Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2023 - 54

SINK OR SWIM:
Improve Onboarding With Learning
Engineering Principles
By Julia Phelan, Ph.D.
First impressions matter. Without a solid
start in a new position, it is easy for
employees to become disengaged or
feel as if they have been thrown into
the deep end with no life preserver.
Onboarding is an organization's first
opportunity to establish and nurture a
positive and productive relationship with
a new employee.
When done well, early onboarding
activities lay the foundation for longterm
success for both the employee
and the employer. Effective onboarding
can improve productivity, build loyalty,
increase comfort and competence,
help employees experience successes
early on, demonstrate an organization's
commitment to supporting new
employees and help them begin to form
relationships - all of which increases
engagement and helps reduce the
likelihood of early turnover, which can
be costly and disruptive.
Learning Science and
Learning Engineering
Learning science principles help
explain
how
learning
happens.
Learning engineering goes one step
further and focuses on designing and
implementing learning solutions within
constraints imposed by different contexts.
54
With an understanding of how learning
works (including factors that can
impede it), we can design learning
experiences that help keep learners
engaged, motivated and on-task.
Importantly, we can leverage evidencebased
practices more typically found
in " traditional " learning contexts to
create more effective onboarding and
training programs. Learning is learning,
no matter what the environment. In
doing so, organizations can enhance
employees' success.
3 Important Learning
Science Principles
We'll explore three learning science
principles and associated practices
that, when effectively applied, can
help
support
and solutions.
Learning Science
Principle 1
People learn best when they trust
and feel supported, connected to,
and accepted by the people and
environment around them.
It is well-established that humans want
and benefit from social connections and
onboarding
goals
interactions. A new workplace presents
a new social environment in which social
connections matter. New employees must
feel welcomed, socially
comfortable
and accepted. Purposeful opportunities
for new employees to interact with and
build relationships with others at all
levels of the organization are essential
to fostering these critical components.
How to Implement This Principle:
* On their first day, make sure
employees know where to go and
others are expecting them. No later
than the day before the new employee
is to report for work, send a message
to current employees introducing the
new employee.
* Make the
first day as smooth as
possible to pave the way for important
learning to begin. Employees should
have the equipment and access they
need on the very first day of work.
And they must know where to go for
technical support, if necessary.
* Make their workspace and materials
accessible. Not only should the
physical workplace be accessible to
all, but so should training materials and
onboarding documents. This includes
offering modified workspaces, tools
to help people navigate digital

https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1026&context=busadmin_fac https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1026&context=busadmin_fac https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/spring-2023/shaping-the-employee-onboarding-experience/ https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/spring-2023/shaping-the-employee-onboarding-experience/ https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/spring-2023/shaping-the-employee-onboarding-experience/ https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/spring-2023/shaping-the-employee-onboarding-experience/

Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2023

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