According to CareerBuilder, 93% of employers were unanimous in stating that an excellent virtual/remote onboarding experience is crucial in affecting a new employee's decision whether they will stay with the company (CareerBuilder and SilkRoad, 2020).

How is onboarding a remote employee different from an office employee?

Remote onboarding is primarily self-guided. Thus, the real-time face-to-face ability for new employees to ask questions does not exist.

To successfully onboard remote employees, you should implement the following:

Check-in with new hires. The common problem of new hires, especially on the first day is, OVERWHELM. Checking on them immediately on how they are adjusting and the challenges they might have is a big help.
Suggest helpful tips. Proactively support new hires in many ways. Your past experiences, any suggestions, hacks, and advice you might have.
Introduce them to your company's channel. Encourage new hires to introduce themselves and communicate to other members on your company's channel.
Introduce them to any tools for connecting with colleagues. Chat tools such as Slack may seem universal, but not everyone has used them before - and even if they have, they may not know how your network operates. Create an online program/area or avenue to ask questions freely.
Ask where they need help and connect them with the experts. Connect new hires with subject matter experts if they request additional support in a given area.
Keep checking in regularly. Checking in regularly will help them feel welcome and supported.
Provide backup if needed. If you plan to be out (e.g., on vacation, company business, events, etc.) during a new team member's first few weeks, make sure that a backup person is available to offer support.