onboarding – seniyegroff

I recently developed some on boarding materials for a new hire group, and like any other job, quick productivity on the job was crucial. I suggested that we engage some social media tools to help with the quick integration. New hires would have access to information, get to know people and start contributing sooner.

Some ideas for the new hire group:
1. YouTube for video feeds for connections, just in time training.
2. Blog for coaching or informal mentoring. Could include a hub of information such as curriculum, materials and resources.
3. A private LinkedIn group so that new hires could share tips and insights.
4. After every training session, a LinkedIn discussion question could be posted.
5. Learners can get points as part of an overall incentive plan for responding to the post.
6. Learners could also get points for starting their own discussion threads. Makes it fun and helps to form a habit!
7. Facebook page as a companion to training-share ideas, best practices, successes in the role, industry news, announcements.
8. Pinterest or Instagram to share ideas, collaboration or just funny stuff to build relationships.

All this allows new hires to start contributing, adding value and building relationships immediately upon matriculation of on boarding program.

What have you tried? What has worked?

Given the time of the year, I thought it might be interesting to share what I am reading regarding the future. In the October 2011 Talent Management Magazine, David Rasmus wrote an article titled “10 Forces Shaping the Workplace of the Future.” Read on to see if you are experiencing any of these trends. First of all, fluid models and the ability to adapt are paramount.

Rasmus explains that the first concept is Transparency and Trust. Call me crazy, but I thought trust was a constant (not a new model!) Out-tasking is the second concept. In other words, outsourcing is dead. Managing various resources takes a lot of effort and organization on the company’s part. They will need to figure out how to manage external resources more effectively. Needless to say, online reputations are increasingly important. In the same vane, contractors will be seen as extensions of the organization, rather than independents.

Contract-to-Hire might be the happy medium between renting talent and filling a full-time employee position. This is an effective way for an organization to “test a new market, experiment with a new technology or evaluate the difference between insourcing and outsourcing.”

Another concept set to evolve is On-boarding. With increased distributed and global employees, organizations are going to have to reconsider how they onboard new hires. Other changing concepts are: Parallel promotions, Hire-to-automate, Business continuity, as well as, Demographic shifts.

Finally, another huge force is Virtual Work. As the standard becomes more and more virtual work, location will not be as important. People will be hired based on knowledge and skills rather than where they are located. Virtual work also will change how performance management is addressed. Lots of things to think about as we progress in the working world!