Onboard Staff

As a manager, your role in successfully onboarding new employees is crucial. The first impression you create is one they’ll never forget. So, let’s lean into that excitement and keep it coming with engagement and recognition.

Onboarding Resources:

Workday Tasks and Courses

Before your employee arrives for their first day, ask them to complete their  Workday onboarding tasks. To access Workday and other Yale systems, they must first activate their NetID, PIN, and email address. You will receive instructions via email on how to do so from Information Technology (IT). Please forward these instructions to your new staff member’s personal email address.

To prepare for your employee’s first day, consult the wealth of content and courses on Workday Learning. Recommended courses are vast – here are a few to start:​

Employee and Manager Communications

Starting in July 2024, you and your employee will receive onboarding communications once the offer from Yale is accepted, and the employee’s background check is cleared.

Before their first day, employees will receive several communications, including a celebratory welcome email and video and a letter sent to their homes. Then, every month throughout their first year, they will receive information about Yale’s history, culture, benefits, and resources. These communications will help your employees learn about our community and offer optional cultural activities, including unique tours and engagement experiences. Encourage your new staff members to take advantage of these opportunities.

Two weeks before your hire arrives, you will begin receiving communications with information on how to prepare for their arrival, welcome them to the team, establish expectations, provide feedback, and more. These communications will conclude around your employee’s first anniversary.

New Employee Orientation

Starting in July 2024, new staff members will be invited to attend an in-person orientation. This one-of-a-kind cultural experience begins at the Visitor Center, where a Yale leader, Handsome Dan–Yale’s mascot, and others will be waiting to greet them. Following a brief welcome address, a Yale student tour guide will lead attendees through the heart of campus as they explore several iconic locations while learning about Yale’s history and highlights. Along the way, attendees will participate in a teambuilding activity that encourages collaboration and camaraderie. Following the tour, new hires will hear from representatives of our affinity groups, the Sustainability office, and the United Way to learn how to get involved at Yale. New bargaining unit members will be greeted by their representatives. The final stop of this powerful “five senses” experience will conclude with lunch at Commons.  Visit the New Employee Information webpage for registration details. (See Important Actions to Take - Attend New Employee Orientation.).

Share Your Department’s Onboarding Process

Does your department provide area-specific onboarding support to new employees? If so, we’d like to exchange ideas to streamline the onboarding experience at Yale. Please email internal.communications@yale.edu with the name and contact information of the person overseeing onboarding in your department.