Dr. Alia Fox
Founder and medical director
H2O Health Hydration Oasis
“At H2O Health Hydration Oasis, we strive to provide a more personalized and accessible health service for our patients. By removing the large overhead of a big facility, we are able to expedite and customize a specific IV therapy service to better assist with immediate needs.
“With that, we employ our community’s most highly skilled nurses who also work locally in our emergency rooms and clinics. These individuals are familiar with and understand the restrictions of the traditional health care setting. They are constantly striving to improve patient experiences, as H2O affords them more time to personalize care while utilizing their unique skill set.
“Our nursing workforce is diverse, and is representative of the broad spectrum of patients we care for. We value and encourage our nurses’ input and opinions on protocols and functions, and incorporate our team fully into decision-making. Our staff is part of our foundation, not just an employee. This translates into improved satisfaction and enthusiasm, which is contagious. We also provide an environment and resources that help in the transition of new members on our team. These are the qualities that most individuals desire in a position, with appreciation and recognition of contribution. At H2O we understand that any single idea can make a difference and that different viewpoints only strengthen us.”
Michael Fox
President and chief executive officer
Corberry Digital Marketing
“Creating a great onboarding experience makes it more likely to retain employees long-term. It’s never easy being the new person coming into an established environment. People should be the company’s most valuable asset. So, integrating new employees into your culture should showcase how valued they are. Yet, this process is often overlooked. There is always some level of anxiety when starting a new role and here are a few ideas to help.
“Begin the onboarding process at the time of offer acceptance. If they have paperwork to fill out, try to get that done online ahead of time. Send them a welcome letter and/or package outlining what the process looks like so they can anticipate what to expect. Ask them to also prepare a one-page bio about themselves with a fun personal photo.
“On their first day they need to sit down with their manager to discuss expectations and goals. This sets your new team member up for alignment and success. Introductions should be made with close team members. Assign the new team member with a buddy who can show them around and answer questions.
“Brand the experience. Nothing appears more inviting than receiving a welcome bag of company swag. This gives the employee a sense of belonging to the organization. You should also set up one-on-one coffee meetings with various peers and leaders at the company. Coffee is a great informal way to bring people together and collaborate.”
Amanda Daering
Chief executive officer
Newance
“Effective onboarding delivers on three core outcomes as quickly as possible: This new person knows and acts your values. This new person feels interpersonally connected with the team. This new person has the information they need to do their job well.
“The best way to plan and prioritize these outcomes is to identify key stages of being ‘new’: before someone starts, first day, first week, 30/60/90 day checkpoints and half-year and one-year anniversaries.
“We then consciously add training and activities or reinforce information in each of those stages. This may include materials that we give or statements that we make. It could also be activities we plan or ways we act that tie our values to the reality new employees see. Our actions as leaders and company traditions will drown out words every time. Repetition and consistency is critical for this work to stick with new employees. After all, everything is new for them.
“Feedback loops where the new team member can contribute their own ideas along the way both help to improve this process and solidify their understanding of the organization. These feedback loops are not solely between the team members and their manager. Peer-to-peer and team member-to-leadership feedback is critical to a healthy organization.
“By taking a more holistic view of onboarding, new employees will be able to thrive and add to company culture with a clear sense of values, close colleagues and the skills needed to succeed in their role.”
