Let’s take a deeper look at onboarding processes and examples to work for the government. The federal government is designed to make it easy and efficient for new employees to join.
Organizations spend an average of $2,000 hiring and onboarding a new employee. However, many onboarding practices are not effective and waste a lot of money. Millions of people in the United States work only for the government. Working in public administration is considered one of the most secured and rewarding jobs. However, working for the federal government can be challenging for less experienced employees and they often face tough competition.
The organisational structure of government gives direction and solutions to problems. Here we will take a closer look at the onboarding process and explore the methods of how employees receive training and get to know their new colleagues and work environment.
If you are interested, take a look at our other articles where we talk more about meaning of onboarding process or look into examples of onboarding processes at some of the world’s biggest companies.
The federal government of the United States of America comprises 50 states and was founded back in the year 1789. It has a total of 15 departments and in this article we will learn more on federal government onboarding process.
As of 2021, the federal government had over 18 million people working for it. So how does a government agency onboard its employees? Is it any different from a private-sector organization?
USDA Onboarding Program – Supervisor’s Guide
For a start, the department has a comprehensive guide for supervisors to run a smooth and hassle-free onboarding program for the new joiners. The USDA onboarding guide contains the following key components for supervisors and managers.
- Role of Human Resources
- Role of Supervisor
- Orientation vs Onboarding
- Why Onboarding?
- Getting Started
- Onboarding Checklist
- Deliverables for the First 90 Days
- Setting Expectations and Responsibilities
- Defining the Culture
- Welcoming the New Employee
- Assigning a Sponsor (Buddy)
- Role of Sponsor
1. USDA Onboarding Web Portal
It’s an online portal for new employees to delve right into their new workplace. New employees are given access before joining to complete necessary documentation and training.
The portal is not only a great tool for new hires but also their respective managers and sponsors. Let’s explore each of its elements for further understanding of the federal onboarding process.
2. Onboarding Portal Home
The homepage serves as the welcome page for new employees. It sets out the bases for what to expect of the portal and the step-by-step guidelines of the onboarding process.
3. Before You Report
This section contains all the guidelines and the training that a new hire must undergo before the reporting day. It also briefly talks about the role of the supervisor and sponsor in onboarding.
- Required copy(ies) of training completed
- List of required documents
- Guidelines to acquire USDA Identification Badge
4. Pay and Benefits
In this section, the new employee will find all the information and eligibility criteria of the pay and benefits program. To list a few:
- AgLearn (USDA Online learning tool)
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Pay Calendar
- Commuter Transit Subsidy Program
- Employee Pre-tax Parking Program
5. Training
The training tab of the portal serves as the guideline to ensure the completion of the necessary training and learning programs. These training programs are vital to take to maintain Federal Government’s standards and expectations.
Training programs, for example, Initial Ethics Training or USDA Information Security Awareness are mandatory and must be taken after joining the duty.
6. Additional Resources and Policies
The resources section contains further important details about policies and procedures for new employees.
- Prohibited Personal Practices
- Safety
- Emergency Plan
- Records Management
7. My Agency
This section contains a brief history, purpose, vision, and strategic plans of USDA. Moreover, it also contains a list of its relevant agencies and offices.
8. Supervisor and Sponsors
This section is specially addressed to supervisors and sponsors. It summarizes their role and acknowledges the time and effort they put into making onboarding a pleasant experience for their new team member.
Final Thoughts
It’s a matter of great pride and responsibility to represent the federal government. The government also ensures to provide complete guidance to onboard its new hires.
The federal government onboarding program is an in-depth, comprehensive, but engaging process.
Find out more on onboarding in our other articles, such as 5 Ways to Make Onboarding Easy or Onboarding checklist template.
