University Business - May 2011 - (Page 26)

HUMAN RESOURCES benefits or as important as introducing key administrators are best done in person. It makes sense. Questions can be immediately answered. Confusion about benefits can be minimized. Employees receive clear, consistent messages. An online version could potentially breed misunderstandings—and an onslaught of calls or e-mails to HR. “It’s certainly much more efficient for [new employees] to go to a website,” adds Linda Yuhas, director of compensation and employment services at Grand Valley State University (Mich). “But face-to-face is so much better because there’s interaction and networking.” Besides, she says a traditional seminar may be an employee’s only chance of personally meeting the university president and other senior leaders. No online video will ever replace shaking the president’s hand. Establishing that personal connection is critical and helps senior staff send a clear message to new employees: we’re here because you’re important to us. Still, Yuhas says there are components that online orientations handle very well. Grand Valley’s online program has a “First Day” to-do list with links to HR and other departments. There are campus maps, campus videos, a virtual campus tour, school facts, and relocation assistance, as well as information about parking and bus schedules. The web address is included in appointment letters so new hires can get a jump start on learning about the school’s people and processes. While the online orientation program is thorough, Yuhas hopes the school never eliminates face-toface sessions for its 3,100 faculty and staff. “I hope we never go directly to an online orientation because I think we would lose something very valuable,” she says. CreatiVe, Cool, and CleVer Nothing can fully replace the personal experience, but social networking comes awfully close. Administrators can create an employee Facebook page and invite new hires to network online with their peers who can help them acclimate to the culture, people, and environment, says 26 | May 2011 Doris Sims, president of the Texas-based consulting firm Succession Builders and author of Creative Onboarding Programs (McGraw-Hill, 2010). To take it one step further, consider setting up online groups of new employees, encouraging them to share their insights, Online organizational charts could allow new hires to view a video on any department’s responsibilities. observations, and onboarding stories in a real-time framework. Online peer groups are quickly becoming the norm for employee communication, says Kass Larson, chief executive officer at Granite Technologies in Golden, Colo., which offers an online software service designed to bridge the gap between old learning systems and business process management systems. Likewise, GPS-guided campus tours are gaining popularity. Using webenabled cell phones, employees could download a mobile app or log online to access a program offering information about every building on campus. In five years, Larson predicts, advances in speech recognition software will enable people to carry on conversations with their cell phones. “They’ll be exclusively mobile and the interaction you’ll have with your device will almost be like talking to a person,” he believes. “You will ask questions and [get answers] in light speed.” In the meantime, colleges can also adopt some creative ideas from the business Resources Granite Technologies (XEGY product), www.xegy.com Prometheus Training, www.ptrain.com Silk Road Technology, www.silkroad.com Succession Builders, www.successionbuilders.com community. Several companies recently set up interactive organizational charts online. New hires can click on a department to watch a welcome video featuring a manager explaining the department’s responsibilities, says Helene Geiger, chief executive officer at Prometheus Training, an instructional design firm in Lansdale, Pa., that developed the program. Her company has helped another organization build a unique database. Some employees were uncomfortable meeting coworkers for the first time or experienced difficulty finding their office. Now they can access an online map of each facility featuring every cubicle and office. After clicking on an area, the employee’s name and photo pops up. Other companies offer online questions for new hires to ask their supervisor or peers, which should help them be more successful in their job, adds Karen Perron, an onboarding strategist and product manager at Silk Road Technology, a talent management solutions firm in Austin, Texas. Those suggested questions include: • What are some of the company’s top priorities we’re working on today and what can I do to support them? • What skill development opportunities should I focus on? • Who should I talk to or work with to help me catch up to speed regarding my job responsibilities? Perron says the onboarding experience can be personalized by embedding videos about an employee’s job responsibilities, information about team members, or the department’s specific goals. “Orientation programs need to be more dynamic and be able to give employees coming in additional information as they’re going through the onboarding or assimilation process,” Perron says, adding that orientation programs should offer incremental information to employees well past their probationary period. “Make sure it’s not a stagnant process and is personalized to the employee. Not everyone [should] get the same experience.” universitybusiness.com http://www.xegy.com http://www.ptrain.com http://www.silkroad.com http://www.successionbuilders.com http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - May 2011

University Business - May 2011
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Ad Index
Behind the News
Viewpoint
Money Matters
Human Resources
Community Colleges
Networks Freshen Up
Collaboration Station
Someone to Watch Over You
What's New
End Note

University Business - May 2011