1. onboarding
strategies
for gen y
jessica lee
APCO Worldwide + Fistful of Talent
january 2008

2. that’s
me
*circa 3rd grade, sometime in the 80’s.
but can you spot
angela?

4. general characteristics.
goal oriented
service oriented
determined independent
global, civic + community minded
connected… 24/7 inclusive
hopeful
tech savvy
self confident
lifestyle centered
adaptable
optimistic
determined
entrepreneurial
success driven
multitasking
self reliant diverse

5. but there’s more.
hypertext minds.

6. and still more.
relationships & community
matters.

7. gen y at work. want to
produce
something
worthwhile
comfortable
w/ speed + work well w/
change friends + on teams
thrive on
flexibility +
space to
explore

8. so what does this mean?

9. gen y workplace expectations.
• Contribute on day one
• Be important and do important work
• Receive feedback immediately
• Have access to information
• Have exposure to senior leadership
• Have meaningful relationships
• Learn from others
• See opportunities and path

10. (possible) onboarding lifecycle.
selection
1 first impression pre-hire
2 getting acquainted first 30 days
3 settling in 90 days
w/in 6 months
4 becoming adjusted
5 fully engaged 1 year mark

11. lifecycle according to gen y.
1 first impression pre-hire
2 getting acquainted day 1
3 settling in week 1
week 1
4 becoming adjusted
5 fully engaged day 1

12. so what needs to be done
differently?

13. as HR pros,
we don’t own
[onboarding ]
but we can
create framework + tools
educate and influence

14. it takes a village.
outside
influencer
mentors HR
new
peers manager
employee

15. outside
influencer
mentors HR
new
despite the
peers manager
employee
village,
managers must
still manage

16. leverage technology.
• baby steps: shared drives, folders
• grade school: intranet, shared workspaces,
wikis
• high school: blogging, internal social networks
• college: yammer and rypple

17. takeaways.
• HR doesn’t own onboarding
• managers have to manage
• one size doesn’t fit all
• it’s really not about catering to just gen y
• diverse sets of learning styles and
expectations
• repackage, rebrand, reposition
• leverage technology