A recently asked question in the ASAP Circle community focused on how to onboard new employees in a fun and engaging way.
We brought this “Ask an Admin” question to Kaylon Emeary, Administrative Project Coordinator at the University of Texas at Dallas and one of the ASAP Circle Community Managers.
Kaylon, a native Texan from the Dallas area, enjoys hobbies like baking, crocheting, traveling the world, and learning languages. But there’s nothing she enjoys more than connecting people to others and to useful resources. Kaylon has often brought a bit of GLADness to ASAP Circle Coffee Break attendees and smiles to people’s faces by way of creative interactions and team-building exercises.
Watch Kaylon’s video response below and read more below!
Question: How can I help to successfully onboard new employees?
Kaylon Emeary: Keep your I’s on the prize when facilitating onboarding for new employees.
1. Make the process interactive by appealing to different learning styles and modalities.
Activities like scavenger hunts can be facilitated both onsite or virtually, completed as groups or individuals, and can include meeting people, finding places, and/or gathering information. Add points or prizes as an incentive, and folks may be more excited to complete the tasks.
2. Provide insightful information that is not readily available on a company website.
New employees may not be privy to everyone’s favorite local eateries (especially those with short wait times during the lunch hour), activities to do with friends or family over the weekend, or discounts and other perks that may be accessible to employees. That information could prove itself useful as they adapt to the new environment.
3. Be sure to include some inspiring stories about the people within the company as well.
Collect video testimonials from peers and company leaders in advance or moderate a live question-and-answer session with some pre-selected and impromptu questions. This will give people an opportunity to get a sense of the culture, be inspired by both peers and leaders, and learn why people continue to be part of the business and stay with the company.
