Onboarding in a Brave New World

Maryanne Robertson and Jason Edison are talking about how employee onboarding has changed since 2020.

“Jason,” Maryanne said with a smile. “What are you doing having lunch at Kings?”

“Well, you know I love the food here and I had some extra time today. So, I thought I’d walk over rather than grabbing a sandwich in my building. And bonus, I ran into you. Do you have some time to join me?”

“In fact, I do. I just finished a meeting here and was going to grab a bite to eat before heading back to the office.” She slid into the booth. “And I see that look in your eye that tells me you want my advice on something. 

“Guilty,” said Jason just as the server came to get their orders.

Once they placed them, he turned back to Maryanne.  “You know we often bring a group of leaders from our client companies together. One of the CEO’s of a small nonprofit expressed an interest in discussing onboarding at an upcoming roundtable.” As Maryanne sat up, he continued. “I know, at that level they don’t get involved in the specifics of these programs. But before the pandemic, they had a practice of having new hires have a one-on-one lunch with as many of the leaders as possible.”

“That’s amazing. Certainly, they are small enough so it was doable. But now you’re wondering how that would translate in a post-pandemic world. Tell me, are they office-based workers who’ve all returned to work?” 

“Yes, to office based,” said Jason, “but they are hybrid. Most of the employees are here in Chicagoland, generally coming in two to three days a week, depending on commutes and projects. There are a few outliers who are totally remote. The practice was very successful in the past, and they would like to bring it back.”

“Thanks, Janelle,” Maryanne said to the server delivering their orders. Then she turned back to Jason. “There’s an opportunity to provide personal face time, but the challenge now is getting each new hire paired with each leader in a timely manner. Could they consider doing some of these lunches in person and some virtually—delivering delicious Kings meals to them both?”

“Good one, Maryanne,” Jason laughed. “That’s certainly a good suggestion for this one client, and a good way to include employees in remote locations. But I’m concerned about the other participants in the meeting. Some of them are from larger organizations and the logistics of bringing folks together one-on-one may not be feasible.”

“Jason, it sounds like the nonprofit had aggressive expectations of including all the senior leadership. In larger organizations, maybe the circle could be narrowed while still including some top officials.”

“Good thought, Maryanne. Larger firms could also consider periodic lunches with a group of new hires and leaders. Depending on how the conversation goes, I can suggest that the leaders take turns facilitating the discussions for group lunches.”

Maryanne put down her glass of ice tea and folded her hands on the table. “You know the fact that this practice worked so well with the nonprofit is an indication of their strong culture. But in another organization, it could backfire. What if people turn down the offer of lunch with a leader? Or if the lunch goes sideways? For example, a virtual lunch where the employee keeps their camera off the whole time. Would the CEOs and leaders in those organizations be prepared to address those situations?”

Jason was quiet for a minute. “I could mention that they have some guidelines about appropriate discussion topics and consider letting questions be submitted in advance. The invitations to these lunches need to be warm and welcoming so people want to attend rather than feeling they must attend. I’m sure this group will put many ideas on the table.”

Just then Janelle appeared with the check, which Jason promptly snatched. “This is on me, provided your employee discount is included.”

Maryanne and Janelle laughed as Jason produced his credit card and settled the bill.

“Gosh, Maryanne, remember the days when new hire orientation as we called it then was a paperwork party?”

“And we decorated new hires work stations with balloons?” she laughed. “There was no time to be strategic then.”

“Now, I marvel at how far we’ve come using text messaging and links to information before the employee even starts. Our clients are now using generative AI to create and manage paperwork and automate a personalized checklist of all those forms new hires must complete.”

“It sounds like you’ve gladly let go of the good old days, Jason,” Maryanne said as they both got up and walked out.

If you want to know more about Maryanne, Jason, and the challenges they face, pick up a copy of  They Did What?