Remote Hires: Six Ways to Make the Most of Your First 90 Days
By Emily Walsh
For both employers and employees, a new hire’s first 90 days are critical to integrating with the organization’s people and culture. Read on for tips to make the most of your first three months as a new hire. And if you’re a hiring manager, check out our partner piece, Six Ways to Successfully Onboard a Remote Hire.
Anticipating the start of a new job is invariably both exciting and daunting. These feelings set in the moment you’ve accepted the organization’s offer and may continue well past your first day. The first 90 days of a new role are a common benchmark for assessing a new hire’s effectiveness and needs, such as additional training. For remote positions, the autonomy of working from home is often accompanied by extra pressure to prove your worth and visibility. Read on for six ways to get ahead of your own nerves and common pitfalls throughout your first 90 days.
Prepare for Day One
As soon as your offer letter is signed, the organization is likely to get to work preparing your training schedule and first meetings. You may be consumed with wrapping things up at the job you’re leaving, but try to spend some time thinking about how to hit the ground running in your new position.
Keep an eye out for “preboarding” materials, such as handbooks or training manuals, as well as your company laptop or other hardware. Reading overview documents before your first day may ease anxiety by giving you a broad sense of expectations and organizational culture. Additionally, think back to your interviews and any upcoming projects, events, or important deadlines that were discussed. You might want to request relevant prep materials, such as fundraising briefs or past annual reports, to review in advance so you can hit the ground running on arrival.
When your laptop arrives, you may want to turn it on to make sure it’s fully charged, and you’re able to connect to the internet. If there’s a connection problem, it’s much easier and less stressful to resolve the issue with IT in advance, particularly if your first few days are stacked with meetings.
As your start day approaches, your new manager and team are likely to send personal welcome notes; try to respond to each one promptly and warmly to reinforce their strong impression of you from the interview process.
Set a Routine
Successful remote work hinges on a consistent daily routine. If you haven’t already, create (or find locally) a dedicated and comfortable workspace that encourages you to be productive. Set up the hardware you like to have readily available, such as a monitor, keyboard, mouse, or headset, and add photos, decorations, or personal effects that make the space feel like yours.
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Once you start, establish your working hours with your manager, team, and on any internal forums where they can be clearly visible, such as Slack or Teams. Mark your schedule as needed for breaks and dedicated work time to signal to your colleagues when you’re online and available for questions or meetings. Finally, given the challenges with work-life balance in remote roles, try to be consistent with when you log off.
Build Relationships
Forming positive, productive relationships with coworkers is often the biggest challenge of a remote role. Lots of communication happens in writing, where tone can be ambiguous, so it’s important to closely observe how others communicate and look for patterns that can guide you.
For example, what is the general mix of calls, video chats, instant messages, and emails? How social is your team outside of dedicated work discussions? How formal is their written communication? These questions can help you adapt your own style to established practices that bolster the team and organizational culture—and maintain a strong impression of your instincts.
If your employer has not assigned a mentor or peer colleague as a resource for these and other questions as you get settled, consider asking for one. Whether or not your functions overlap, having a designated guide can lower the barrier for questions and help you absorb institutional knowledge faster.
Similarly, we’ve emphasized the importance of keeping a routine, but it’s important to walk the line between consistency and flexibility when colleagues reach out for help. Try to avoid conveying that you’re always on call for questions or tasks that can wait, or by contrast, that you’re too rigid, which can put off coworkers who are trying to meet time-sensitive needs.
Over your first days and weeks, your manager or HR will likely set up introductory meetings with those you’ll work closely with. Consider asking for informal chats to get to know others across departments—it never hurts to be friendly, but it’s also good prep for the future. If, in a few months, you have a tech-related emergency and you already have a good relationship with someone in IT, they might be more likely to jump on your problem.
Overall, aim to build relationships throughout the organization as organically as possible: be someone you would be excited to work with.
Master New Tech Tools
Every remote job has its own tools and software, from project management platforms like Trello and Workfront to communication tools like Slack or Zoom. In your first few weeks, prioritize setting aside time to delve into any apps that are new to you, and ask your colleagues for tips and shortcuts that they find helpful. Many organizations offer training or internal resources to build comfort with various platforms; if yours does not, look for online tutorials.
Some organizations will front-load technology training, which makes sense for any platforms you’ll be using daily, but it can be difficult to retain more complex processes in the midst of onboarding. Ask what is most important to retain right away, and what topics you can come back to for further training if needed.
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If, weeks or months later, you find that you haven’t retained certain information—perhaps it’s only applicable once you’re fully immersed in your role—be proactive in requesting additional training. Especially in the beginning, it’s much better to ask questions and then proceed with confidence than guess best practices and risk errors.
A good rule of thumb is to spend 10 minutes trying to research answers yourself, either in training materials or online, and if you’re not successful, go ahead and reach out to colleagues who can help.
Ask Questions and Invite Feedback
In an office, if you need something from a coworker, it’s easy enough to walk over to their desk and see if they’re available to help. The solitary nature of remote work has the opposite effect; it can discourage new hires from reaching out to colleagues proactively out of concern for coming across as needy or obtuse. But the learning curve in a new job is inevitable, so it’s important to push past this instinct and ask for help politely and deferentially. Whether you need clarification on a task, want more information about the company culture, or are curious about how decisions are made, asking questions will help you acclimate faster and ultimately work more independently.
Similarly, feedback can be less immediate or spontaneous in remote roles versus office settings. In follow-up conversations for completed tasks or projects, invite feedback from your manager and teammates. Be specific about aspects of your process or execution that you’d appreciate hearing their thoughts on. Seeking and incorporating feedback demonstrates maturity and aptitude, likely leading to higher-level responsibilities and growth within the organization.
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Agree on Expectations
Hopefully, your new manager will take the lead in outlining expectations of your role and how your responsibilities support the organization’s mission. If there is any ambiguity, raise these topics during your initial meetings with your manager. Ask about the top priorities for your position and how your success will be measured. If your new position is middle management or higher, draft your own goals and seek feedback from your manager. In an article titled “Onboarding: Tips for Transitioning into a Senior Nonprofit Role,” The Bridgespan Group offers helpful tips for defining success and clarifying expectations.
Along with keeping emails, files, and other daily exchanges organized, make sure to track your accomplishments from the start. When possible, record supporting data such as dollars raised, followers added, or any growth-related metrics. Having these details readily available can be enormously helpful in performance reviews and keeping your resume up to date.
The first 90 days at any job can be overwhelming, but especially for remote roles where integration can involve a lot more guesswork than in-person settings. Every organization will have its own culture and norms to adjust to, but by staying focused on building relationships, mastering internal tools, and communicating proactively, you can give yourself the best chance of success. Embrace the flexibility that comes with working remotely, and don’t be afraid to advocate for what you need to thrive.
Impact Opportunity would like to thank Emily Walsh for writing this article. Emily is a writer and editor specializing in nonprofit and philanthropy management. She has edited articles published by The Bridgespan Group, the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and Forbes.com. She is also a classically trained professional musician and small business owner.