onboarding strategies for gen y

jessica leeAPCO Worldwide + Fistful of Talent

january 2008

but can you spot angela?

that’sme

*circa 3rd grade, sometime in the 80’s.

general characteristics.

tech savvy

connected… 24/7self confident

optimistic

hopeful

independent

self reliant

determined

determined

goal o

rien

tedsuccess driven

lifestyle centered

diverse

inclusive

glo

bal

, civ

ic +

co

mm

un

ity

min

de

d

serv

ice

ori

ente

d

entrepreneurialad

aptab

le

multitasking

but there’s more. hypertext minds.

and still more. relationships & community

matters.

gen y at work.

work well w/ friends + on teams

want to produce

something worthwhile

comfortable w/ speed +

change

thrive on flexibility +

space to explore

so what does this mean?

gen y workplace expectations.

• Contribute on day one

• Be important and do important work

• Receive feedback immediately

• Have access to information

• Have exposure to senior leadership

• Have meaningful relationships

• Learn from others

• See opportunities and path

(possible) onboarding lifecycle.

first impression

getting acquainted

settling in

becoming adjusted

fully engaged

selectionpre-hire

first 30 days

90 days

w/in 6 months

1 year mark

1

2

3

4

5

lifecycle according to gen y.

pre-hire

day 1

week 1

week 1

day 1

first impression

getting acquainted

settling in

becoming adjusted

fully engaged

1

2

3

4

5

so what needs to be done differently?

as HR pros, we don’t own

[onboarding ]

but we can

create framework + tools

educate and influence

new employeepeers

mentors

outside influencer

HR

manager

it takes a village.

new employeepeers

mentors

outside influencer

HR

managerdespite the village,

managers must still manage

leverage technology.

• baby steps: shared drives, folders

• grade school: intranet, shared workspaces, wikis

• high school: blogging, internal social networks

• college: yammer and rypple

takeaways.

• HR doesn’t own onboarding

• managers have to manage

• one size doesn’t fit all

• it’s really not about catering to just gen y

• diverse sets of learning styles and expectations

• repackage, rebrand, reposition

• leverage technology