Hiring doesn't stop just because there’s a pandemic, but making new employees feel included when most of their coworkers and even their supervisors are working remotely presents a challenge. With new hires feeling disconnected from the rest of the organization, we needed to take a step back and design an onboarding experience that worked online—without losing the human touch.

This case study session shares how the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory changed its onboarding program to focus on online experiences that build connections. We will explore how the team created a low-cost, brain-friendly experience designed to combat Zoom fatigue. We will share strategies for conducting networking experiences online using low-cost tools and describe techniques for running scavenger hunts that connect new hires with each other and with organizational resources. Finally, this session investigates successful onboarding in a hybrid work environment. You'll leave with ideas to ensure that new hires know they made the right choice in working for your organization.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to structure an online onboarding program to reduce Zoom fatigue
• How to create online networking activities that new hires actually want to participate in
• Simple, low-cost techniques to encourage new employees to explore organizational resources