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ONBOARDING GUIDE



NEW EMPLOYEE ONBOARDING GUIDE

Introduction

Welcome to the Temple University Employee Onboarding Guide. Effective onboarding is a crucial process that sets the foundation for a successful and fulfilling work experience. The first few weeks of employment are pivotal; they shape how new hires perceive the company, their roles, and their potential for growth.

A well-structured onboarding program not only helps employees acclimate to their new environment but also fosters engagement, reduces turnover, and enhances overall productivity. By providing the right tools, resources, and support from day one, we empower our new team members to thrive, contribute, and feel valued within our organization.

This document provides onboarding guidance for (2) distinct phases of early employment and forms of “onboarding”.

  • Onboard Checklist:

This checklist covers activities that should occur before your new employee arrives or in the earliest days of employment. It also covers more of the technical or practical onboarding work that will ensure all the logistical steps of early employment are completed such as:

    • A welcome phone call
    • Workspace set-up
    • Pre-employment paperwork
    • Compliance training, etc.

These are the things that must be done for or by almost every employee to get onto payroll, access email and complete new employee activities. It also covers items hiring managers should complete. When a new employee accepts an offer, start to check off each item as it's completed.

  • Introductory Period Planning Guide

Your new employee’s introductory period begins on their first day of work, however, planning for the first weeks and months of employment should start before that first day. Each department and job is unique. This section will help you think through the information, people, systems, processes and policies that will help your employee to effectively perform their job and, by doing so, allow you to create a meaningful schedule for their first days, weeks and months that provides them with the contacts, tools and training to perform their job well and, just as importantly, acclimate to your department culture, team and practices of Temple University.

There is some overlap between the checklist and the planning guide, the guide providing a bit more depth and context.


Important note about the Probationary/Introductory period:

Every new or transferring employee has a probationary or introductory period. This period of time is critical for both the employee to learn their role and become comfortable within their department and for you, as the supervisor, to assess how well the individual is a fit for the job and your department. Please take this period seriously and make the most of it. Plan ahead, think about the resources that you can provide to set your employee up for success. Meet with your employee frequently to check in, receive and provide feedback. If there are any issues, please do not wait to address. Issues rarely get better over time without thoughtful attention. Contact HR as soon as you notice any concerns and develop a plan for remediation. Make sure you know the length of the introductory period for your employee before they begin and talk to your business partner if you have any concerns (at least 30 days) PRIOR to the end of that period.

Onboarding Checklist

Your new employee’s success and integration into your department and the university begins before their arrival. Create the foundation for success and a feeling of belonging by ensuring that your new employee has the information they need to start their first day and that their workspace is clean, organized and ready to go.

As the hiring manager, in addition to completing your tasks, check in with your new hire to make sure they are aware of and completing the items that are required of them.

PRE-ARRIVAL

Hiring Manager/Department Responsibility

Confirm offer letter was sent to and accepted by new employee.


Call to officially welcome new employee after acceptance is confirmed. Confirm start date and discuss dress code, working hours, parking information, and where to report on first day. Send a map or any other information via email that will make their arrival easier.


Send an email to applicable department and/or college listserv announcing the new hire and start date.


Review the necessary HR paperwork and ensure that employee is aware of and has completed all items or has a plan to complete. If there are questions about specific items, please direct them to your business partner


Request to have new employee added to any department/college directory that may exist


Create an onboarding and training schedule specific to new employee’s position.

(see attached guide)



Set up new employee’s office/workspace, cleaned, computer, phone, and office supplies.


Confirm building and systems access.


Order business cards (if applicable).


New Employee Responsibility

 

Complete all mandatory HR onboarding paperwork:



  • I-9
  • Background Checks (if applicable)
  • Create Mobile Owlcard
  • Create Tumail Account
  • Drug Test/Physical
  • Online New Employee Orientation



*HR will have notified employee both verbally and via email that the above items must be completed, however, reinforcing this during a welcome call would help minimize possibility of omission


FIRST DAY

Employee Responsibility

Complete online New Employee Orientation if not completed


Hiring Manager/Department Responsibility

Provide office keys.


