ONS Digital

This year we’ve interviewed, hired and welcomed six new interaction and graphic designers to the Digital Publishing team at ONS (Office for National Statistics).

A few weeks ago I ran an anonymous retrospective to review the whole hiring process and their first few weeks and months.

I asked them:

• What went well?
• What didn’t go well?
• What could we do better next time?

Here’s a round-up of the main findings…

Interview

• Give clear instructions on how to prepare.
• Take time to give feedback afterwards.

Before the new starter arrives

• Offer them a chance to meet the team before their first day.
• Give them an idea of what to expect.
• Make the environment nice – put posters up.

Day one

• Give people an idea of what to wear.
• Make sure they know what to bring.
• Create an onboarding guide.
• Introduce people to the wider department.
• Don’t overload people on day one.
• Be available to help.

Structured onboarding

• Create a clear timeline or checklist for the first week.
• Make sure they have access to training sessions.
• Give clear guidance on using admin tools.

Help understanding the organisation

• Give a guided tour round the building.
• Introduce them to the organisation’s strategy and the different departments.
• Don’t use acronyms.

Tech setup

• Make sure they have everything they need on day one (computers, emails and internet access).