New Employee Orientation Process for Veterans

Starting a new job can be an exciting and sometimes nerve-wracking experience, filled with questions and uncertainties of about how things are done in the new organization. Simple questions such as “When do I get paid?” and “Where is the break room?” can be addressed in new-hire orientation. This is also the time to introduce the new employee to the organization’s mission, vision, culture, policies, and benefits.

Onboarding helps new hires adjust to the social and performance aspects of their jobs so they can quickly become productive, contributing members of the organization. However, the adjustment for veterans entering civilian work is much greater. For those veterans that may have never worked in corporate America, the culture, and compensation and benefits process is unique and different than the one they have experienced in the military. So providing the veterans with a targeted orientation process that answers their questions and translates corporate lingo into every day terms that they can understand is important. This guide will provide some suggestions on the key elements that are important for veterans and that may appear confusing for them at the outset.

Most organizations offer a formal onboarding process which consists of a process to integrate the employee into the organization. These processes/ programs teach employees what their roles are, what the norms of the company are, as well as the organization structure, and other policies and procedures that must be adhered to. However, informal onboarding and social integration are also important levers for successful onboarding. New employees need to feel socially comfortable and accepted by their peers and superiors. First Day Typically, the first day will include delivering all the basic information, including a tour of the facility, introductions to key staff and review of all new employee paperwork. Because new employees will retain only a certain percentage of new information, it’s important not to inundate them with too much and to reinforce information throughout the onboarding process. On the first day, the supervisor should assign a buddy to work with peer for a period of time. Use of a buddy system may accelerate the productivity of new hires and enhance job satisfaction. Such a system helps build an immediate personal connection between the new employee and the organization, especially if the buddy is also a veteran. In addition, a new employee who is made to feel part of the work group gains more confidence and is likely to become more productive faster. The buddy can make the new employee feel welcome, answer questions and help them navigate through the organization’s culture. This leads the new employee to feel comfortable sooner and to achieve a sense of acceptance and belonging. For example, new hires may be uncomfortable asking questions for fear of appearing incompetent. Buddies can fill in the gap by making themselves available for questions that new hires might not want to discuss with their boss. Buddies also can show the new employees around, introduce them to others, go to lunch with them the first few days, keep lines of communication open while respecting confidentiality and offer encouragement. A successful buddy candidate should be a seasoned employee who has an understanding of organizational practices, culture, processes and systems. A buddy should be a friendly volunteer with high personal performance standards, have a positive attitude and communicate well. The buddy's role is not to be the new employee’s supervisor. Training and communicating performance standards and evaluations builds a foundation for the supervisor to guide the employee in the future and should not be delegated to the buddy. First week During the first week of employment, provide more detailed information for the new employee and reinforce key points delivered previously. The human resource professional, or the supervisor, or some combination of them should check in to determine how the new employee is adjusting and whether the organization is delivering on promises made. This also should serve as an early opportunity for the employee to air any concerns. In addition, the human resource professional should schedule time with the veteran to discuss the compensation process, as well the benefits plan, and answer any questions the veteran may have. At this meeting, the human resource professional should cover the following topics: - Compensation process - Benefits plans and selection process - Policies and practices specifically related to veterans - Veteran Affinity Group, if applicable - Veteran Mentoring Program, if applicable The onboarding process should continue by providing a touchback to the new employee to ensure that all necessary information has been shared and that the organization is addressing the employee’s questions and concerns. Roles and Responsibilities While every organization is unique in how the onboarding responsibilities are shared throughout the organization, here are some general guidelines for splitting up onboarding duties:  HR department: Employee paperwork (forms, benefits, etc.), history and background of the organization, review of the corporate organizational chart, and a targeted orientation for veterans.  HR department or Training department: Delivery of the onboarding program elements; lectures and discussions about organizational culture, goals and objectives; review of company videos.  Supervisor duties and responsibilities: work behaviors, standards and expectations; work hours’ introductions to fellow team members and other members of the organization; tour of the department; review of other roles and relationships within the department.  Buddy: Introductions to fellow team members and others within the organization, review of informal rules and policies, answers to day-to-day questions. Buddy’s Role and Responsibilities The buddy should be a volunteer or selected by the department manager or supervisor. It would be helpful if the buddy was in a similar position as that of the new hire, and if he/she was also a veteran. A peer veteran would help translate corporate lingo to common military terms that can be easily understood by the new veteran hire.  Generally, the role of the buddy is to offer the new employee a connection to someone who is not in a position of direct authority over the new hire (a supervisor) or in an official capacity (the HR professional) as a guide.  The buddy may be responsible for such mundane tasks as directions to the restrooms or cafeteria or instructions on parking guidelines, or he or she may be involved in helping the employee understand the nuances of working in an organization. (such as, what are the “hot buttons” for those in leadership positions? Or how do we get projects approved?)  Buddies may be teamed with the new employee for a day, a week, a month or even a year, depending on the length of the formal onboarding program and on whether a personal relationship develops, especially in more informal arrangements. Setting up a successful buddy system A successful buddy system includes buy-in from staff and management. The assignment should be a well designed process with follow-through. The program should establish the following:  Expectations for the new hire and buddy.  What knowledge the buddy should impart to increase productivity and performance.  How much time the program should take.  Requirements for “check-ins” and follow-up from the buddy and new hire on program effectiveness.  The goal is for new employees to be acclimated to the organization quicker and become more productive sooner and to keep talent within the organization.  Expectations of buddy should be incorporated into their goals, and the buddy should recognized for their efforts by their immediate supervisor in the performance management process. New Hire Expectations

