Passageways Blog

Integrating New Employee Orientation into an online environment  - by Andrew J. Ryback @ MECU

Using the Passageways Intranet Portal, we created a New Employee Orientation/Integration page on our intranet to assist with the new hire process. The portal enables us to move from a paper-based process to one that is fully supported in an online environment. Because of the ease of use of the portal software, we were able to create this feature without the help of outside developers or our IT department. Information can be updated regularly and we have ensured consistency throughout the new hire process. 

We developed the NEO section of our Intranet to create a positive welcoming experience for anyone new to the credit union. We realized that we only have one chance for a positive new employee experience. New employees can access relevant information at their own pace and from the comfort of their desk. Information is available to them whenever they need it and they can return to it at any point.  Essentially, this is a one-stop-shop for all things related to the new hire process. HR information, organizational philosophy, procedures, and training links are all completely accessible. No longer do new employees waste time hunting for information outside of their department, nor is there a need for managers and trainers to spend hours guiding new employees day-to-day.

Employees continue through the NEO process for the first 90 days of employment.  After 2-day face-to-face orientation is complete, the employee is released to their manager. From there, most of the on-boarding rests on our managers. With so much emphasis placed on the employee learning the skills needed to perform their specific job, the portal allows the manager and employee to work together to complete tasks and conduct weekly follow-up concerning things not directly related to the employee’s job. The NEO portal page becomes a roadmap for success of the employee that can be easily tracked by management. 

This new process has enabled us to save countless manager/new employee/trainer hours and focus on relevant on-the-job training. We estimate that we have saved, on average, $1800.00 per new employee during their orientation period. Considering costs involved with recruiting and hiring, that number jumps exponentially when factoring in employee retention.

 Key Highlights include:

• Disaster recovery/new employee emergency contact information collection

• Welcome video from CEO

• Organizational information

• Links to relevant intranet pages

• HR policies and procedures

 Key benefits include:

• Saves time and money with regard to publishing forms and paperwork

• Eliminates chasing down managers for new hire information

• Enables new hires to be able to access the most up-to-date information

• Encourages new hires to refer to the intranet as their main resource

• Creates a sense of “belonging” for new hires

Several other credit unions have reached out to us to learn more about this project. We know our staff and management is very happy with this addition to our intranet. It has certainly become an organization-wide best practice and continues to inspire other credit union teams across the country.

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