Virtually new: A case description of a health system's new employee orientation COVID‐19 response plan

Abstract

As a result of the novel Coronavirus of 2019 (COVID–19), everyday life was transformed globally. With this, organizations were faced with the need to strategically and empathetically balance employee safety with business continuity as their survival largely depended on enacting immediate response measures by shifting to working remotely. When work moved online, essential programs including new employee onboarding, required a transition to virtual learning and development. This case description outlines Jackson Health System's COVID–19 New Employee Orientation (NEO) response plan through the lens of andragogy, with an emphasis on technological considerations. Following a description of decisions and responses to design and execute the virtual orientation program, a discussion is presented of three overarching lessons learned in the process: Virtual onboarding is a necessarily iterative process; virtual onboarding must be intentional; and the technological divide must be addressed. Recommendations for human resource development (HRD) research and practice are offered.