Situation: At SpiralHealth (Case study for my Master's program), the onboarding process was inconsistent or non-existent, leading to confusion among new employees and increased time to productivity. There also needed to be a standard guide for facilitators, who were not formal trainers but long-time subject matter experts (SMEs) in their respective company areas, resulting in varied training quality.
Task: As the Instructional Designer, I was tasked with developing a comprehensive onboarding facilitator's guide to standardize the process, ensuring all new employees received consistent and effective training.
Action:
Conducted a needs assessment by interviewing department heads, current employees, and recent new hires to understand the gaps and requirements.
Researched best practices in onboarding and training techniques.
Collaborated with SMEs from each department to gather content and insights.
Created a detailed outline and drafted the guide using Microsoft Word, including sections on company culture, policies, role-specific training, and follow-up procedures.
Designed interactive training modules and included practical exercises to engage facilitators.
Organized a pilot test with a small group of new hires and facilitators, gathering feedback to refine the guide.
Rolled out the final guide with a training session for all facilitators to ensure they were well-prepared to implement this new method of training.
Result: The implementation of the onboarding facilitator's guide led to a 30% reduction in the time required for new employees to reach full productivity. Feedback from new hires indicated a 40% increase in satisfaction with the onboarding process. Facilitators reported feeling more confident and prepared, resulting in a more cohesive and effective training experience across the company.