Training Industry Magazine - May/June 2021 - 46

CASEBOOK

eNewHires: ONBOARDING MILLENNIALS
AND GENERATION Z
BY IVY COWGILL

CHALLENGES FACING A
RETIRING DIVISION
Faced with a retiring workforce
within a large Fortune 500 financial
services division, the company began
onboarding young millennial and
Generation Z employees. However,
outdated onboarding methods and
modalities, such as being paper based
and requiring memorization without
knowing " why, " coupled with two battleweary subject matter experts (SMEs) as
the training team, proved insufficient
for this incoming workforce. Before the
divisional policy knowledge walked out
the door, something had to be built.
To overcome these challenges, the
newly appointed training leader would
need to change the new hire program,
which called for a revamp to optimize job
performance and expedite turnaround
from the training room to the work
floor. A dynamic, blended approach for
optimum engagement and performance
improvement was the result.
Aside from the younger workforce
entering this division, the training leader
discovered three problems following a
thorough needs analysis: 1) information
and resources were scattered, 2) a lack
of an educated training team, and 3)
not fully knowing what they know as an
operational division (i.e., working in silos).
Faced with these big challenges on top
of the needs of a younger workforce, the
training leader, with the support of the
divisional stakeholders, focused on three
all-encompassing solutions: 1) technology

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modalities used with eLearning tools,
2) social learning opportunities, and 3)
foundational adult learning methods for
optimum success. Each solution could be
broken down into micro-solutions. This
layered approach resulted in a robust
new hire onboarding six-week program
for the highest level of performance, as
well as a synergistic training team for
new hires to reach a 96% success rate in
their performance following training.

AGE REALLY ISN'T
A FACTOR IN THE
EQUATION WHEN A
NEW HIRE ONBOARDING
PROGRAM IS DONE
CORRECTLY.

eLEARNING TOOLS
Since this large division was tasked with
processing and inputting nationwide
new client information into the system,
as well as a customer support phone
team, the training leader determined
there were tools required for the
workforce to proficiently look up and
handle policy details, protected health
information, and state laws. The faster
the processors could input a new client,
answer questions and move on to the
next client, the better.
The largest solution determined by the
training leader entailed a SharePoint

community of practice to offer a
communal location for resources
impacting the entire division, then areas
broken down by department, and finally
a training section. This community
quickly resulted in faster responses and
turnaround times to save from having
to locate answers within staff email
inboxes. Consistency and transparency
were also provided across departmental
lines, as well as ongoing or just-intime employee and leadership training
solutions that were easier to determine
and deliver. Ultimately, the leader
obtained clarity in truly " knowing what
we know " as a synergistic division.
The training leader implemented a
digital OneNote notebook solution that
encompassed the full six-week schedule
with dynamic links to the various online
SOPs, technical manuals and processing
guides. Not only did this provide one
source to learn from, it also offered
trainees a " living-breathing " resource
to utilize back at the desk for consistent
learning and handling of client policy
information. The goal was to provide
learners with enough hands-on practice
through the six weeks of training that
when they returned to their jobs, they
would no longer need to use the dynamic
manual, but it was still available if needed.
Finally, online evaluation surveys were
employed throughout the training
process. Feedback opportunities were
provided on the new hire program
structure, trainers, SMEs and the
mentorship program. This meant that the
new hire training provided was leveling
Training Industry Magazine - May/June 2021

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