Manager s Guide to New Employee Onboarding

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Manager s Guide to New Employee Onboarding The Manager s Guide to Onboarding tips, tools, and guidelines to help you through the onboarding process. Welcomed Comfortable Prepared Supported Performing What is Onboarding? Onboarding is an ongoing developmental process to acclimate new and transfer employees to DPS and your team. Onboarding prepares the employee to quickly become an effective, contributing member of our DPS team by providing the following: Foundational information Tools and resources Positive interactions Socializing your employee into the culture of DPS and your team is a critical component to successful onboarding and impactful performance. Your new employee will receive a Passport to Productivity Employee Guide to Onboarding during orientation to help them be an active partner in the Onboarding process. If your new employee is transferring from another DPS group, you may obtain a Passport to Productivity booklet from xx. Why is onboarding Important? Beyond the orientation event that new employees attend, onboarding is a more comprehensive process by which new employees are socialized into the DPS culture, in addition to being oriented to specific job tasks and work expectations. Onboarding sets the tone for work culture, relationships, expectations, performance, and employee engagement. You re confirming the employee s decision to join DPS or transfer to your team. We want to help the employee validate that it was a good decision and avoid buyer s remorse. Effective onboarding can: Reduce learning curves and time to productivity Lay the foundation for a positive, long-term relationship Set clear performance expectations Create a sense of commitment, pride, and belonging Reduce turnover Facilitate employee development Build key relationships Socialize the employee to norms and standards Increase employee engagement and satisfaction When does Onboarding Happen? Onboarding started with the employee s first interaction in the recruitment process and continues through the first 6 months on the job. Most employees decide to stay or leave within the first 6 months. This is a critical time to maximize retention, performance, and engagement. We also stagger the process to avoid information overload. So it s important that onboarding continue effectively and consistently through this time. Remember, the more quickly employees get up to speed, the sooner they are contributing to your team s and the district s goals. The Manager s Role Remember your first days on the job? Those initial experiences were very influential in how quickly you became an effective, contributing member of the team. Your job, as a manager, is to actively participate in your new employee s first days, weeks, and months to provide a successful launch. It s important that you provide them with the foundational information, tools, resources, positive interactions, and organizational perspective that aids rapid acclimation to our culture. Research continues to demonstrate that the relationship between manager and employee is a critical factor in retention, performance, and employee engagement. If you can quickly develop a high-quality relationship with your new employee, you can impact first-year retention, decrease time to productivity, and build commitment. You need to be engaged and present throughout the onboarding process! Although you play a major and critical role in Onboarding, it s most effective if you also involve others in the process. Other important players may include a Team Ambassador, members of your team, colleagues outside of the team, customers, and other key stakeholders. Key activities include: Embed a clear message of DPS primary success factors --Put Students First --Achieve Results --Collaborate --Deliver Exceptional Service --Make Change Happen Establish a clear understanding of DPS goals, the Denver Plan, our responsibility to Denver s children, and how your team s and the employee s work fits into the big picture Ensure employee is familiar with the job, your performance expectations, and development goals Instill a sense of belonging through awareness of DPS and your team s culture and building relationships with team members and other colleagues Provide opportunities, challenges, direction, and support needed to begin a productive and satisfying career with us Monitor your employee s progress through the Onboarding process Provide ongoing, effective feedback

