Onboarding
CONTACT US
FP&M Human Resources
30 N. Mills Street
Suite 362
Madison, WI 53715
FAX: 608-265-3692
Monday-Friday, 9:00am-3:00pm
FP&M’s robust Onboarding Program is about building the UW-Madison and FP&M’s reputation for being a thoughtful employer, with great training, clear leadership, and a strong organization. The program supports new colleagues and moves them to efficient productivity levels quickly. It builds better team relationships across the department and units.
Who should you contact?
Alex Zewde, Training & Onboarding Specialist. | 608-263-9670 | alex.zewde@wisc.edu.
What is Onboarding?
Onboarding is a process of integrating new employees into our organization and equipping them with the appropriate tools, resources and knowledge to become successful and productive. Onboarding helps employees get “on-board” with the culture of the workplace and the expectations of their new job. While new employee orientation provides a quick overview during new employee’s first day or first week, Onboarding program is intended to follow and check-in periodically with new employees throughout their first year.
Why is Onboarding Necessary?
- Support process designed to manage a variety of tasks and requirements initiated once a new hire has accepted a position.
- Supplement to the existing orientation process designed to provide specific and customized information about the university culture and provides tools to help the new employee navigate and be successful at UW-Madison.
- Get your newly hired talent up to speed with the processes, culture, expectations, and day to day responsibilities of your department/unit.
- Way of making newcomers to the environment feel welcomed and excited, confirming for them the reasons they joined FP&M and UW-Madison, especially in the early days of the transition and at the onset of new challenges.
Background
In 2015, UW-Madison adopted a New Employee Onboarding Policy as part of the HR Redesign process. The policy states that each college/school/division is required to develop, implement, monitor and maintain a documented onboarding program for all new employees. FP&M put together a committee to work on an onboarding plan in early 2015. The group outlined the tasks involved in the process and documented who is responsible for each one.
Roles & Responsibilities
Facilities Planning & Management developed one program (vanilla) and added unit-specific materials (toppings). We created a set of procedures that applies to new hires, regardless of department.
People who are involved in onboarding new employees should follow theses guiding principles:
- Onboarding should be welcoming and helpful to the new employee.
- The Onboarding process needs to be achievable and measurable, as well as easy to follow.
- The Onboarding program needs to have consistency across FP&M but be flexible enough to meet the needs of a wide variety of units and positions.
- Onboarding should provide a pathway to productivity and support employee growth.
In order to implement the Onboarding Program, there are five distinct groups that are involved when onboarding new employees.
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Onboarding Coordinator
The onboarding coordinator oversees the entire onboarding program and is responsible for coordinating the tasks within the process. He/she is the primary contact for the program and accountable for the review, enhancement and maintenance. The coordinator also tracks progress of the onboarding process and ensures each new hire has an opportunity to provide feedback about their onboarding experience.
Responsibilities
- Coordinate tasks within the onboarding process
- Ensure immediate administrative needs of the new hire are met
- Coordinate meetings and scheduling – serves as the point person for new hire
- Track progress of the onboarding process
- Ensure new hire has an opportunity to provide feedback on the onboarding
Hiring Manager/Supervisor
The most effective onboarding process is one that is owned by the new hire’s direct manager/supervisor. The hiring manager/supervisor is the hiring authority that the new hire would report to and support. The hiring manager/supervisor will work closely with the onboarding contact to ensure a successful onboarding process. He/she should identify how best to engage, manage and motivate the new hire.
Responsibilities
- Meet with the new hire to discuss performance expectations and ensure the new employee has the resources necessary to be successful
- Identify how to best engage, manage and motivate the new hire
- Monitor checklist progress during new hire’s onboarding process
Onboarding Contact
The onboarding contact is the individual designated by the division to collaborate with a supervisor to ensure all tasks are completed during the Onboarding process.
Responsibilities
- Be accountable for the administrative tasks involved with an incoming new hire
- Serves as the primary contact once there is an accepted offer
- Monitor checklist progress during new hire’s onboarding process
Peer Support
A peer support person is a fellow employee (other than the manager/supervisor) who supports a new employee during his/her first months on the job. Their role is to offer advice and guidance regarding the day-to-day aspects of working at UW-Madison. They contribute to the successful onboarding experience by offering encouragement and assistance as the new employee acclimates to the culture and workplace.
Responsibilities
- Serves as a resources and trusted advisor to the new hire
- Helps introduce and explain the culture at UW-Madison and FP&M
- Provide peer-to-peer advice, listen thoughtfully and provide – when solicited – critiques, suggestions and feedback.
- Encourage the new hire to become an integral part of FP&M and the campus community through networking
Human Resources
The FP&M Human Resource/Payroll & Benefits department serves initially as a connection between the hiring manager/supervisor and the new hire. They ensure that proper preparation of paperwork and information is processed prior to the arrival date of the new hire. FP&M Payroll & Benefits is responsible for providing information regarding the new hire’s benefit options, payroll and leave time.
Responsibilities
- Enters new employee information into HRS
- Serves as a resource and trusted adviser to the new employee
- Provides information regarding employee benefits
- Provides information regarding payroll (direct deposit, leave time, etc.)