We know how important onboarding is to helping new hires acclimate to the workplace and become engaged and productive. And when a new hire is coming from a different locale, they face additional challenges adjusting to life outside work.

This begs the question: can organizations help ease this transition? A multi-part qualitative assessment was conducted at the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State to glean insight into this issue.

“While it can be challenging for anyone to relocate to a new town and university, the transition can be especially daunting to those who are coming from another geographic region or from abroad,” explains Victoria Sanchez, associate dean for Educational Equity.

For the study, new hires answered a confidential online questionnaire or participated in a focus group. Additionally, work unit office managers, new hires, and university leaders were interviewed using a set of semi-structured and open-ended questions for a general appraisal of:

• How onboarding is practiced within the college.

• What level of knowledge and understanding key socialization agents have about onboarding.

• What leaders think about onboarding.

• How new hires experience onboarding.

• How companies can do a better job onboarding new employees.

An analysis of the responses revealed that international and diverse new hires were frequently frustrated during their searches for information related to such relocation needs as buying a car, choosing a place to live, finding specific foods, selecting a preschool, knowing where to go on campus for international resources, and connecting with community organizations. New employees typically found the process cumbersome and wanted more help and easy access to information.

Results were then presented to the college’s Diversity Council, which supports inclusion efforts for all members of the college. According to council chair Elizabeth Kupp, “We strive to address the needs of our faculty, staff and students by planning and carrying out events that bring diverse groups together to learn about each other, often in collaboration with other campus groups. In addition, we provide support and resources to our constituents to enhance their chance for success and show them that we value their presence in our community.”

As a result of the study, the Diversity Council put together a project team to develop a curated online information resource. The team included individuals who had made an international transition and could offer their personal experiences and insights.

First, the team identified key requirements for the resource:

• Be accessible.

• Keep in mind that English may be a second language for the user.

• Be available in advance of a new hire’s official start date

• Avoid promotion or rejection of individual businesses

• Avoid duplicating information that could be found elsewhere

• Provide links and referrals to existing trustworthy resources.

To curate information, the team pulled a list of topics from the assessment as a starting point and then brainstormed additional subject areas. Next, the topics were sorted into broad categories, including banking, immigration, housing, personal vehicle, and shopping, among others. Each member of the team selected a category to investigate and compile resources. During follow-up meetings, members would share what they found with the team, which would confirm, refine, and identify logical cross-references between topics and categories.

The team developing the resource deferred deciding on the final format while they curated content. Likewise, several platforms were considered: Box (file-sharing), Canvas (learning management system), and Sites (web development). Ultimately, the team settled on using Box as the development platform. Below is an example of “Travel and Transportation” section of the resource:

The resource is still a work in progress. Next steps include adding more content to the categories, augmenting content with personal insights or tips from individuals who have gone through the relocation experience, including a way for users to give feedback, and creating a review and update schedule.

“We hope that by providing informational resources to make this aspect a bit easier, we will let our new colleagues know how much we welcome them and will help them become part of the community and the college more quickly,” says Sanchez.