Onboarding toolkit

Onboarding is the process of integrating new employees into the workplace and providing the knowledge and tools for them to achieve success early in their new jobs. An onboarding program is a comprehensive way to get new hires fully immersed.

Onboarding is the bridge between selection and productivity, encompassing activities from pre-arrival through the end of the first year. The process includes logistics, of course, but — more importantly — it involves showing your new team member the big picture to expedite broad understanding of high-level strategies, current projects, company culture and shared mission. It also jumpstarts familiarity with the people with whom they will interact.

"Show your new team member the big picture."

Onboarding helps ensure new employees feel welcomed and excited, confirming why they joined your department and the University of Kentucky.

As the new employee's supervisor, you should assume the responsibility and ownership for onboarding. View onboarding as a partnership between you and your new employee.

To set the tone for a high level of engagement, it’s critical to get the onboarding process just right. Every step should be met with an easygoing, pleasant confidence by everyone on the team.

To pull this off, you need to be prepared — which is often especially challenging when you’re just coming off an interview process that likely interfered with your own day-to-day productivity.

That’s why a  checklist is key. We have created these lists of steps you can take to facilitate the kind of onboarding that will let your new hire hit the ground running while fostering positive relationships along the way.

It’s also a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy: employees who were onboarded effectively will pay it forward and do the same for future hires because they know how well they were set up — and how great it felt. Your college/division will also build a strong reputation for employee engagement.

Employees who were properly onboarded have a much higher likelihood of staying, which keeps your recruiting costs low and productivity high.