Thursday, 9/18/2025 from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM EST

Room: W109 A

Topic(s):
Access for All, Career Development, Hiring, Leadership and Personnel Management, Workforce Development

Description:
In 2022, Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation launched a transformational workplace culture initiative, emphasizing employee experience through a high-performing, welcoming environment. While this cultural shift transformed how the organization operated, onboarding became a cornerstone of the journey. By aligning onboarding practices with the cultural foundations — professionalism, respect, accountability, integrity and citizenship — Virginia Beach redefined what it means to welcome new employees and set them up for success. This session will dive into the critical role onboarding plays in shaping workplace culture and creating a sense of belonging from day one. Attendees will gain actionable insights and tools to design onboarding strategies that inspire, connect and cultivate a legendary employee experience. Key takeaways include: 1) Creating onboarding practices aligned with organizational culture; 2) Leveraging employees’ input to shape meaningful onboarding journeys; 3) Continuous tracking and improvement to maintain engagement; and 4) Crafting onboarding that prioritizes wide-ranging development and belonging. Leave with a roadmap to transform your onboarding program into a launchpad for cultivating culture and performance.

Learning Objectives:

1. Attendees will understand how to align onboarding practices with organizational culture to foster legendary employee experiences.

2. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to create onboarding experiences that foster a connection between new employees, their immediate team, and the organization.

3. Attendees will gain confidence to facilitate a deliberate, pre-planned onboarding program that fosters a symbiotic employee-employer relationship and supports the employee’s long-term success.

Speaker(s):
Anna Elias Perez
Theresa Cummings