and the top team is crowned the ultimate Price It Right Champions!
Virtual European Adventure
If you’ve got a team full of colleagues who love traveling and learning about new places, this is the perfect budget-friendly team building activity for your group.
Virtual European Adventure is all about connecting with your colleagues, testing your wits together, socializing, and collaborating through high-energy round of European-themed trivia.
In this activity, your group will break out into teams. Then, you’ll take part in a warm-up social mixer followed by with three rounds of trivia, a Jeopardy-style lightning round using cellphone buzzers, and a European travel conversation to finish it all off. For each trivia challenge answered correctly, your team will earn points. The team with the most points at the end of the activity will be crowned the Virtual European Adventure Champions!
Virtual Happy Hour Trivia
This is no ordinary happy hour trivia game. In this activity, you and your team will take a trip to Hamish McDuff’s virtual pub. This hilarious Scottish pub owner is the legendary host of a trivia game with more than 20 category options to choose from, including sports, food and drink, and even celebrity real estate. This virtual pub trivia game is guaranteed to produce plenty of laughs and lift team “spirits.” It might even include a few special surprises.
If you’re looking for even more amazing online happy hour activities, access our resource: 33 Unbeatable Virtual Happy Hour Games for Workgroups.
Virtual Jeoparty Social
If your remote team is eager to socialize, have some fun as a group, and channel their competitive spirit, we’ve got just the thing for you! With Virtual Jeoparty Social, you and your colleagues will step into your very own virtual Jeopardy-style game show—equipped with a buzzer button, a professional actor as your host, and an immersive game show platform! Best of all, this game has been infused with an ultra-social twist: players will take part in a unique social mixer challenge between each round.
Virtual Clue Murder Mystery
There’s been a murder and it’s up to you and your colleagues to solve the deadly crime! In this virtual team building activity, you’ll need to examine case files, decipher clues, and crack the mysterious case of a man named Neil Davidson to determine who had the means and the motive to murder him.
Virtual Escape Room: Jewel Heist
There’s been a robbery! Someone has masterminded a heist to steal a priceless collection of precious jewels, and it’s up to you and your team to recover them before time runs out.
Together, you’ll need to uncover hidden clues and solve a series of brain-boggling challenges that require collaboration, creative problem-solving, and outside-the-box thinking. But be quick! The clock is ticking before the stolen score is gone forever.
Virtual Trivia Time Machine
If you’re looking for a trivia game packed with nostalgia and good vibes, this is the one for you. With this activity, you’ll step into the Outback Time Machine and take a trip through pop culture history! Transform your home offices into a virtual game show experience with trivia questions that take you from 2025 all the way back to the 1960s – game show host, scoreboard, buzzer, and all!
And if your team loves a good trivia activity, you’ll find a whole done of virtual trivia game options in our article, 15 Incredible Virtual Trivia Games for Work Teams.
Book Check-In Meetings
Your remote onboarding checklist shouldn’t be a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing. Make sure to book weekly follow-up meetings with your new hires so that you can see how things are going and address any questions, comments, or concerns they have in real-time.
Collect Remote Onboarding Feedback
Last but certainly not least, once your new hire has been onboarded, make sure to get proactive in collecting feedback about your remote onboarding checklist and process.
After all, you should consistently be working to improve and refine your remote onboarding process to make it simpler and more effective for new employees down the line.
Remote employment opens up a ton of amazing possibilities for employers and their staff, but the process of getting remote employees onboarded is much more difficult than doing so in person. So, it’s important to make sure your remote onboarding checklist is top-tier.
What are the most important items on your remote onboarding checklist? Did we miss any in ours? Let us know how you handle this process in the comments section below.
Add an Element Of Team Building to Your Onboarding Process
If you’re looking to strengthen team connections during onboarding or throughout the employee lifecycle, book a free consultation with one of our Employee Engagement Consultants today.
