All aboard! Edwards welcomes new employees with On-boarding

  • Published
  • By Kenji Thuloweit
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Learning about Edwards and the resources available to newly hired employees like Briana Green just got better.

Ms. Green took part in Edwards' new On-boarding program for new Department of Defense civilian employees Jan. 18 and 19.

On-boarding is the process of integrating new hires into an organization by providing information on available resources and tools.

"I think the biggest impact was how much the federal service wants to take care of their employees in aspects of health, education and even their family life," said Ms. Green, who was hired to work at the 412th Range Squadron.

This mandatory two-day orientation for civilians began Dec. 6.

"Newcomers' Orientation is geared more towards the military, and our On-boarding process is geared more towards civilians," said Janatte Knobel, On-boarding lead coordinator.

"We did an analysis and we found there was a gap. The employees were not finding out about the correct resources and what [opportunities are] available to them here at Edwards," Ms. Knobel said.

Previously, there was only in-processing, which was similar to day one of On-boarding. The day includes a briefing from Finance, completing paperwork and the swearing in. After lunch, employees will continue in-processing with their units.

With the addition of the second day, new employees get information from several 95th Air Base Wing sections to ensure new employees are fully aware of their opportunities and resources.

Representatives from organizations including the Airman and Family Readiness Center, Edwards Federal Credit Union and the Education and Training Office brief the newcomers for most of the day.

Step-by-step instructions are given and participants are able to ask questions.

On-boarding launched last December, but it is still in stage one with more plans to expand in next few months.

On-boarding is also focused on starting a sponsorship program to further help newly hired people to begin to integrate as part of Team Edwards before they arrive.

"We want each organization to identify an individual who can contact the new employee before they arrive here at Edwards and assist them in their transition from where they're coming from," Ms. Knobel said.

Base leadership wants to emphasize that the Newcomer's Orientation is still an important part of in-processing and civilians are still recommended to attend.

With On-boarding in full effect, it sends a clear message that Edwards is happy to welcome new employees into the Edwards family.

"I was very surprised to see how much they wanted to take care of us," said Ms. Green.

To find out more about On-boarding, contact Ms. Knobel at 277-4672.