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 and beyond.
Onboarding:
- Complements First Day Orientation 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 of your department
- Provides a foundation for a strong supervisor/employee relationship
- Facilitates understanding of job expectations and performance standards, and improves job performance
- Helps new employees see how their roles fit into the larger organization and contribute to its success
- Encourages inclusive teamwork and instills a sense of belonging
- Promotes awareness of tolls and resources for career management and work-life effectiveness
- Ensures consistency in meeting legal requirements and compliance standards
- 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 feel free to create some of your own.
Onboarding best practices:
- The onboarding period begins when the job offer is accepted and continues through the first year of employment, and beyond
- A good tip is to fill out the table located in the introduction section of the New Employee Onboarding Checklist
- We suggest a pre-review of the entire checklist so you can become familiar with the flow and breadth of information as you get started
- Give top priority to ongoing, open communication and feedback
- Encourage opportunities for your new employee to meet people from other departments that interface with their position
- 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, as well as their associated campus newsletters etc.
