Key takeaways
- The New Employee Onboarding program will go into effect Aug. 7 for professional-staff employees hired after July 15.
- The reimagined NEO program will include in-person and virtual employee-engagement opportunities.
- Day 1 orientation sessions, Workday modules and a welcome lunch will acclimate new employees to Metropolitan State University of Denver quicker and enable success from the first day of employment.
As MSU Denver business continues to be reimagined to enable organizational efficiency and the University strives to become one of Colorado’s most desired places of employment, Human Resources makes strategic improvements to better support the experience of new employees and managers.
Honoring feedback received from the recent New Employee Orientation pilot program, Human Resources is streamlining the current onboarding model for a better new-employee experience.
New Employee Onboarding program changes
Beginning Aug. 7, an updated new-employee experience will be implemented that is inclusive and offers in-person and virtual methods of engagement to acclimate new employees to MSU Denver and ensure that they are set up for success as soon as possible. The updated NEO program will include three components:
Day 1 Orientation
- These in-person orientation sessions will be two hours scheduled on most Mondays. See the 2023 Day 1 Orientation schedule for dates. Day 1 Orientation will review the most important items a new employee needs to know on their first day. New employees will leave the session with a comprehensive checklist of important items to be completed on key milestone dates: first week, 30 days and 60 days.
New-employee online modules
- New employees will be automatically enrolled in four online Workday modules to be taken and completed at their own pace (ideally within the first week). The self-paced modules will review key MSU Denver information to help new employees familiarize themselves with MSU Denver’s culture and CADRE values, as well as learn about employee benefits, Information Technology Services and more.
New-employee welcome lunch
- Within 60 days of employment, new employees will be invited to attend a welcome luncheon to learn more about and connect with MSU Denver leadership and campus-community resources.
All NEO program components will be managed by Human Resources as part of a new employee’s onboarding, and no action is needed from the hiring manager to enroll in these programs. Professional-staff members hired after July 15 will take part in this new NEO program; employees hired before this date will continue with the current onboarding process.
NEO program information will be available on the New Employee Onboarding Program SharePoint site, including Day 1 Orientation dates. This site will be updated regularly and should be used as the main information source for employees and supervisors with inquiries related to New Employee Onboarding.
Managers play a key role too
Since a manager is often an employee’s first point of contact in the employee life cycle, the role of a manager is critical to properly welcome and support a new employee. Beyond the onboarding efforts outlined above, there are a few additional resources to help managers onboard new employees to MSU Denver.
- Use the customizable New Hire Guide to ensure a successful onboarding experience.
- Outline a new or transitioning employee’s first three months with the 30-60-90 Day Checklist.
The Human Resources Department would like to thank the University community for its thoughtful feedback and is excited to implement this New Employee Onboarding experience soon.
As with any change, the release of this new NEO program will require flexibility from employees as the HR team continues to evolve, update and improve current business processes to better serve the MSU Denver community.
For questions about the new NEO program, please contact Matt Bohn.
