Bringing new people into a company used to be simple enough. Show them their desk, give them a welcome pack, maybe a quick tour. Now? Half the team could be scattered across different time zones, and the “tour” is just a 30-minute screen share. That’s fine for settling in. It’s not fine for security.
Get the ‘boring’ stuff done early
By boring stuff, I mean the parts that cause the biggest problems if you ignore them. Laptops need to arrive already locked down: encryption, antivirus, automated updates, the lot. In the UK, it’s now best practice to send gear via couriers who actually check ID at the door, because a missed delivery can turn into a data breach.
And stop giving out every login on day one. Give them what they need for the first week. Hold back the keys to critical areas until you know they’re fully up to scratch.
Check you’re talking to the right person
It sounds obvious, but remote hiring has made impersonation easier. A quick live video ID check beats trading passport scans over email. Better still, use secure identity apps that confirm details without passing files around like sweets.
You can still be friendly here – these calls double up as a “hello” and a safety step. Just don’t make it feel like airport security, and make sure that they’re aware and consenting to the checks they’re undergoing. Doubled up with background checks via services like Personnel Checks, and you should be good.
Security training in plain English
New starters click on things. It’s normal – they’re curious, and don’t necessarily know what to expect. Which is exactly why you don’t wait until month three to talk about phishing emails or dodgy links in Slack. Use real examples. Show them what a fake invoice looks like. Make it short, so that they can pay attention and remember it.
Also, make it clear who they can ping if something feels off. Early reporting stops small problems becoming front-page issues.
Keep your compliance trail
GDPR hasn’t gone away just because the office has. If you work in finance, healthcare, or anything with sensitive data, keep a record of every onboarding step. Not for the fun of it, but because regulators will ask for proof, and you don’t want to be scrambling later.
Humans first, tools second
AI monitoring, access logs, automated alerts – they’re all useful. But they don’t replace human judgement. Someone still needs to decide if that odd login attempt is a security threat or just a new hire getting used to the VPN. The safest remote teams in 2025 are the ones where tech supports people, not the other way around.
Onboarding remote teams safely in 2025 involves a few new steps, but it absolutely doesn’t need to end up being some tricky, Herculean task. By keeping these simple points in mind, you should be able to keep your business safe and compliant over the years to come, no matter what your hiring practices look like.
Guest writer
