Unconventional onboarding | Eagle Hill Consulting

Learning and improvement are a big part of Eagle Hill’s culture. So is our philosophy that every employee’s input is valued and encouraged. A group of employees offered suggestions to strengthen our onboarding process, leading us to completely rethink—and reshape—how we brought new employees into the fold.

Today, we continue to fine-tune our new employee onboarding innovations as the future of hybrid work unfolds around us. What used to be a single, three-day orientation has now evolved into a one-day session about “the basics,” followed by:

A month of
experiential learning

A second, more
in-depth onboarding

A year-long program to support
new hires as they settle in

How we knew the time was right:

The task

Meeting the needs of our evolving, geographically dispersed and hybrid workforce means building super strong connections to each other, to Eagle Hill's culture, and to our clients from the get-go.

We emphasize “learning by doing” in a supportive space. Our onboarding equips new hires with what they need to work side by side with their team as quickly as possible. Employee feedback encouraged us to launch our new hires with only the most relevant information at first, allow them a period of heavily supported experiential learning, then reinforce their learnings with formalized training after a month on the job. For the rest of the first year, we provide ongoing support as our new hires familiarize with and adjust to the award-winning "Eagle Hill way."

Day-to-day at Eagle Hill

Today, our onboarding process starts with a one-day orientation and continues for a new hire’s entire first year.

Get a deeper look at a Year in the Life of an Eagle Hill new team member.

Before starting

Intro email from new hire buddy about what to expect on the first day.

What is a new hire buddy?

THE BUDDY PROGRAM

The buddy program pairs new hires with established Eagle Hillers to give them someone they can connect with right away.

WHY?

Helps new hires get answers and become part of the team more seamlessly
Provides a point person for questions outside of project teams and supervisors
Offers colleagues the chance to connect over coffee and lunches

Sends friendly reminders about onboarding progress and checkpoints
Reminds current employees of their value to Eagle Hill
Creates lasting rapport and relationships between employees

Week 1

Day 1 orientation with basic paperwork and training on systems and policies

Project onboarding including introductions to the team, specifics on the type of work, and what to expect next

New hire buddy check-ins to ask questions on the first day and at the end of week 1

Feedback survey to adjust onboarding on the fly to meet each new hire’s unique needs

Week 2

Regular check-ins with project lead to familiarize with the project and client

New hire buddy and cohort check-in to ask questions, connect with fellow new hires, and hear about their onboarding experience

Week 3

Tips on presenting ideas to leadership and getting involved in business development

Help building an internal network and tools for recognizing colleagues

Month 2 onboarding day

Meeting with senior leadership to learn about Eagle Hill’s strategy and how to get involved

Sessions on career development; comprehensive brand training; business development; and community and culture at Eagle Hill

Meeting with dedicated career advisor to help guide your career journey at Eagle Hill

Beyond

Onboarding over the next year continues at a pace set by the new hire and includes:

Meetings with career advisor to establish career goals

Attending formalized consultant training

Ongoing guidance on getting involved with internal firm-building initiatives, provided by a support group of mentors and delivery partners

Custom leadership onboarding for Directors and above

How it's working for us

In a word, great! Here’s what Eagle Hill’s new hires are saying:

0
%

say Eagle Hill does a good job of integrating new employees into the Eagle Hill culture

0
%

say their new hire buddy program experience was positive

0
%

say their team members were helpful in getting them up to speed

0
%

say their orientation experience provided them the information needed to get started at Eagle Hill

0
%

say they received the training and materials they need to do their job well