Onboarding needs of New Sales Managers

Empowering new talent through an employee-centred transformative onboarding experience

How to help HR become human-centred in designing their onboarding experience

Onboarding new employees into over 250 years of tradition, craftsmanship, and brand storytelling is no easy feat - and fostering an innovative mindset alongside this legacy adds another level of complexity. When a prestigious French luxury house set out to attract top talent and empower its HR team to think more creatively, they turned to us to help train and facilitate their HR team to redesign and elevate their onboarding process.

The goal: to ensure new hires feel welcomed, engaged, and confident as they embark on their careers with the organization, while encouraging HR to embrace innovative approaches.

Two key Initiatives


1. In-Depth Research to uncover real needs

2. Workshop Design & Facilitation 

To achieve these goals, we focused on two key initiatives:

The Journey in an image

Outcomes

Key Learning Outcomes:

Enhanced HR Skills

HR participants gained practical experience in human-centered innovation and facilitation techniques, equipping them to approach future projects with a more empathetic and user-focused mindset.

Creation of Tailored Onboarding Experiences

Development of onboarding experiences specifically designed for three different personas, ensuring that new hires feel welcomed and supported according to their unique needs.

Increased Collaboration and Engagement

The workshop fostered a collaborative environment among HR participants, leading to improved communication and teamwork, which is essential for effective onboarding processes.


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Long-Term Impact:

Sustainable Onboarding Framework

Implementation of a robust onboarding framework that can be continuously refined and adapted based on feedback and changing organizational needs, ensuring long-term effectiveness.

Cultural Shift Towards Employee-Centricity

A lasting shift in organizational culture towards a more employee-centric approach, leading to increased engagement, satisfaction, and retention among new hires.

Ongoing Innovation in HR Practices

Establishment of a mindset of continuous improvement within the HR team, encouraging ongoing innovation in onboarding and other HR practices, ultimately enhancing the overall employee experience.

Onboarding Insights Report 

An overview of Needs, Personas and Opportunities to transform Onboarding Journeys.

Methods Tools Techniques

Research: Ethnographic Interviewing, Photo Journals, Group Synthesis, HMW Opportunity Statements, Personas

Training: Challenge Framing, JTBD interviewing, group Synthesis, Ideation techniques, Experience Mapping, Mash-up, Rapid-prototyping, Human-Centred Communication, Reflection

Duration of the Programme


Research: 6 weeks

Training Design & Delivery: 6 weeks 

Team Structure

Core Team:

1 Lead Designer, 1 Client Partner, 1 co-facilitator

Extended Team:

Client: 2 HR Leaders

Our Learnings


BEYOND THE PROJECT SCOPE: CULTIVATING CULTURE THROUGH DEEP INSIGHTS

Ethnographic research is a qualitative method that systematically studies individuals in their natural environments to understand their lifestyles and work practices. Building rapport and ensuring a sense of safety for participants are crucial foundations of this approach. The insights gained can be revealing, necessitating the utmost confidentiality, which we maintained throughout this project. Importantly, we were able to extend our support beyond the project's initial scope, initiating vital conversations about culture and values. This experience underscored a significant lesson in culture transformation training and design.