Manager s Guide to New Employee Onboarding Manager s Guide to New Employee Onboarding The Team Ambassador s Role The Team Ambassador The Employee s Role A team ambassador is a member of your team that is responsible for helping a new employee get settled into DPS and your team. Managers should designate an ambassador for each new employee. Choose carefully, as this resource will be valuable to the new employee. He/She will introduce norms, habits, and culture to the new employee and should exhibit a positive and collaborative attitude. Immediate resource for questions, help them build a network, educate them on resources, provide key information on org culture and goals The employee should be an active participant in their onboarding. Encourage them to ask questions, clarify when needed, be accountable for their learning, and make requests for needed resources and Manager s Guide to onboarding. The Team Ambassador is a key resource for the new or transfer employee. The Ambassador is a member of your team that is responsible for helping the employee get settled into DPS and the team. The Ambassador s basic role is to be available to answer questions or find the appropriate person who can offer advice and suggestions, and be available to help them navigate their way through the first few months of work. They should check with the new employee often to see how they re doing, answer any questions, and help them get involved in activities right away. The Ambassador s role typically starts on the employee s first day and runs through the first few months on the job. Often, the relationship will continue to develop if the Ambassador was effective. Chose the Ambassador wisely each time you have a new employee. The Ambassador is a valuable resource for the new employee and you want to choose someone who will pass on the right habits and information and exhibit a good attitude. Tip Tips for Selecting a Team Ambassador How Do I Effectively Onboard My New Employee? Your employee will receive a Passport to Productivity guide to onboarding during orientation. The Passport outlines new employee activities from their first day through the first couple months that help them in preparing for success in the job. You should work with the employee to ensure all pertinent items are completed. The Employee Guide suggests that after an item is completed the employee check the box to help them keep track of what still needs attention. E xemplifies mission, vision, and Success Factors The Passport to Productivity activities are focused on the following six areas, along with tips to help the employee actively engage in the process. (The Employee Guide starts with Day 1 and ends at 90 days.) Approachable Resources Shows interest in being an Ambassador DPS Awareness Can devote the time needed Team Awareness Patience Exploring dpsk12.org Your Job Key Relationships

Manager s Guide to New Employee Onboarding Manager s Guide to New Employee Onboarding Use this key for the upcoming sections Something to Consider Items to think about and questions to ask yourself and/or your employee to help you customize the onboarding to your team s needs and the employee s role The Manager s Guide has sections for each distinct phase of onboarding. Before the Employee Starts First Day First Week First Month Tips Tools & Resources Ideas you can use 60 Days Each section contains the items or activities that need to be handled. We have also provided you with the following resources to help you successfully onboard your employee. Tools and resources available to help you in the onboarding process Remember a significant investment of time during the first six months can pay big dividends in the performance and overall success of this employee with DPS. As the new employee s direct manager, you play an immediate and important role. While this guide outlines some of the key activities, it s expected that some of the onboarding will be delegated and done by other team members.

Pre-First Day Pre-First Day After acceptance of job and before start date Goal Plan New Hire Welcome Prepare Work Area Ensure a prepared and welcoming environment, set the stage for a good first impression. Send a welcome email to your new employees Create a welcoming environment Send a welcome email (to DPS email address) for employee to open on first day Arrange for a work space Ensure work area is clean and set up with needed supplies Something to Consider... Something to Consider... Extend a lunch invitation Schedule time on your calendar to spend with each new employee on their first day and during the first week Ensure computer is ordered and set up for their first day Have phone and extension set up, provide voice mail set up instructions Research indicates it s important for new employees to quickly acclimate to their new work environment and to start building rapport with colleagues. Quickly starting to integrate into existing work groups help new employees experience a sense of purpose within the new group and the transition is less disruptive. A new employee is typically concerned with making a good first impression, and it s important for us to do the same. Ineffective onboarding can lead, over time, to lower productivity, poor employee morale, and retention issues. New employees are often a bit nervous or anxious about starting a new job. Create a comfortable atmosphere and don t overwhelm them. Items to Consider for the Welcome email Your contact information Confirm start date and time Parking information Location to report to, who to ask for Dress norms Week 1 schedule Any documents they need to bring on their first day Any pre-start activities or events Tip Welcoming Ideas Welcome sign Card DPS tchotchke on desk Small gathering Source: Corproate leadership Council

