E008 - Personalized Preboarding & Why You Need the Buddy System (with Kaira Boston)

In this episode of the Employee Onboarding Poscast, we sit down with Kaira Boston, Program Manager for Dunnhumby,  a global customer data science platform. 

In this conversation, Kaira shares her perspective on employee onboarding from the viewpoint of a project manager.

We dive into the importance of preboarding, which Kaira considers one of the most critical elements of the onboarding process. Preboarding, as Kaira explains, is the period between when an employee accepts an offer and their first day on the job. During this time, Kaira stresses the importance of setting clear expectations and building a connection with new hires.

We also explore the benefits of onboarding buddies, which Kaira believes add a level of personalization and support for new hires. As someone who's spent her entire 20-year corporate career in project management, Kaira is passionate about people management, and it shows in her approach to onboarding.

Tune in to this episode to learn from Kaira's wealth of experience, as she shares insights and best practices for effective employee onboarding. 

Whether you're a new hire, a hiring manager, or a seasoned HR professional, this conversation offers valuable takeaways for anyone looking to improve their onboarding process.

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:05 Kaira Boston, Program Manager at Dunnhumby
• 1:54 Top 5 ingredients of a great onboarding process
• 3:36 How to pick an onboarding buddy
• 4:22 Kaira's personal onboarding experience
• 5:29 How to start creating an onboarding process
• 6:27 How long does it take to build a good onboarding process?
• 7:24 How does technology play a part in interating onboarding process improvements?
• 9:47 How do you personalize the onboarding process?
• 10:53 How do you support onboarding in the first few months?
• 12:14 How has your onboarding experience changed with the different companies you've worked with?
• 13:32 Does good onboarding increase retention?
• 15:22 How has your thinking changed around onboarding?
• 17:02 Outro

Transcript

Tony Brown (Narrator): In this Employee Onboarding Podcast episode, Erin Rice, the people and operations coordinator at Process Street, speaks to Kaira Boston, program manager for Dunnhumby, a customer data science platform. They discuss employee onboarding from a project manager's perspective, pre-boarding's importance, and how onboarding buddies provide personalization and support for new hires.

Erin Rice: Welcome to Process Streets employee onboarding podcast, where we share onboarding ideas and best practices from top HR practitioners. At Process Street, our mission is to make recurring work fast, fun, and faultless for teams everywhere. My name is Erin Rice, and I am the people and operations coordinator at Process Street.

Today, I'm joined by Kaira Boston. Kaira is a program manager at Dunnhumby, a data science company. Kaira's 20-year corporate career has been in project management. At the director level, Kaira enjoys people management. Kaira and I share a love of people and DNA, as Kaira is my big sister. Welcome, Kaira.

Kaira Boston: Hi Erin. Thanks for having me.

Erin Rice: Before discussing onboarding, what do you do outside of managing people and projects?

Kaira Boston: When not managing people, I am a mom to a 15-and-a-half-year-old girl, create art to process life, and walk my two dogs.

Erin Rice: What do you believe are the top three to five ingredients every great onboarding process should have?

Kaira Boston: As a project manager, I believe a clear plan that builds on new employees' knowledge is essential. Links to learning and documentation are required. Having an onboarding buddy, time to meet or greet the team, and project progress checks are also important.

Erin Rice: Are you in a remote, hybrid, or in-person position?

Kaira Boston: I am remote and have been for many years before the pandemic.

Erin Rice: How do you choose an onboarding buddy?

Kaira Boston: We consider availability, location, and region since we are a global company.

Erin Rice: Tell me about your onboarding experience at Dunnhumby.

Kaira Boston: My onboarding has evolved positively in the past four and a half years. It was less formalized, and I had to figure things out independently.

Erin Rice: How did you organize your onboarding process?

Kaira Boston: I used downtime to search our intranet, learn about our products, and understand the organization. I had weekly one-on-ones with my manager, asked questions, and played the "new card" to learn about the company.

Erin Rice: How long did it take you to strengthen the onboarding process?

Kaira Boston: We iterate for every new employee. I handled the first new hire, using Excel initially. I added links, ensured good flow, and checked progress by the 30, 60, and 90-day marks. It keeps evolving, and now we have an education tool for our specific team.

Erin Rice: How did technology impact perfecting the system?

Kaira Boston: The pandemic accelerated technology adoption. Our business kept going due to grocery retailer clients. Technology enables pre-boarding tasks and personal questions, keeps new hires engaged, and helps with reminders. Social media also builds excitement and engagement.

Erin Rice: How is the onboarding process personalized?

Kaira Boston: Learning about new hires through pre-boarding questions and interviews helps personalize the experience. For example, providing their preferred afternoon snack on the first day shows they matter.

Erin Rice: How do you support onboarding past the first few months?

Kaira Boston: My team in the Americas hasn't had new hires recently, but our broader team has. We're busy with a long sales cycle and internal migration projects to support growth.

Erin Rice: How does your onboarding experience compare to other companies?

Kaira Boston: Most of my career moves involved following former colleagues to new companies. As a self-starter, I often just dive in and start working, which has supported my career growth.

Erin Rice: What's the most creative thing a company can do for a new hire?

Kaira Boston: Pre-engagement and making new hires feel like they belong before they start creates a wow moment.

Erin Rice: Any final thoughts?

Kaira Boston: Onboarding isn't just an HR exercise; it's an opportunity to get to know team members and be proactive. Encourage new hires to set up meetings with their colleagues to build relationships and learn from each other.

Erin Rice: Thanks for joining me, Kaira. Have a great day.

Kaira Boston: Thank you, Erin. Bye.