First Year

Step 3: Onboarding

The goals of a successful first week experience may include a strong welcome to LSU by attending Benefits and Retirement Orientation, successfully completely all Workday onboarding tasks, and a warm introduction to new team. 

Onboarding Guide

The First Year at a Glance 

30 DAYS

60 Days

90 Days

6 MONTHS

9 Months

1 year

Steps if...

An employee's first day is on Orientation

  • Employees will start their day by attending the Benefits and Retirement Orientation, usually held in the Event Room on the 2nd floor of the LSU Bookstore. Attending orientation is essential for employees to learn about their benefits, retirement options, and other important aspects of being an employee at LSU. It also provides an opportunity for them to ask HRM any specific questions they may have about offerings.

  • Employees can request a free temporary parking permit and will receive instructions on how to register for a parking permit at orientation. *After Parking payroll deduction pauses in May, employees can visit the Parking Office in the Union to get a “permanent pass” valid from the date received through August 14th. This must be paid upfront (cash, check, or credit card). Credit cards have a processing fee. 

Steps if...

An employee's first day is not on Orientation 

  • Employees can request a free temporary parking permit at the Parking and Transportation Office on the first floor of the Student Union. Please note, the employee’s name, department, telephone number, and vehicle registration (license plate number/make/model/color/year) are needed to issue a handwritten temporary permit. The temporary permit is valid for two weeks for zones A/B/X and Park and Geaux until the new hire imports into the parking system of record one day after their official first day listed in Workday. Once they have imported in, employees are eligible to register for a permanent permit paid via payroll deduction.

  • To request an annual parking pass, please visit the Parking Permit page to review the parking options and instructions to sign up. These options are reviewed with employees during Orientation and sent in a follow-up email.

  • Parking payroll deduction pauses in May, employees can visit the Parking Office in the Union to get a “permanent pass” valid from the date received through August 14th. This must be paid upfront (cash, check, or credit card). Credit cards have a processing fee.

Tiger Card

Tiger Cards (LSU ID cards) must be applied for online and employees must include a photo with their submission. After receiving an approval email, employees may visit the Tiger Card Office to retrieve their card. Information can be found on the Tiger Card Office website.  

The LSU Interactive Map can assist in locating designated parking spots according to an employee’s parking pass.   

Getting Acclimated 

  • Provide the new team member with an office/building tour and introduce to colleagues.  (Point out high traffic locations such as conference rooms, water fountains, elevators, vending machines, bathrooms, supply room, kitchen, lactation space, if necessary and if building is equipped with one, etc.) 

  • If team member is new to LSU, consider a tour of campus highlighting areas to eat close to campus, where to park, Memorial Tower, Parade Grounds, LSUPD, Tiger Stadium, Mike the Tiger, Barnes and Noble Bookstore, Student Union, etc.  

  • Introduce employee to Building Coordinator and explain their role (keys and building access).  

  • Introduce to building custodians and explain role (cleaning and recycling). 

  • Consider scheduling a team lunch to help the new team member connect with those they will be working with closely. The goal is for the new employee to meet colleagues and team members, making them feel welcomed and part of the team. If the welcome lunch is happening later, ensure the new team member knows what to expect for lunch on their first day in advance. 

  • Share the welcome schedule with the new team member and any others who will be involved in the process. 

  • Building strong relationships with a new team member can provide valuable insights into their needs and preferences, helping you support their success and integration into the team. Here are some questions to ask to better understand them: 

    • Do you have any hobbies? 

    • What do you like to do in your spare time? 

    • What type of work environment helps you perform at your best?  

    • Do you prefer to work individually or as a team? 

    • More extraverted or introverted? 

    • Have you done Myers-Briggs or DiSC assessment? If so, what is your style? 

    • How do you tend to handle conflict at work? 

    • Preferences on: 

      • Recognition 

      • Development 

      • Communication (email/phone/Teams) and personal (text or call)

    • If office space requires swipe access or keys, ensure employee receives access to the  

      office space.  

      • (Tiger Card 16-digit number may be required to be provided to Building Coordinator for swipe access).  

    • If the new team member is supervising others, schedule meetings for the new employee to meet with each team member. 

    • Provide information such as, Employee Identity Caucuses (Black; LatinX; LGBTQ+, Asian & Asian American Pacific Islander; Disability), Staff Senate, and Faculty Senate. 

Providing Safety Resources

Critical Actions

  • Ensure new team member registers for LaCarte card, if applicable. (Employee will need to take the LaCarte card training and submit the LaCarte card registration form). 

  • Add new team member to any weekly/monthly meetings, departmental website directory, special accounts, Microsoft Teams/Slack chats, if applicable, and share calendars (supervisor to new employee, new employee to supervisor, new employee and team members).  

  • Ensure team member has completed Workday onboarding tasks. 

  • Provide job description and employee work agreement.  

  • Inform of Multi-Factor Authentication/Single Sign On and how to access files from home (authentication).  

  • Discuss office policies (work hours, lunch, breaks, dress code, ordering supplies, time entry/clocking in and out, requesting time off). 

Check-in

Check in with the new team member at the end of their first day and again at the end of the week to see how their experience has been. During these check-ins, review the schedule for the upcoming week so they know what to expect before returning to work. Ask if they have any questions or need additional support to be successful. While you can tailor questions to the situation, the following are recommended to gain insight into the employee’s experience: 

  • How has your first week been? 

  • Anything that surprised or confused you? 

  • Do you feel connected or disconnected to the team? In what way? 

  • Is there anything you’d like more information or resources on? 

  • Do you have the information you need to complete your tasks? 

  • What can I do to make sure the next 2 weeks are successful for you?  

Review Resources 

  • Provide AP & Travel Brochure, if applicable. 

  • Encourage new team member to follow LSU and department on social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, and X). 

  • Request access to Workday via Workday Security Access Request in myLSU > Financial Resources.  

  • Request access to any specific departmental systems.

  • Provide access to secondary email accounts, if applicable.  

  • Ensure or inform about the following computer and telephone procedures:  

    • Copier/printer/scanner  

    • Microsoft Teams (making phone calls) 

    • Default printer on PC 

    • Computer log off at the end of each day for university updates 

  • Ask new team member if they have any questions regarding orientation topics (benefits (including tuition exemption, Employee Assistance Program, health insurance, retirement, employee perks, and onboarding tasks). 

Next Steps 

Develop

Engage