110 Reinvent Staff Onboarding to a Transformational Experience
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 26
Management and Strategy
Salon 16
While onboarding involves different activities and programs depending on your organization, some aspects are universal. Typically it involves a limited period during which new hires are expected to read company policies and procedures, get settled into their work spaces, and learn about do's, don'ts, and how-to's. If your onboarding isn’t working, you might struggle with retaining employees, accelerating learning, improving performance and team engagement, and making your staff happy and proud to join in. We must turn staff onboarding into a transformational experience.
From digital technologies to the evolution of workplace culture and the rise of startup companies, there is a host of reasons to reinvent how to integrate new talent into your organization. During this session, you’ll learn how to design an integration experience that ensures new hires feel welcome and prepared to join your organization. This exploration will include practical examples of proven practices from other firms, including Disney. Through these case studies, you’ll get strategies for how to win over new hires through branding and a unique employer value proposition, as well as how to craft a strategy around the main pillars of an effective integration cycle.
In this session, you will learn:
- What an employer value proposition is, and why it is important
- How to create an effective onboarding experience for new hires
- How technology, including VR, can enhance the onboarding expereince
- How organizations, including Disney, approach onboarding
- Why onboarding plays such a key role to attracting and retaining talent
- How to create your own strategy for effective onboarding
Audience:
Designers, managers, senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)

Mark Griffiths
Client Partner
Newleaf Training & Development
Mark Griffiths is a client partner at Newleaf Training & Development and heads up the East Coast office in Orlando, Florida. Mark has a degree in IT and a postgraduate degree in education, and he has personally gained over 15 years’ experience in the training, eLearning, and talent development arena—working with nonprofit, educational, and privately held organizations such as Randstad, Boston Scientific, and Citrix to create and deliver high-impact blended learning solutions using a wide range of eLearning authoring tools.

Wendy Richard
Resort Operations Manager
Walt Disney World
Wendy Richard is a resort operations manager at Walt Disney World. A media-trained, multilingual strategic thinker, he has accumulated experience in a variety of areas across the Walt Disney World Resort over the past 15 years, including learning and development, diversity, recruitment, and theme parks as well as resort operations. He earned his doctorate in organizational leadership with a specialization in organizational development. Wendy’s primary research focus involves social media and workplace learning. He currently serves as VP of engagement at the Association for Talent Development (ATD) Central Florida Chapter.