- Ask questions - Actively listen - Be prepared to spend some time with buddy

Buddy Expectations

- Represent the company - Show the new employees around, - Introduce new employee to others, - Go to lunch with them the first few days - Keep lines of communication open while respecting confidentiality - Offer encouragement - Be there for support and to answer questions

- If buddy is in the same job, they may serve as a coach to train the new employee on the job and answer questions about the job - Help new employee understand the company culture, and how things are really done around here

Timeframe:

Buddy should be assigned and begin working with the new employee on the first day. For the first week, they should meet with the new employee every day either early in the morning or at lunch time to check on the employee and see what questions they may have. The buddy should also meet at the end of the week to understand what other questions they may have and how the buddy can better support the new employee.

The buddy may continue to help the new employee after the first week. They may build a relationship that can continue informally.

Timing: Activity: Responsibility: Prior to Hire Identify Buddy Supervisor or HR Speak to Buddy about their Role Buddy’s Supervisor Provide Buddy with Guide Supervisor or HR Day One Orientation to workplace Supervisor Collect all HR paperwork that may be required Human Resources Introduce to Buddy Supervisor Tour of the facility Supervisor or Buddy Introduce to Colleagues Buddy Spend time discussing the organization structure and Buddy basic dos and don’ts, and culture of organization Go to lunch with new employee Buddy End of Week One Check-in with new employee Buddy and Supervisor Review first week and answer employee questions Supervisor Week 1 HR one on one orientation with new veteran Human Resources employee

Buddy Guide/ Checklist

Day 1

o Welcome/ Introduction/ Getting to Know Each Other o Introduce to team members/ colleagues o Tour of faculty o Go to lunch/ discuss places for lunch and breaks o Discuss typical day on the job o Do’s and Don’ts in the workplace o Administrative requirements – timesheets, etc., if appropriate o Answer questions veteran may have o If unable to answer any question, provide contact information to obtain an answer

End of Week 1

o Touch base with new employee before work or during lunch o Ask the veteran about their first week- concerns, questions, issues, etc. o Answer any questions veteran may have o Discuss date for next check in o Discuss cultural differences between military and civilian workplace; how work is done, chain of command, compensation, union membership, if applicable, etc.

Ongoing checkpoints:

End of First Month:

o Touch base with new employee before work or during lunch o Answer any questions veteran may have o Discuss whether another check in is needed or desired