Seneca’s Unconditional Education (UE) team is more than a collection of programs — we are an evolving network committed to continuously improving our staff experience. Each year, our staff’s feedback from surveys, stay interviews, the leadership council, and more helps shape our priorities and guide meaningful change. As our program continues to grow, one theme we’ve noticed is requests for more consistent onboarding experiences so that regardless of role (clinician, behavioral support staff, UE Coach, Operations, Strategic Initiatives, etc.), all UE staff receive a similar orientation to the work, our values, and our partnerships.

This year, the Behavior, Clinical, Coach, Operations and Strategic Initiatives Strand Leads have been meeting to focus on one of the most important moments in an employee’s journey: Onboarding!

A strong onboarding experience does more than introduce policies and procedures. It sets the tone for engagement, performance, and long-term success. Based on research and best practices, we are refining our approach to ensure every new hire feels supported, connected, and set up to thrive.

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Here’s what will guide our approach:

• A Research-Informed Approach: Our onboarding model follows the 5 C’s framework developed by companies known for their well-developed onboarding programs, like Netflix and Google:
  • Compliance – Clear policies and procedures
  • Clarification – Defined roles and expectations
  • Culture – Understanding who we are and how we work
  • Connection – Building strong relationships
  • Check-ins – Ongoing support and feedback

• A Clear 3-Stage Flow: Onboarding will move include information:
  • About UE – Mission, vision, services, and procedures
  • About the Team – Team roles and cross-functional connections
  • About the Role – Role-specific responsibilities and expectations

• Key Enhancements:
  • Program-wide leadership involvement so new staff know who to connect with
  • Gradual introduction of work to prevent overload
  • Job shadowing for real-time, hands-on learning
  • Regular check-ins, including 30/60/90-day surveys
  • In the first 90 days, we will align with the 70-20-10 learning model: 70% hands-on experience, 20% social learning, and 10% formal training

By strengthening onboarding, we aim to set every new team member — and our entire network — up for success.

UE’s New Onboarding Experience will be launched in June 2026!  We will keep you updated via the Executive Directors Newsletters! If you have input in the meantime or if you have something we should consider as we build out this initiative, please email me directly at [email protected].