New employee onboarding
Table of Contents
Orientations for new employees
Trainings for hiring managers and to support the hiring process
Welcoming a new employee is an important task for any hiring manager. You’re responsible for introducing the new hire to their position’s responsibilities along with policies, processes, your unit’s unique environment and the UW culture. Successful onboarding ensures that a new employee feels welcomed, increases the speed at which the employee learns their new job, and builds the UW’s reputation as a great place to work.
Onboarding Toolkit
Get started by downloading the Onboarding Toolkit, an invaluable resource developed by Professional & Organizational Development. The toolkit includes checklists and tips that help ensure your new hire is set up for success.
Onboarding Toolkit (PDF)Orientations for new employees
As your new employee begins their career, make sure to encourage their participation in orientations that introduce them to the basics of working at UW, their UW benefits package, and our campus culture:
- Welcome Day is required for all new benefits-eligible staff on our Seattle campus, as well as for UW Bothell and UW Tacoma employees. Welcome Day is offered with both in-person and online options; through this orientation, employees find out about the University mission, culture and perks; receive benefits information; and learn about creating and maintaining inclusive work and learning environments. In-person Welcome Day also offers opportunities to meet other new employees embarking on their UW journey, attend a resource fair, and, for eligible employees, speak with union representatives from SEIU 925, UAW 4121 and WFSE (see below).
Attendance guidelines:
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- Due to benefits enrollment deadlines, new employees should attend during their first few weeks of employment.
- New employees that are represented by the WA Federation of State Employees (WFSE), United Auto Workers Postdoctoral Scholars (UAW – Postdoc), or Service Employees International Union 925 (SEIU Local 925 and IHME) unions that work on the Seattle campus are required to attend in-person. Not sure if your position is represented by a union? Please reach out to us at welcomeday@uw.edu.
- Academic Personnel, the medical centers, and UW Medicine host their own orientations; those employees may attend Welcome Day in its entirety or simply attend the benefits portion (registration is still required). UW Bothell and UW Tacoma hold orientations that complement Welcome Day; both are required.
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- ONE UW is on online onboarding checklist tool helping new staff on the Seattle, Bothell, and Tacoma campuses prepare for their first day at work and beyond.
- SLP Supervisor Orientation is strongly recommended for new supervisors to gain a deeper understanding of their role in human resources administration at the UW.
- UW Medicine New Employee Orientation is a required training for Medical Centers employees that welcomes new employees to the organization’s mission, vision, and values. This program assists employees in gaining a sense of who we are and what it means to be a member of UW Medicine. It also fulfills many of our regulatory-related training requirements and must be completed within 30 days of hire. Most new Medical Centers employees are automatically registered for this event and typically attend on their first day of employment.
Trainings for hiring managers and to support the hiring process
While new employees may not serve as hiring managers right away, they may help out with the hiring process. Hiring managers and those involved in the hiring process must complete two required trainings. Visit UWHR’s Trainings for hiring managers webpage for more information.