Pre-First Day Pre-Start Date continued Prepare Team Ambassador Determine who will be the team ambassador for this employee Discuss assignment with ambassador Advise team of ambassador selection and role Introduction Communications Advise team of new employee (copy new employee if written communication) Advise other key stakeholders/impacted parties Prepare for Job Performance Create training plan (systems, processes, procedures, etc.) Create schedule/agenda for week 1 Determine first meaningful assignment Put appropriate items on new employee s Outlook calendar Tip Something to Consider... Tip For more information on selecting a team ambassador and their role, refer to the information about the team ambassador role on page 4. Items to Consider for the Introduction Communications Name and role/position Start date Background Initial priorities/projects How this person will help the team be successful Others? Meaningful Assignment Success breeds success. New employees want to feel valuable and have an impact on the organization. Assigning meaningful work within the first week is helpful on the journey to future success. Pick a project or task that clearly works at their strength. This builds self-confidence, helps them feel a part of us, and has a significant impact on engagement. By setting them up for success right away, they will want to utilize skills to the fullest extent possible to create more successes for themselves, your team, and the organization.

Day One First Day Goal Key Relationships Resources DPS Awareness Make employee feel welcomed, make a good first impression, start building key relationship, and knowledge foundation. Greet your new employee (arrange with Ambassador if you re not available) Meet your team Get comfortable with your work station Give the employee some time to get settled in their work space and arrange things Do you have a security badge/id? If they don t already have badge, have Team Ambassador escort them to Security office Tip Introduce employee to team members Meet your ambassador Introduce employee to Team Ambassador Ask them to start a list of any additional supplies they need Log-in to computer with DPS user id; set up password Building security and access Talk about the location employee is working in, the Administration building, and any locations employee will frequent Importance of Relationship with Manager The relationship an employee has with his/ her direct manager plays an important role in performance. Get to know the employee and work to build a solid, positive relationship. Help the employee get acquainted with you, professionally and personally. Spend time talking about your expectations, how you see their role, and the deliverables and measurements of the job, and reviewing a 90-day plan. Time with your manager Get acquainted with employee Ensure employee has the Passport to Productivity employee onboarding guide Explain plan/agenda for today Have lunch with employee Ensure employee has all needed contact numbers/information Check in with employee at end of day answer any questions, say you re glad he/she is here Have Team Ambassador offer assistance and check-in on success Log-in to DPS email, check any mail and your calendar Provide some time for the employee Set up voice mail Provide instructions or have Team Ambassador assist Tour facilities Tour important areas bathrooms, water fountain, emergency exit, stairwells, elevators, lunch room, office supplies, copiers, bulletin boards, etc. Parking information and tips Offer guidance for parking at main work location, the Administration building and any other locations employee will frequent Please note: The following items are arranged in the same sequence as they appear on the Passport to Productivity Employee onboarding guide. Items with a checkmark are the items listed in the Employee Guide. The items may be completed in any order that meets the needs of your team. Tip Encourage employee to be an active participant in the Onboarding process ask questions, clarify, prompt for more info, etc.

First Week First Day continued First Week Team Awareness Your Job Goal Key Relationships Work schedule Talk about expectations and flexibility, if applicable Procedures for sick/late/unexpected absences/ time off requests Discuss department processes, your expectations, and provide available documentation Week 1 plan Advise that you ll be discussing the following during the first week their role, the team/ department, performance expectations, and how their work fits into the big picture Org charts and how you fit in to big picture Provide and talk about any org charts for DPS, division/department, and your team Set expectations and start building key relationships. Ensure employee understands the mission/vision of district, the responsibilities of the job, and manager/performance expectations. Meet with each team member for overview of their role Ask each staff member to schedule some time with the new employee Something to Consider... Reporting time and attendance, OT policy, if applicable Exploring dpsk12.org Items to Consider for Team Member Meetings Provide instructions, forms, and time frames Lunch and break guidelines Discuss guidelines and your expectations Log in to Employee Self-Service, update emergency contact info Have Team Ambassador offer support and check-in on success Share description of your position How does your role interact with the new employee s? How might you expect to work together in the future? Dress code and norms Discuss norms for your team as well as district policy Holiday schedule Have Team Ambassador show employee where to locate information What can you offer to support the new employee? Share information to help the employee get acquainted with you Local emergency and safety procedures Get to know the employee ask a few questions Ensure employee knows where the emergency exit is and start discussing any safety procedures specific to your team/employee s job

