ONBOARDING

Make a new employee feel welcome and confident in his or her decision to accept the offer of employment before he or she sets foot in the office on the first day.

• Send a "Welcome" letter from the agency confirming the offer, confirming his or her first day and check with the agency's human resources regarding the procedure for the individual to complete employment forms.
• Contact by telephone prior to the first day to answer questions, set expectations and put his or her mind at ease with respect to the new position.
• Verify that the workspace is assigned and equipped with basic supplies and all IT and communications services (e.g., passwords, accounts, extensions).
• Develop a training plan and Work Performance Standards before the employee starts.
• Have a plan for the new employee's first week and 30 days, what the new employee will be doing and how he or she will begin to integrate into the organization.
• Confirm that representatives from the groups within the agency that will affect the new employee's ability to perform his or her tasks will be available (e.g., human resources, payroll, IT, training).
• Assign an established successful employee to be the new employee's "buddy" to help him or her to assimilate into and navigate the organization both from a procedural and social standpoint.
• Send an informal announcement/email to agency personnel introducing the new employee and describing his or her background.

An employee's positive experience on his or her first day is important to ensuring a great start.

• Begin by discussing the training program to prepare the new employee for what to expect over his or her first days on the job.
  • Provide a first week agenda that includes names, roles and contact information for the people he or she will meet and the technology he or she will be learning.
• Encourage the employee to take notes and write down and ask questions.
• Ask a senior leader to join in welcoming the new employee and giving a tour of the office and agency team.
• Review significant policies, security and safety procedures.
• Introduce the new employee to his or her "buddy" and discuss his or her role in the agency and what his or her experience has been.
• Provide the new employee with a list of common questions and answers, key contacts and agency (and State, if necessary) acronyms and buzzwords.

Typically, some paperwork will be completed on the first day, make sure it isn't the whole focus of the day.

Plan to maintain the energy from the first day and ensure the new employee has meaningful work to do in the first week.

• Provide employee with Work Performance Standards.
• As soon as possible, have the employee take the Orientation to State Employment and Nevada Information Security Awareness online classes.
• If the new employee is a supervisor, provide an orientation on his or her role as a supervisor and introduce to other members of your management team.
• If the new employee is a supervisor, have the employee begin taking the classes mandatory for State supervisors, see the Mandatory Training Requirements list.
• Have regular meetings with the new hire to ensure that job roles and responsibilities are clearly communicated.
• Schedule meetings with other key employees within the agency to provide further insight into the agency's culture.
• Provide meaningful work for the new employee, either training or work related.
• Welcome the new employee into the team through a social event or at a staff meeting.

During the first 3 months of employment, continue to make sure his or her role is clearly defined and expectations of his or her position are met.

• Arrange for the new employee to meet key stakeholders from other departments and organizations that are affected by his or her role.
• Continue to clarify roles, responsibilities and expectations as needed and provide ongoing coaching and feedback.
• Provide additional training, if necessary, to help the new employee understand any internal systems or practices.
• Check with the new employee regularly to ensure that he or she continues to assimilate into the work group.
• Schedule a meeting with the agency's human resources representative to answer the new employee's questions.
• Prepare and present the employee with a report on performance. Reports on performance should be conducted at the second and fifth month anniversaries for grades 19 and below and at the third, seventh and eleventh month anniversaries for grades 20 and above.
• Ask a new employee to identify any issues he or she is experiencing in the onboarding process.

The remainder of the first year allows the new employee to assimilate into the agency and the supervisor to review the employee's ability to perform the work.

• Reports on performance should be conducted at the second and fifth month anniversaries for grades 19 and below and the third, seventh and eleventh month anniversaries for grades 20 and above.
• Provide continuous training to build competencies and bridge any skill gaps (e.g., computer, technical).
• Have the employee enroll and attend any needed/required training and meet with the employee to discuss lessons learned in training, answer any questions and share or clarify internal procedures.
• Ask the new employee whether there were any issues that could or should have been addressed throughout the onboarding process.
• Review and, if necessary, update the Work Performance Standards for the following year.
• Acknowledge and celebrate the first year anniversary.

• Your agency's human resource staff

Coaching

Probationary Period

Training

Trial Period