Have you ever had a bad first day on the job? Or, have you learned too late – once conflict was occurring or a valuable team member quit – that certain team members felt isolated, excluded or confused about their roles? This session outlines a series of communication strategies for welcoming new team members that will help them feel like a valued part of the team and organization, while also facilitating a team’s acceptance and integration of new members. Learning Objectives: • Define the goals of new hire/new team member onboarding • Identify risks and pitfalls of traditional onboarding practices • Identify task needs and social needs of new hires • Discuss the four stages of new employee assimilation • Provide low/no-cost, practical ideas for each stage of assimilation that will help new team members feel welcome and be productive • Articulate the link between effective onboarding and employee engagement, retention