Get inboarding right in five easy steps

So…as the hiring manager, you’ve put your role out to expressions of interest, and an internal candidate has proven to be the most qualified for the position.

First, well done. This means your internal talent management is in good shape. Internal promotions are shown to positively impact staff happiness beyond the individual being promoted. But this candidate won’t need traditional onboarding because they already work for the university. So how do you make sure your employee thrives in their new position?

Inboarding, sometimes known as internal promotion, is when an internal candidate is promoted to a new position instead of an external hire. Universities aren’t always the best at this; higher education institutions often prefer to open roles to external competition or they dismiss internal candidates without proper consideration. However, some institutions are embracing internal talent management and trying to open up internal progression through new routes.

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With this in mind, here is guidance for hiring managers who are inboarding an internal promotee.

1. Create a bespoke welcome package

You know this person, so they shouldn’t be given run-of-the-mill training documentation. Like anyone coming into a new job, they will will have gaps and may need training, but you will know their needs before the date they start.

Pull together a training plan for them that encompasses:

• mandatory training for the role
• shortfalls identified during interview
• developmental areas as identified by their current team.

Put in clear timescales and deadlines for completing the training, including how to access support, should they need it. Make sure you arrange their schedule for the first few weeks or months to ensure that they have time to get their training done. Unlike a new hire, an inboardee is likely to have a fuller diary from day one, plus they will likely still be fielding questions from their previous role, so they may need some time protected.

2. Factor in team-building activities

Even if the employee is familiar with the institution, they will still need to integrate into their new team. Team-building could be a whole-team awayday, if budget stretches, or a team meeting with informal aspects and team-building games built in. This has several benefits:

• Team-building allows your inboardee to meet their team if they don’t know them already, or helps them to find a new baseline in their new position
• Your team can get to know the inboardee or welcome them into their position
• It starts the team-building process. Going through group stages of forming, storming and norming before getting to performing can be harder with an internal promotion than with a new hire because of preconceptions from all parties.

Good icebreaking activities include a Manual of Me intro (you can search online for lots of examples of these) or a “two facts and a lie” game. Anything that engages people to talk about themselves in a way they might not have before will be effective here.

3. Consider behaviour analysis

Business analysis tools that determine personality types and how they work together can be useful. The Myers-Briggs framework is a commonly used one, but you may have someone internally trained in a specific form of personality analysis for business. These sorts of quizzes can be helpful in unpacking work preferences and identifying people in your team who might more naturally enjoy working together. If you have the budget, an external consultancy can run a bespoke day for you, but otherwise ask your learning and development team if they can support you.

4. Consider job-shadowing or meet-and-greet opportunities

Look at the option of having the new hire job-shadow or do meet-and-greets before they start in role.

Time management for this can be a tricky one, though, and is often dependent on specific circumstances. In some cases, your inboardee will have capacity and willingness to start acting up before their official start date. In others, they will need to be working in their previous role right up until the point they move across to the new team.

Adaptability is key, but even if opportunities to get them acclimatised their new role are slim, or they take a leave period between roles, for example, do invite them to team socials or lunches so they can choose to join.

5. Manage the other members of the team

Be aware of office politics with an internal promotion, especially if you have had multiple internal applicants for the same position. It might be that it’s time for a team restructure, or for closer line management engagement if you have disappointed people in your team.

If other unsuccessful candidates are part of your team, it might be useful to spend time making a structured development plan for the disappointed person, so they still feel invested in. Job-shadowing in other departments or a new mentor might also be helpful for them. The situation might also require ongoing monitoring to ensure that your team are bedding in well together.

While your process for an inboardee will look different from that for onboarding into the institution from outside, it is still key to have in place. This will allow your new promotee to find their feet more quickly, and allow your team to welcome them to their new position more easily.

Alexandra Head is head of talent and resourcing at the University of Southampton.

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