Showing New Employees the Ropes

An employee's first weeks on the job are a critical time to begin building a successful working relationship. This is your opportunity to set goals and expectations, train new employees on job-specific tasks, and introduce them to others who will play a role in their professional development. In addition, everyone wants to feel like they are contributing at work; a good on-boarding process can help new employees feel comfortable and ready to work much sooner than if there's no formal or well-planned process.

Are You Making These Common--and Costly--Mistakes?

• Are you trying to cram 20 hours of information into a few mind-numbing meetings?
• Are you running a slipshod--fly by the seat of your pants--process, believing that doing so has no negative impact?
• Do you use the "sink or swim" approach to on-boarding?
• Do you use the "no news is good news" and "out of sight, out of mind" approach to following up?

The Cost of Such Mistakes

• Increased turnover.
• Diminished productivity.
• Reduced engagement.
• Reduced respect for management and the organization as a whole.
• Reduced pride in the organization, department, unit and job.

What is On-Boarding?

• It's getting your newly hired talent up to speed with the policies, processes, culture, expectations, and day-to-day responsibilities of your department/unit.
• It's making them feel welcome and excited, confirming why they joined your department/unit and the University of Washington.

Why is On-Boarding Important?

• It builds UW's and your department/unit's REPUTATION for being a thoughtful employer, with great training, clear leadership, and a strong organization.
• It helps to RETAIN your staff members.
• It REDUCES high turnover costs.
• It gets new staff members to efficient PRODUCTIVITY levels quickly.
• It builds a COHESIVE TEAM, therefore raising EVERYONE'S productivity.

Below are guidelines for welcoming new staff members and getting them up to speed as soon as possible.

Stage 1: Pre-Arrival

• Call and welcome new staff members.
• Send packet of introductory information, about their position, your department and the university.
• Send an informal announcement to your department about new hires and their background.
• Meet with department/unit HR or payroll coordinator to ensure completion of paperwork.
• Set up new employees' workstations, including their desk and/or office, computer, etc. First impressions count, so providing new employees with a clean desk in a cubical or office that is in "move-in" condition will be a positive step in this valuable and new relationship.
• You may want to include a sign on the new staff member's door or workstation welcoming your new hire to the team, or have flowers or a plant to make the workstation more inviting.
• Set up phone(s): Determine if your new employee will need a new phone, or have an existing one reconfigured. Also be sure that their new voice mailbox is set up on the employee's first work day.
• Have building keys or other access methods ready.
• Have mailbox marked (if applicable).
• Make sure necessary supplies are available: Plan ahead to insure that new employees have all the required office supplies on their first day, including pens, paper, post-its, message pads, office keys, etc.
• Order business cards if necessary/possible. Publication Services has a web-based ordering process.
• Make sure new staff members are added to appropriate e-mail lists and calendaring systems.

Stage 2: First Week

• Welcome your team member: As a leader, it's important that you be available to welcome your new team member when they arrive. If it's impossible for you to do that, delegate this to one of your star team members.
• Provide assistance in arranging transportation, parking, etc.
• Take the time to perform your own department orientation for new employees, which may include but is not limited to:

• Proper introductions to all co-workers and management staff.
• Tour of your building, including directions to emergency exits.
• Employee Self Service and MyUW:
  Review the features of these sites and have the new employee update emergency contact information.
• Brief discussion regarding dress code, departmental policies and procedures, contact lists.
• Discussion of the mission and values of the University and of your department. Help them understand how their job contributes to the overall mission and vision of both your department and the University.
• Discussion of the organizational structure of your unit.
• Discussion of key policies and procedures.
• Review of your department's safety plan.
• A list of acronyms typically used in your department. You may be surprised how foreign "UW speak" can sound to new folks.

• Create a first-week schedule for new employees so that they have something to do that is meaningful and helps them hit the ground running. The schedule should include a balance of time with others, down time, and time on their own to read orientation materials or complete other orientation-related tasks. Consider including some or all of the following:
• One-on-one or small group meetings with other team members. During these meetings, team members might describe their work and how it integrates with the work the new team member does.
• One-on-one meetings with you to discuss job description, performance expectations, appropriate attire, time and leave, etc.
• Designated times for the new employee to review the On-Line New Employee Orientation and the On-Line Benefits Orientation.
• Find out when the next in-person benefits orientation is for Faculty, Academic Staff & Librarians or for Classified and Professional Staff, and put that on the new employee's schedule. Have them register for it right away.
• Make sure staff meetings are on their calendar (and make a point of welcoming them again at their first staff meeting).
• Meetings with other key colleagues.
• Time alone at their workstation so they can digest all the new information and make notes about what they've learned in meetings.
• Tour of campus or larger work environment.

Stage 3: First 30 Days

• Ensure that you have arranged for proper training for your new staff member (some positions require more than others). Much of the training that is needed will more than likely be done by you or an employee in your department one-on-one with the new employee. Professional & Organizational Development (POD) provides training classes such as Designing and Delivering Dynamic Training, Essential Training and Coaching Skills, and Designing Employee Orientations for Your Department to help individuals become effective on-the-job trainers and on-boarders. Some departmental training topics might include:
• Phones
• Computer hardware and software
• Administrative computing systems
• Departmental processes for getting work done
• It may also make sense to have your new employee take training classes through POD or UW Computer Training.
• Assign your new team member a "buddy," someone from your team that will connect with the new employee on a regular basis and be available for questions or concerns. A buddy can help ensure that new team members are asking questions; some individuals don't feel comfortable asking the boss "stupid" questions. We've provided a sample Buddy Checklist (pdf) that can help organize this effort.
• Continue meeting with your team member on a regular basis. The first week for a new employee is often full of meetings, information gathering and tours. However, your new employee will still feel "new" for some time, so it's important that you keep in touch with him or her and continue to structure some time for questions, information sessions, and training. We've provided sample questions to ask your new team member at these meetings.

During the First Six Months to One Year:

• Regularly meet with new employees to set goals, review performance, and give feedback. Also, ask for feedback about how things are going and if they're getting the support they need from you and others.
• Ask new employees if there are learning and professional development opportunities of interest to them. Discuss which opportunities may be appropriate .
• Conduct evaluation period/trial period formal review, if applicable.
• Encourage your new team member to get involved with the community. Suggest that they talk to colleagues about campus groups, publications and other professional activities and resources that are available and might be of interest.

Considerations for Designing an On-Boarding Process that Meets Your Needs

• The scope and scale of the formal process should begin with the acceptance of the job through the first year of hire (first formal performance evaluation).
• Outline the on-boarding process from the perspective of new hires.
• Provide several opportunities for informal and formal check-ins and feedback. After feedback has been provided, a game plan must be developed to appropriately address the issues raised.
• New hires should identify and integrate with their peer groups.
• The on-boarding process should be considered a partnership between you, a new hire, an HR professional and an experienced colleague (buddy).
• Provide multiple and varied opportunities for new hires to meet key staff from other departments/units.

Several departments have established "on-boarding" programs to help new employees quickly learn what they need to know to be successful. Here are some examples:

UW Financial Management has a "New Employee Orientation Plan" on its website that covers UW basics and introduces new staff to the culture of Financial Management.

UW Libraries offers extensive training for staff, including an orientation program for new employees that covers topics such as "Policies and Procedures for Hiring Student Employees" and "Ethics for Librarians."

UW Human Resources provides the online New Employee Orientation that's required for most UW employees.

UW Office of Diversity's website contains information aimed at making the University welcoming for minority and under-represented employees.

• uwhr@u.washington.edu |
• HR Contacts

Copyright © 2007 University of Washington