For about the 10,000th time in my career, I had a conversation with someone about Day One need-to-have content vs. nice-to-have content vs. there-is-absolutely-NO-need-for-new-employees-to-experience-this-on-their-first-day content. Even now, 20 years into my career, I find myself surprised at just how much content some (well-meaning) people feel is necessary to shove into one day. So today, we're … Continue reading Orientation Overhaul: Scheduling a realistic first day for new employees
March is upon us once again; here in Indiana, where we live and breathe basketball, that means it's not just March, but it's March Madness. College basketball games are playing nonstop, brackets are being determined, rivalries are being tested. Sadly, most of our state's teams aren't making it to the big dance this year...except Purdue, … Continue reading It’s time to get serious about your onboarding strategy
I recently read an article about - you guessed it - onboarding, and a statement stuck with me...the author was defining new employee orientation at a high level, and then went on to define onboarding. The author suggested that, "Onboarding is often described as 'orientation on steroids.'" This was unsettling to me in a few … Continue reading The important distinction between “orientation” and “onboarding”
I love Food Network. I never get tired of it. In fact, I could probably find more time for writing this blog (and a number of other things) if I watched less Food Network on Saturday mornings with a cup or three of coffee. Ages ago - probably at least 5 years ago - I … Continue reading What Food Network taught me about facilitation skills
Do you remember the old "You might be a redneck..." comedy bit from a few years back? It seems like you couldn't go anywhere without seeing a Jeff Foxworthy standup routine on television or seeing a book about it. Even though it's been several years since its peak, you still see those jokes bubble up … Continue reading Your onboarding strategy might need a reboot if….
I grew up a couple of hours north of where I currently live. While my family doesn't live in that city anymore, I follow the local newspaper online to stay in the loop about current events in my old stomping grounds. Recently, I was talking with a friend about various teachers we remembered from our … Continue reading Onboarding Magic is in the Welcome
A few weeks ago at the day job, I was meeting with a couple of people on my team, discussing two training programs that we are in the process of updating. One of the programs is part of our onboarding process; new employees participate in the program between 30-60 days post-hire. The team member who … Continue reading If you’re having trouble relating to new employees, do this…
