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17. Mar. 2021
The recently published Director’s Measure Onboarding of CEITEC MU Employees defines the core principles of the institutional onboarding process. This important step was taken as a result of the HR Award gap analysis conducted in 2018, which pointed out that the onboarding process was not coherent across all research groups and didn´t fulfil the high standards commonly practised at western institutes. A successful onboarding process is crucial for any organisation as it has a positive impact on employees´ well-being and also their productivity. It prepares employees for their new professional role, and introduces the institute’s culture and what CEITEC has to offer. It also engages employees, creating researchers that are committed to the institute´s success and who quickly feel like full-fledged members of the CEITEC scientific community. Studies show that the first 90 days are the most essential for building relationships with colleagues and the organisation.
The new director’s measure ensures that all employees, regardless of nationality, gender, or career stage, will participate in a structured onboarding process that helps them to comfortably settle in their new work environment. Every new employee will receive a specific onboarding plan including information about available technologies, specific regulations and general conditions in which he/she will perform the work. After two months from the start of the employment, the individual onboarding plan will be reviewed with the HR manager to receive feedback from the new employee and to ensure that each new employee has received all necessary information and feels comfortable in his new workplace.
The new onboarding process will connect research group leaders and HR professionals who will be jointly guiding new employees through the adaptation process. HR professionals are currently drafting specific onboarding plans that would be feasible and reflect the needs of the newcomers, as well as the needs of specific workplaces. The primary goal is to offer smooth onboarding to all new employees, integration of a newcomer to the team, and adaptation to the local conditions and institutional culture. A working group consisting of group leaders/core facility heads and HR professionals will be put together. Research group leaders and core facility heads who would like to contribute to the creation of the onboarding plans should get in touch with hr@ceitec.muni.cz or nominate a representative from his/her team, who would provide input on their behalf.
All new employees receive a brochure specifically designed for newcomers, called Your Guide at CEITEC MU. This brochure communicates CEITEC´s vision, mission and strategic priorities, defines internal rules and specifies the roles of various administrative departments. It helps new employees to quickly understand the organisational structure of the institute so that everyone knows what kind of administrative support is available and whom to contact. New employees can find out all necessary information about working conditions, but also about various employee benefits, IT support and services, as well as get direct links leading to all relevant institutional documents. Detailed information about research is available on the CEITEC website, and a complete list of services provided to researchers by various administrative departments, including contacts, can be found on the CEITEC Admin Board. The Admin Board also has a search option, where employees can just type a desired task or keyword and they will be linked with the department and personnel responsible.
In 2019, CEITEC MU received the HR Excellence in Research Award and made herewith a clear commitment to become employer of choice for researchers in the area of life sciences. The European Commission will oversee the compliance of the new Recruitment Policy with the HR Award and with the 40 principles of the Charter and Code and will consequently evaluate its proper implementation.
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