First Week Style and Culture conversation with manager Schedule enough uninterrupted time for you to have a conversation about this (Have a separate meeting this week about Expectations. You want to provide time after these conversations for the employee to process the information, and you don t want to overwhelm him/her.) Expectations Conversation Schedule enough uninterrupted time for you to have a conversation about this (It s most effective if you have the Style and Culture conversation prior to the Expectations conversation. They should be separate meetings. You want to provide time after these conversations for the employee to process the information and you don t want to overwhelm him/her.) Culture Something to Consider... This conversation is about helping the new employee understand the culture of DPS and your team, and create awareness of your management style.. It s helpful to talk about the following items. What can you help the employee understand about the district culture and your team s culture? What s not written but is understood from either a district or team perspective that will help the employee be successful? What do we value? What does your team value? How do we do business? How does your team communicate and make decisions? What customs does your team have? (celebrating birthdays, holidays, activity committees, etc.) What values and principles does your team embrace that drive behaviors and choices? Management Style Your style is the basis for successful interaction with the employee. What s helpful for them to know about you? What are your communication preferences? (email, pop-in, phone calls, etc.) What can the employee expect from you? What characteristics or quirks do you have that might help the employee work successfully with you? How are decisions made? What does the employee want to know about you? Do s and Don ts Have team Ambassador share tips for success in the team and in the work Something to Consider... This conversation is about helping the new employee understand your expectations for performance and behavior, their role and work assignment. By sharing performance expectations right away you can significantly reduce misunderstandings which can lead to frustration or even premature departure. It s helpful to talk about the following items. Items to Consider for Expectations Conversation What do you need the employee to do in the short and medium-term? What are the major results expected to be achieved in the next few weeks? What results are most important? What are the priorities? What does success look like? How is success determined? How will performance be measured? What are the obstacles/challenges? How does the employee best navigate these? What s important to the team? What expectations do you have about behavior? (personal phone calls, work hours, breaks, offering support to others, etc.) What can the employee expect from you? What does the employee want to know about this? Who are the key executives and management people the employee should be familiar with?

First Week Week 1 Check-in with Manager DPS Awareness Team Awareness Check in with employee at the end of the week ERM Video training and injury reporting Team work functions and customers Check in with Ambassador for progress update and any support they need Show employee where to locate this and provide time to complete Get employee involved in meetings, projects, activities Debrief and answer any questions Discuss who your customers are and your service philosophy Something to Consider... Tip Press and media protocols Discuss how this is handled in the district and within your team Reporting structure Ensure employee understands the reporting structure in your department/divison Items to Consider for Check-In Meeting It s important to keep in contact with your new employee. They ve completed their first week and this is a good time to touch base. This is also a good way to set the tone for ongoing feedback, in both directions! Ask how things are going Continue to build relationship Answer questions Provide encouragement, reassurance, express confidence Ask them what they need from you to be successful There is a strong connection between communication and building relationships. Each promotes and builds the other! Inclement weather Discuss closures, delayed starts, and communication methods HR Connect Provide overview and tour Have you completed your benefit enrollment? Check in to ensure this is ciomplete Staff and other regular meetings Talk about purpose, typical agendas, meeting rules, meeting roles, etc. Confidentiality policy Discuss importance of this and how it s handled in the district and within your team Supply process Provide instructions and guidelines for ordering supplies Provide feedback early feedback is critical to performance success Ask for feedback Mail process Show employee the mail drop and pick-up points, discuss process

