Onboarding (orientation) and retention of all employees should be a major focus in the diversity recruitment process. If a department is investing resources in recruiting diverse candidates, it is in your best interest to have a plan in place to retain them. A first step toward a successful retention plan is a comprehensive departmental orientation program.
A departmental orientation should include:
- Introductions to the entire staff
- Tour of the department
- Assigned ambassador/mentor/coach with scheduled meetings and follow-up appointments
- Weekly 1:1 meetings with department manager for the first few weeks
- A lunch or reception to welcome the new staff member
A successful retention plan should include:
- Annual performance reviews and follow-up
- Regular communication with employees about career growth
- Career-related training investments based on individual employee needs
U-M Resources for Onboarding and Retention
- Retention Toolkit: Resources for Retaining Valued Staff
- Learning and Professional Development: Learning and Professional Development offers professionally designed training programs for staff to further their career development at the U-M, including onboarding and other management skills.
- UMHS Human Resources
- Career Development Resources: Information and resources to help managers and staff in their career development.
- Career Path Navigator: The Career Path Navigator helps managers compare a staff member's current position to other market titles in the Career Family Classification System.
- Performance Management Best Practices: Performance management helps individuals to grow and refine their skills while building capability university-wide.