New Iowa State faculty and staff members will be welcomed to the university with a fresh employee orientation program beginning Aug. 22.
The content of the program is nearly the same, but the new presentation is more streamlined and interactive. It's shorter, too. In the past, employees participated in a lecture-heavy, whole-day orientation and acclimation presentation. The new orientation is a shorter session (8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.), which includes lunch provided by human resource services.
To register
To register for new employee orientation, visit the HRS website and select a date. The program is offered almost monthly from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend.
"The current program needed freshening, and we wanted to welcome people in a much more interactive and impactful manner while still conveying the vital information necessary for new employees to have when starting their careers at Iowa State," said David Trainor, associate vice president of HRS.
Some of the new additions to orientation are a video welcome message from president Steven Leath, an icebreaker activity, anonymous question cards and get-to-know-you exercises.
The resource fair, where employees used to learn about different services on campus, has been eliminated. Instead, participants will receive a bag containing "freebies" and information about available campus resources.
The HRS staff began revamping orientation last February, with the help of focus groups from across campus.
"The feedback we received reflected the need to make the program more interactive," Trainor said. "We previously had new employees sit and listen to a lecture-type format for several hours. We also wanted to respond to common questions about ISU, such as what it means to be a land-grant university."
Orientation is required for all new employees, Trainor said. His wish is that the experience is a positive one.
"I hope that we are effectively able to convey to new employees how special ISU is, how thrilled we are that they have chosen to join our university, and that all of us -- regardless of our position at the university -- have an obligation to work as hard as we can to contribute to the ongoing success of Iowa State."
