Job Aid

Best Practices for Onboarding Gen Y

A strong onboarding process is a crucial part of getting employees to stay with your organization. Having an effective program for your younger workers is even more important, as Gen Y workers are quicker to move on if they feel the organization is not a good fit. Ensure your onboarding practices are Generation-Y appropriate with this job aid.

We don't waste valuable classroom time on didactic presentations of background information. Instead, we insist on other options for delivering need-to-know content and save the classroom time for activities that help internalize the learning.

We use on-demand formats such as databases, print manuals, online training, and so on for background information, such as operations overviews and fleet instructions.

Our new employee orientation's goals are to get the employee comfortable with the organization, introduce the employee to the way the company operates, and help establish key relationships with company leaders and mentors.

Our new employee orientation includes important need-to-know history, rules, people, language, culture, and performance expectations.

We separate orientations from training when possible to help new employees get comfortable before they feel the pressure of going through training.

We have done research with Gen Ys who have recently completed our onboarding process to gather feedback about whether our program is meeting their needs.

We have an advisory board of Gen Ys that regularly reviews our onboarding program for effective Gen Y training principles.

We allow plenty of time for the onboarding process to facilitate a smooth transition into our organization.

We don't waste valuable classroom time on content that could be taught in other ways.

We use on-demand formats for information that is nice-to-know versus need-to-know.

We start with the end in mind: What do the learners absolutely need to know and when?

We provide alternate routes to the same goal by allowing new employees to choose from an array of learning materials or experiences that will give them the background needed to become effective employees.

We assign a mentor to every new employee and provide lots of opportunities for mentoring.

We create multigenerational training groups that mix older generations with younger to enhance the learning of both generations.

Rate Your Multigenerational Training

How does your classroom rate in terms of multigenerational training? Use the below assessment to find out if your training is on track for success or in need of some fine-tuning.

Directions

Circle A—Always, S—Sometimes, or N—Never on the following scale:

Scoring

For each question, give yourself 5 points for A, 3 points for S, and 0 points for N.

If your score is:

60–75—Congratulations! You're doing an excellent job of meeting the learning needs of all the generations.

45–60—Your multigenerational training is OK, but could be improved by adding some of the best practices above.

Under 45—Your learners are asleep! Wake them up with the best practices above.