Virtual Onboarding for Students and Civilian Employees – Supporting human resources and staffing while working remotely

July 16, 2020 – Defence Stories

While the COVID-19 Pandemic has had a major impact on the Defence Team and the way that we work, the team continues to grow as students and new civilian employees join the ranks.

It is important to ensure that students gain a rewarding employment experience, and that new employees are properly onboarded while in a non-traditional workplace setting. To do so, managers and supervisors need to have the necessary tools and resources to manage their remote teams. In order to help make that happen, the National Civilian Welcome and Integration Team (NCWIT) has prepared a growing suite of virtual onboarding tools and resources to be used by new employees and their hiring managers, including military managers of civilian employees.

These resources have been designed to introduce students and civilian employees to the Department of National Defence, and to facilitate a quick and smooth integration into the Defence Team. The resources can be accessed on the Defence Team COVID-19 Working Remotely web page, or by downloading the HR GO RH mobile app (which can be found on the iOS App Store and Google Play).

The following virtual onboarding tools have been developed for new civilian DND employees, students, their managers and/or direct supervisor:

Managers and supervisors of civilian employees and students:

• Best practices for hiring managers during COVID-19
• The supervisor and new hire discovery discussion
• Peer partnering

New employees:

• Information for new employees

  Please note: The NCWIT is currently in the process of developing additional virtual onboarding tools to support the integration of any new civilian employee to the DND.

Students:

• Information for new students
• Recommended training for new students
• Student Passport

Managers who require additional information or support around virtual onboarding can contact the NCWIT via e-mail.

In addition, all Defence Team members are encouraged to visit the Defence Team COVID-19 web page on Canada.ca for the latest information and resources for civilian and military Defence Team members related to working remotely, business resumption planning, mental health and wellness, and much more.