How do you onboard a remote employee without overwhelming or ignoring them?

We recently hired someone remotely, and it made me realize how difficult remote onboarding is to get right.

If you schedule too many calls, the person spends their first week listening to information they won’t remember.

If you leave them alone with a folder of documents, they can feel forgotten and may not know which questions are safe to ask.

There’s also no casual office conversation where they can pick up context or learn how people actually work together.

For managers and employees, what made your best remote onboarding experience effective?

Was it having a dedicated buddy, a detailed 30-day plan, recorded walkthroughs, small starter projects or frequent check-ins?

And what made a remote onboarding experience particularly bad?