First Week Your Job Review role, duties, and responsibilities Ensure they understand how their work fits into DPS and the Denver Plan EPMP or applicable Employee Performance Management program Discuss the performance management process used in your team, provide any forms Exploring dpsk12.org Explore your department/division page Debrief and discuss learnings Explore Lawson Self-Service Have employee explore through the tabs (Pay, Benefits, electronic W2, etc.) Resources Computer use policy Provide guidelines on public and shared drives and employee s individual drive Restaurants, food/coffee places Acquaint employee with the area and resources outside of the building Goal alignment Discuss connection of employee s work with Denver Plan, mission, vision, team goals Equipment Train on equipment and provide needed information such as copy machine codes Training Plan Review the training plan for the employee including systems, processes, procedures EAP (Employee Assistance Program) Remind employee of EAP benefit, confidentiality of services, location of information Week 1 assignment Discuss the employee s first meaningful assignment Ergonomics Do we have a resource for this? Items supplied, etc.? Tip Refer to your Pre-Start preparation and the Meaningful Assignment Tip on page X Be clear about expectations, desired outcome/result, how success will be measured Business card request, if applicable Submit request for business cards Glossary/acronyms/common terms Provide documents of acronyms and terms, if available

First Month First Month Goal Key Relationships DPS Awareness Your Job Focus on learning and building confidence. Position for success, discuss progress made, and provide feedback. Continue efforts towards building relationships and integration into DPS. One-on-one meetings with manager (minimum of two per month) In each meeting, check in with employee to see how they are doing, answer questions, and provide encouragement, reassurance, express confidence. Discuss initial experiences, obstacles, progress made, provide feedback, solicit feedback. DPS locations schools, offices Board of Education Team Awareness Financial practices and forms Develop individual goals/performance expectations Metrics conversation Job training Success Factors Something to Consider... Exploring dpsk12.org Review some of our recent press Areas to Consider for Feedback Explore About DPS Where is employee meeting your expectations? Where is employee exceeding your expectations? Where is employee not meeting your expectations? Provide guidance on how to meet expectations Meet with DPS colleagues and stakeholders outside of immediate team Get acquainted with customers

First 60 Days And Beyond First 60 Days And Beyond... Goal Check-ins Goal Normal workload expectations Continue reviewing expectations of team/dept./ district, discuss progress made, and continue efforts towards integration into DPS. Key Relationships Is progress meeting expectations? What can you do to support/help the employee? What great stuff has happened so far? Provide guidance for continued success and make plans for future in the org 90 day benchmark should be seeing results, thorough understanding of what needs to be accomplished, etc. I am doing what I thought I d be doing when hired. Ask about collegial relationships, mentor and/or manager effectiveness, and any perceived obstacles. Complete Diversity training 60 day benchmark One-to-one meetings with manager, every 2 weeks DPS Awareness State of the Organization conversation with manager State of the Organization Conversation: Understand and explain your diagnosis of the organizational situation your new hire is facing and debrief on what they have learned, observed, etc. since joining the team. 45-day benchmark: Employee should be acclimated, acquainted with job, have some short-term wins/accomplishments, and making progress on bigger goals. Overall, is the employee happy? This meeting aids in employee retention. Beyond the first 3 Months Career development conversation what have they learned and what areas do they and you fell they need more training to be effective in role. Exploring dpsk12.org Explore department pages of groups you work with Generations info (Welcome ladies and dudes)

Manager s Guide to New Employee Onboarding Appendix 3 Gives and 3 Gets This tool can be used to start or continue discussion about the employee s strengths and development wishes. Reminds the manager of skills brought to the job/dps to leverage in team and job. 3 Gives and 3 Gets You have a lot to offer our team and the District. Please identify 3 talents, strengths, skills, etc. that you bring to the team and DPS. Please also identify 3 areas in which you would like to receive something from your job/position/role. Here are 3 Gives that I can provide to the team and DPS 1. 2. 3.

Manager s Guide to New Employee Onboarding Here are 3 Gets that I would like to receive from my position/job Questions for ambassador and co-workers to discuss 1. 2. What are the biggest challenges the team is facing or will face in the next few months? Why is the team facing these? What are the opportunities for growth? What would need to happen for the team to realize these opportunities? If you were me, what would you focus your attention on? What advice will help me be successful? Where to find resources? Who to contact for...? What meetings/events should I attend? What has proven successful in the past? What s the protocol for...? 3. Adapted from ASTD Cascadia Chapter Onboarding