Welcoming a new colleague is a lot of effort! However, an organized welcome process with lots of proactive communication makes an incredible impact in the way a new teammate can feel about their work!

"Onboarding offers an imprinting window when you can make an impression that stays with new employees for the duration of their careers."

We in HR are grateful to partner with many parties in SEHD to Welcome People Well. If you have any questions or suggestions for us to include here, please share!

• If you could give the HR team advance notice that you are anticipating needing to hire, we would really value the advance planning time!
• Gather information for your new hire process:
  • who can serve on the search committee,
  • job description updates - this is a great opportunity to take a fresh look at the job description and qualifications through an equity lens, to meet the needs of our team while reducing structural barriers in the application process to serve our diverse community
• Submit Search Request
• Coordinate Office Space well in advance to allow time for furniture, painting, etc. to be arranged as needed

• Submit Hire Form (SEHD HR will let you know when it is time to submit this form. It should happen ASAP after the new colleague has completed their initial hiring paperwork & have created their employee ID UC Denver and email address)
• Request Office Keys & Phone (if needed)
• Order a Computer
• Request a Copier Code (if needed)
• Supervisor enroll employee for their New Employee Orientation ( NEW AS OF JULY 2024)- “After four years, we are excited to announce that New Employee Orientation (NEO) will, once again, be in-person! Sessions will be held monthly from 10 am – 12 pm, on the second Wednesday of each month, beginning July 2024. This welcome and informative session will precede the monthly in-person benefits information session, hosted by Employee Services. Once employees have been registered for NEO, they will automatically be enrolled in the in-person session nearest their start date. They will receive a confirmation email with details regarding the in-person session. Please find the updated registration form here.

As a reminder, new employees should not register themselves for NEO - supervisors, HRBP’s or administrators should register new employees using their UC Denver credentials. While we are adding in-person sessions, we will continue to grant new employees access to the Canvas course as well. The canvas course provides supplemental information to the in-person session and is not a replacement, but complementary. Please let Megan Backstrom ( megan.backstrom@ucdenver.edu) know if you have any questions.”

• Benefits: Employees can view the benefits training video series separately from the New Employee Orientation. Videos are 8-21 minutes long and focused on specific topics.
  New employees are encouraged to reach out to the benefits professionals at benefits@cu.edu with any questions they have regarding their benefit elections. The employee must enroll in benefits within 31 days of their hire date.
• Department Leaders: please revise the remote work plan for your team to include your new staff member’s remote work schedule, plus any updates to other team members. Please provide this to SEHD HR within 30 days of the new employee’s start date so we can provide it to campus HR.

• Make sure that your new colleague's computer is ready, or have a backup plan in place if needed. Scheduling a brief meet & greet with the IT team is a nice connection for them on their first day
• Scheduling a brief meet & greet with the HR team is a nice connection for them on their first day & will meet the need for them to complete their I-9 hiring paperwork
• Make sure that office space that they will use is ready, or have a backup plan in place if needed
• To order a name tag, see the info here: https://wiki.cu.studio/directory
• Talk with current team members about their new colleague’s role and responsibilities
• Identify at least one individual who will act as a key contact for their new colleague
• Optional: Plan a Welcome Lunch & be sure to let your new colleague know in advance, including whether they should expect to purchase their own meal or if it will be provided by you (please note this cannot be paid for with university/departmental funds)

• During Employee's First Day
  • Personally welcome your new colleague when they arrive and show them their work area
  • Introduce co-workers and take them on a tour of the department (pointing out kitchen areas, restrooms, and emergency exits, etc.)
  • Provide an org chart of your team
  • Review the SEHD website, CU Denver website (including campus directory), CU system, any other relevant groups
  • Provide office supplies, ask if there are any supplies/organizer items they need (and order it if we don’t have it on hand)
  • Allow time for your new colleague to set up work space, voicemail, email
  • Now that ID badges are required to be displayed while on campus, walking your new colleague to the ID Station at Auraria Campus is a great way to support them with the task of getting their ID made
  • Describe the orientation plan for the first few days/weeks and keep in mind that they will also be asked to complete Benefits Orientation, New Employee Orientation and complete mandatory online trainings. Please allow them time for these onboarding tasks
  • Give a simple initial work assignment
  • Classified/University staff are expected to submit their professional plan within 31 days of employment. These are provided along with the job description to our new colleague by email from SEHD HR on/around their first day. Please work with them to create a plan by the requested deadline
  • Meet with employee at the end of the day to answer questions and find out how the day went
• Create a welcome post for the Impact newsletter
• If appropriate to your team, invite your new colleague to be added to the directory on education.ucdenver.edu The bio and photo should be optional because this website is open to the public. To be added, they should complete a Faculty/Staff Bio Form
• Remind team to update e-mail groups
• To order business cards, see the info here: https://wiki.cu.studio/directory