Department, College and/or University campus tour and introduce new employee to colleagues and key stakeholders.


Send introductory email to colleagues and key stakeholders, copying new employee and provide a summary of what they will be doing, their contact information and encourage outreach


Discuss University holidays, requesting time-off, lunch breaks, and unexpected absences procedure.


Review work schedule, pay schedule, and overtime policy if applicable.


Review job responsibilities, individual and team expectations.


Review Temple University’s mission and vision along with department or unit vision and goals.


Complete all security access forms, i.e. Finance and/or Banner, Kronos, Taleo, Signature Authorization.


FIRST WEEK

Employee Responsibility

Review University policies: Temple University Rules of Conduct and Employee Handbook; Conflict of Interest; Sexual Harassment; Minors on Campus; EOC Compliance and Ombudspersons; Departmental-specific policies e.g. student data confidentiality.


Schedule applicable trainings, i.e. Banner, Cognos, Concur, Kronos, P-Card, TUMarketplace, and/or HR Training & Development sessions.


Hiring Manager/Department Responsibility

Confirm new employee is added to departmental/College Directory and Cherry & White Directory.


Review resources on Staff Tools in TUPortal.


Review Performance Development Review process and schedule regular check-ins between employee and supervisor.


Review Organizational Chart.


Introductory Period Planning Guide

Prior to employee arrival, consider each of the below questions/suggestions to create a customized onboarding plan for your new employee. Create the documents suggested, register your employee for training, schedule the activities or discussions noted that will support their movement into performing the requirements of their role productively. Be sure to allow for some open time each day for your employee to work, meet new people, practice new systems, or otherwise acclimate to the role and the university. Although we suggest populating the new employees calendar with onboarding activities, open time each day will also allow the employee to participate in their onboarding by making suggestions or requests on activities that will help them grow in their role. Be prepared to adjust the calendar or plans based on progress, needs or unexpected events.

 

If a REPLACEMENT POSITION: Spend some time with the exiting employee (if possible and appropriate) to collect information on resources that they have found helpful in their role, advice they would give the next in this role, any projects that they may need to pick up, etc.

 

If a NEW POSITION: Spend some time with the team with which this employee will work most closely. Discuss resources and information they might recommend and how this new role will interact with the team most productively. Ask if there are specific ways (in addition to your scheduled activities) that the team would like to interact with the new hire during the onboarding process. Are there activities, meetings, or projects they believe would be helpful for the new employee to be included in, any individuals they should meet?

 

  • Develop a directory of key contacts including name, phone number and email address, schedule introductory meetings with each:
    • Who are the people both in your department and across the university that this employee will interact with the most in the performance of their role?
    • Who are the people both in your department and across the university who are “good to know”, the people who can provide information on processes or systems that this individual might need to perform their job?
  • Schedule/Assign systems trainings:
    • Identify all systems that this individual will need to perform their job.
    • Does the individual need to be added as part of a workflow or approval process?
    • Identify where training for these systems live and schedule training
    • Following the completion of each training schedule, time with you or another person in your department to review the system, work on real example items and answer any

questions. This should occur more than one time to ensure the individual is comfortable with the system/process.

