Page 150 - Successful Onboarding

“Connections That Count”—Empowering Employees by Nurturing • 137

job offers and the first day of employee boot camp. New hires can find
information about the company, training, and company culture as well
as participate in a discussion blog. 9
Social networking sites can also provide an informal and easy way for
new hires to connect with one another. As of this writing, more than
15,000 firms are maintaining Facebook networks, and many best-in-class
companies are creating internal networking sites with a familiar look for
incoming new hires. Among these companies is Starbucks, whose cutting-
edge networking site provides social and career development as well as
productivity resources. Modeled after sites like LinkedIn or Facebook,
Starbucks’ site includes employee profiles, blogs, and messaging capabil-
ities, allowing new hires to interact with other employees and learn infor-
mation about various teams and programs at the company.
Another, related technology that can potentially help new hires to estab-
lish social relationships is the virtual reality experience of the video game
Second Life. IBM has begun making use of Second Life as a means of
holding virtual corporate meetings. In the words of one reporter, “This
isn’t the work of teenage gamers interning at IBM. Researchers are look-
ing at the potential business impact of virtual worlds and massively mul-
tiplayer online games.” 10 Incorporated into a best-in-class onboarding
program, Second Life technology can allow new hires to interact with
each other in real time before even showing up for the first day. The tech-
nology could also allow busy executives to mingle across geographies with-
out spending the time or incurring the expenses required for an in-person
social experience.
The good news on the social networking front is that a tremendous
number of such tools are available off the shelf, many at no cost. Even if
your enterprise neglects to use these tools, a very good chance exists that
your employees are building these electronic networks on their own.
Harnessing those already in place doesn’t only enhance the onboarding
experience, it also supports the better building of networks for existing
employees. To some extent, you can rely on these electronic networks to
naturally form where there is the greatest need and value. But the enter-
prise can also garner attention around key needs by submitting content
contributions that relate to those needs and having leaders participate
strategically in online discussions.