All Aboard the Onboarding Train: The Digital Corps Hires 20 New Students
’Tis the season for new classes, new books, new professors, new faces, and…… new hires! As the Digital Corps welcomes 20 new hires, one challenge we need to overcome is catching new hires up with the rest of their team. This task is difficult with the number of employees we have and their unique college schedules. However, the Digital Corps has devised a plan to onboard new hires as pain-free and seamlessly as possible. This process includes bonding inside and outside the office, team building events, and cooperative training.
Bonding Goes Beyond
One thing the Digital Corps is not lacking in is leaders. Staff and students alike are comfortable taking new hires under the wings and showing them the ropes. The lack of assigned seating encourages students to move around, sit next to a new face, and strike up a conversation. But the bonding does not stop at the office door. Need someone to run and grab food with you? Ask a new hire to join. Need someone to go to go watch a new movie? Ask a new hire. Need someone to view the eclipse with you? Ask a new hire. To cultivate our friendly, laid-back office environment, efforts are being taken outside of the office to make new hires feel welcome.
Chatting and Chewing Our Way to a Better Team
Another initiative the Corps is starting to employ is “Chat and Chews”. The name is self-explanatory: attendees chat about the Digital Corps over lunch. This three-part series is designed to get new hires acclimated with different groups of people at the Corps. Discussion topics can range anywhere from past projects to Slack shortcuts.
The first installment is new hires meeting with their team’s Masters. Masters guide their team in ways the staff does not. Befriending a Master helps a new hires become more in-tune with their team.
Following this, the new hires meet the staff. The staff is heavily involved in the hustle and bustle of day-to-day operations and are extremely knowledgeable in current industry trends. They serve as great resources to answer questions and brainstorm ideas. The Chat and Chew’s relaxed atmosphere helps personally connect new hires and staff.
Finally, the new hire meets the Specialist. Specialist are a rank above new hires and can better relate to the new hires’ position. They are better suited to answer a new hire’s more informal questions.
Training Like a Boss
After all the socializing is said and done, the most important part of the onboarding process is the training. Nothing can replace a great training regimen. This year, we have revamped our training to allow for more interdisciplinary interaction and teamwork.
Each team builds their own training schedule for their new team members. At certain points, the schedules cross and the different teams’ training will intricately weave together so new hires are working together to complete a training project. This forces them to work together without the pressures of a real project. By including interdisciplinary training, new hires can learn the terminology and work process for each team.
We are very excited to bring new members into our ranks. We hope to make the transition easy to get new hires working faster. After all, they bring new talents, new skills, and new perspectives that will be invaluable for the Corps.
