Rosenverse

This video is only accessible to Gold members. Log in or register for a free Gold Trial Account to watch.

Log in Register

Most conference talks are accessible to Gold members, while community videos are generally available to all logged-in members.

Onboarding: The Ecosystem, not the Afterthought
Gold
Tuesday, November 7, 2017 • DesignOps Summit 2017
Share the love for this talk
Onboarding: The Ecosystem, not the Afterthought
Speakers: Russ Unger
Link:

Summary

Onboarding new employees to your team is all too often treated as an afterthought, or best case, as an at-the-moment-thought. Employees deserve a well-thought out experience that includes them from the very beginning–from the creation of the position description—to that time after they’ve become integrated into our teams and organizations. We can trace some of these imperfect scenarios all the way back to the creation our performance profiles or position descriptions, and how they were created. When we understand the entire journey from candidate to employee we see the value of treating onboarding as an ending of a particular process instead of a solitary event in time.

Key Insights

  • Onboarding is an ecosystem, not just a process or event.

  • Performance profiles should focus on expected outcomes rather than job descriptions.

  • Structured interviews provide consistent experiences and align questions with organizational goals.

  • Maintaining communication with new hires after the offer prevents feelings of abandonment.

  • Creating a comfortable first day begins the transition from candidate to employee successfully.

  • Buddy systems can support new hires and integrate them into teams more effectively.

  • Internal projects provide a safe space for new employees to learn and contribute without the pressure of high stakes.

  • Feedback from new hires is crucial to improving the onboarding process.

  • Treating the first day as a 'commencement' reinforces the significance of the new role.

  • Engagement before the start date sets a positive tone for the employee’s journey.

Notable Quotes

"We need to always be aware of how every interaction we have with candidates impacts their experience."

"Hiring managers have it rough; it’s not easy begging for someone to get hired."

"Onboarding should be seen as an ecosystem centered around people."

"Effective onboarding can be the difference between a smooth transition and a frustrating first day."

"We must treat our hiring process with the same empathy we apply to user experience design."

"The performance profile workshop involves the whole team to determine what success looks like for a new hire."

"If you focus more on the experience, you can improve recruitment significantly."

"We need to graduate our candidates to employees in a way that feels special and supported."

"We often forget the candidate experience once they pass through the hiring door."

"The reality of onboarding is that it should not feel like a bureaucratic nightmare."

More Videos

George Abraham

"In this tech landscape, it's critical to keep design and development workflows aligned."

George Abraham Stefan Ivanov

Design Systems To-Go: Reimagining Developer Handoff, and Introducing App Builder (Part 2)

October 1, 2021

Louis Rosenfeld

"We're trying to take all the years of goodness that we've put together and make it more accessible."

Louis Rosenfeld

The Rosenbot and the Rosenverse: An AMA with Lou Rosenfeld

June 5, 2024

Bria Alexander

"We're closing out Design Ops 2024 with innovation curated by John Kuda."

Bria Alexander

Day 3 Welcome

September 25, 2024

Bill Scott

"Every week, we had users in. It was incredibly powerful."

Bill Scott

Lean Engineering: Engineering for Learning and Experimentation in the Enterprise

May 14, 2015

Bria Alexander

"It's day three of design at scale, our third and final day."

Bria Alexander

Opening Remarks

June 11, 2021

Kristin Wisnewski

"Every minute spent struggling with an IT system is a minute of time not spent delivering value for IBM and our clients."

Kristin Wisnewski

Measuring What Matters

October 23, 2019

Dave Hora

"The way to induce demand is through targeted socialization of your work."

Dave Hora

Advice for Establishing Research

December 8, 2022

Richard Buchanan

"I regard that as a part of design thinking."

Richard Buchanan

Creativity and Principles in the Flourishing Enterprise

June 15, 2018

Josh Clark

"Let’s embrace machine intelligence as a tool for exploration rather than an answer machine."

Josh Clark Veronika Kindred

Sentient Design, AI, and the Radically Adaptive Experience (1st of 3 seminars)

January 15, 2025