Welcoming Your New Employee
What is onboarding?
Onboarding is the process of assimilating new employees into the workplace and providing the knowledge and tools for them to achieve success early on in their new jobs. It is the bridge between selection and productivity, encompassing activities from pre-arrival through the end of the first year.
Onboarding:
- Complements First Day Onboarding with SHR
- Brings the New Employee Onboarding Checklist to life
- Integrates your new employee into the organizational culture
Why is onboarding important?
A comprehensive onboarding process fosters positive working relationships that help new employees gain confidence and become productive quickly. It improves overall engagement, performance and retention through understanding of and connection to the job, your department and UC Santa Cruz. Onboarding is your opportunity as a supervisor to set goals and expectations, train and develop, and introduce your new employees to the people and resources that will play a role in performing their jobs effectively and advancing their careers at UC Santa Cruz.
Effective onboarding:
- Communicates the missions and visions of UC, UC Santa Cruz and your department
- Facilitates understanding of job expectations and performance management
- Helps new employees see how their roles fit into the larger organization and contribute to its success
- Encourages teamwork and instills pride
- Improves customer service
- Ensures consistency in meeting legal requirements and compliance standards
- Promotes awareness of tools and resources for career management and work-life effectiveness
- Improves employee retention
How do you maximize the effectiveness of onboarding?
Onboarding produces the greatest return on investment when it is intentional, collaborative and managed over the span of the first year as your new employee evolves in the job. There are many methods to bring employees on board. Choose the techniques and tools best suited for the situation and create some of your own.
Onboarding best practices:
- Begin with the acceptance of the job offer and continue through the first year of employment
- Give top priority to ongoing, open communication and feedback
- Provide various opportunities for your new employee to identify and integrate with his/her peer group
- Match your new employee with an experienced colleague (“buddy”) to help him/her understand the workings of the university
- Enable your new employee to meet people from other departments that interface with his/her position
- Encourage exploration of and participation in campus activities and community groups