 

  • Schedule/Assign Skills trainings:
    • If this role has any direct reports, assign the Supervisory Certificate Program immediately and schedule time within the first few weeks for completion.
    • Identify key skills needed for this job and corresponding training available; assign training.
  • Consider department goals, are there programs that align with those goals
  • Considering departmental state, are there certain skills needed to move the department forward such as building trust, effective communication, and thriving in a virtual workplace? Identify training opportunities that align with those needs
    • Review programs offered through Bridge. If you need specific recommendations on programs not included in Bridge, please reach out to your HR Business Partner or Learning and Development
    • Discuss the university’s focus on Wellbeing with the employee, the establishment of the new Department of Wellbeing and the availability of resources to support our employees and their families through:
  • LinkedIn Learning
  • Prasada
  • Wellness Resources Center
    • Are there specific wellbeing practices that your department has adopted? Share with the employee.
  • Schedule 1:1 and regular check in meetings during probationary period
    • Meet daily the first week, in the beginning and at the end of the day to discuss the assignments for the day and how the day went.
    • Meet bi-weekly the second and third week unless additional time is needed
    • Meet at least weekly for the remainder of first 2 months unless additional time is needed
    • Meet at least bi-monthly going forward unless additional time is needed
  • Schedule team meetings
    • Is the individual naturally part of a specific group, your leadership team, or a departmental team? Ensure that the individual is scheduled in for those team meetings. Be sure to introduce the individual at the first meeting and assign an agenda item to the employee when appropriate
    • Are there any university wide groups the employee should be a part of? Think HR Council, Administrative Council, etc. Contact the coordinator and have the employee included in the listserv and add the next meeting to their calendar.

 

During the First Week:

  • Job Description/PDP Review:
    • Schedule time to review the employee’s job description with them.
    • This can be combined with a discussion about the university’s Performance Development System as a tool that is shared by both parties to document duties, development goals and activities, etc.
    • Assign “PDP 101” through Bridge
  • Compliance/Safety:
    • Ensure that the employee is aware of information regarding University Ethics and Compliance Office as well as their reporting Hotline
    • Ensure employees are aware of the Department of Public Safety and resources such as;
  • TUSafe App
  • TUAlert
  • Walking Escort Program
  • Flight and shuttle services
  • How to contact 1-1234
  • Provide the employee with information about their department as it applies to their role:
    • What is the departmental culture?
    • What are the key goals of the department and how do they align with that of the university?
    • How does this individual’s role contribute to the overall goals of the department?
    • Are there certain competencies or skills the department is working on?
    • Are there regular events that the new employee should/may want to participate in? consider things like “We always order pizza on Thursdays”? or “some of us go for a walk during lunch on Tuesdays”? March Madness, etc.
  • Shadowing:
    • Identify and schedule time for your new employee to shadow employee(s) who do same, similar, or related work through which the new employee can learn or understand more about their job and role within the organization.
    • This may be you, or one or more employee(s) and those in or outside of your department
    • This also allows the individual to become acquainted with colleagues
  • Can you assign a mentor/partner/buddy?
    • Some areas may not have the capacity for this, but, if you can, and you have a dependable and friendly employee that would agree to serve as the new employee’s “guide” or touchpoint within the university, do so.

This should be a low time-commitment proposition. The person can go to lunch occasionally with the employee, tell them about the department, be “on call” during the workday for questions or

referrals, etc. Maybe pop into the individual’s office/workspace just to say hi and “check-in”.

This should also be arranged ahead of time. Select individuals who are good representatives of the department and university. Ask them if they are willing to do this and talk to them about what is expected.

 

Second/third Week:

Begin to schedule/incorporate new employee into their role by:

  • Assigning tasks/projects
  • Assigning role or part of group projects
  • Referring calls/emails/questions
  • Including in meetings
  • Asking for their input on questions/concerns
  • Looking for opportunities to bring them into the work of the department

Build in time over the first few weeks for developmental training opportunities, both mandatory and otherwise.

  • Supervisory Development Certificate
  • PDP 101
  • Super communicators
  • Remote Ready: Thriving in the Virtual Workplace

Talk to your HRBP about any specific trainings that might be needed or helpful for your employee or your department and include those in the training schedule.

Browse Bridge and LinkedIn Learning

At any time before or during the onboarding process, feel free to reach out to your business partner or other HR representatives for assistance or to talk through any issue that may arise.