Pre- and onboarding of new employees

In the pre-boarding phase, it is important to maintain the new employee’s motivation for the new job and the organisation. For example, you can invite future colleagues to lunch and/or give them a tour of the workplace, even if the new employee has not yet started.

The pre-boarding should also include an introduction to your organisation. Send interesting learning materials that introduce your department or centre, such as strategy and good stories that you are proud of.

Pre-boarding creates a sense of security and can help new employees more quickly feel a sense of belonging to the workplace, which helps to give new employees a good start, allow them to settle into the new job more quickly and work effectively – and not least, it can help to retain new employees in the longer term.

Onboarding is much more than welcoming an employee on their first day of work or the checklist of practical things that need to be in place.

Onboarding should be a structured process, and you should have a concrete onboarding strategy that can be used each time a new employee is hired. This is both to make it easy for the organisation and colleagues, but also to help new employees on board in the best possible way.

Ideally, this should be few and simple measures that are observed, rather than extensive processes that neither managers nor colleagues have the time or energy for on a daily basis.

It is important that the new employee feels they are the focal point of the process. Therefore, onboarding must be adapted to the new employee and it must be clear that the focus is on them.

It is a management responsibility to share the onboarding strategy with the new employee’s colleagues and actively involve them in the strategy, while employees need to be prepared to integrate new colleagues and help ensure they become part of your culture and communities. That is why everyone needs to contribute to making the onboarding process the best it can be.

A good tool is to set up mentoring schemes in which colleagues are given a role in the onboarding process, such as social mentor and professional mentor. The social mentor should ensure that the new colleague becomes part of the social community and thus feels more secure at work. The professional mentor must ensure that the employee has someone to soundboard with and gets to grips with concrete work tasks and professional networks.

The website of SDU's International Staff Office (ISO) contains information on a wide range of relevant aspects for international researchers and their accompanying family. It’s a good idea to send the website URL to future international employees. See also ISO’s guide (in Danish only) regarding recruitment of international employees.

ISO automatically receives a copy of the employment contract when an international employee is hired. ISO will then contact the future employee, who receives a welcome email. ISO will also initiate the application process for a work and residence permit when applicable. In addition, ISO provides guidance on the various options that the future employee has in connection with employment regarding holiday regulations, pension scheme, researcher taxation, etc. When the employee arrives in Denmark, ISO is happy to hold a welcome meeting with the employee and their family.

SDU’s International Staff Office (ISO) assists international recruitment with everything from work and residence permits, Danish holiday and tax regulations, welcome meetings, etc.

ISO offers a Dual Career Programme, where help is provided to an accompanying spouse/partner who is looking for a job in Denmark.

We would also like to call attention to the association Work-Live-Stay Southern Denmark (in Danish only). A private association with roots in Southern Denmark, Work-Live-Stay Southern Denmark works to ensure an optimal framework for attracting, receiving and retaining highly qualified labour for companies, so that they have the best prerequisites for developing and growing their business areas.

Danish as well as international academic staff are expected to participate in the necessary qualifying English and Danish courses. This is to ensure that both Danish and international lecturers at all times possess the language skills required to teach on the various programmes. See SDU’s language policy for information on available Danish and English courses.

When stationing employees or hiring international academic staff whose place of work is abroad, please contact the International Staff Office for more information.