Employee Orientation And Job Description

Owner: Director of Finance & Operations (DFO) – with input from all Directors Audience: All OWL staff

Purpose

This document outlines OWL’s onboarding expectations and orientation practices, including initial HR requirements, training protocols, and the organizational context needed for new employees to succeed. It also describes how each position is tied to OWL’s mission and how thoughtful onboarding, grounded in recognized industry best practices, helps ensure team cohesion and clarity from day one.

New Employee Policies and Practices

All newly-hired regular and temporary, part-time, and full-time employees must complete federal and state employee withholding forms (W-4 and NC-4) in order to be paid. All contractors must complete W-9 Form, Request for TIN and Certification, in order to be paid.

All newly-hired regular and temporary, part-time, and full-time employees are subject to the I-9 employment verification process if they are physically performing work for the OWL in the United States.

Section 1 of the I-9 Form must be completed by the employee no later than the day the employee begins employment. Section 2 of the I-9 Form must be completed within three business days after the employee begins employment. If the employee is unable to present acceptable document(s) by the third business day after beginning employment, that employee cannot be allowed to continue to work until such documents are in order. The backdating of I-9 Forms is prohibited.

Employees must also ensure that their emergency contact information is on file in the OWL Personnel Records. Use this form to provide this information and send it to your manager or the OWL Manager.

New Employee Orientation

An employee’s first 90 days of employment are critical to success in their role. During their first 90 days, employees will receive essential training and resources to support them in getting to know their role, their colleagues, and OWL and will check in with their manager at regular intervals to gauge areas for further learning and development.

OWL is committed to developing thoughtful onboarding plans and materials to ensure that employees are set up for success in executing on their responsibilities in service of OWL’s mission. To that end, every new part or full time employee will undergo an onboarding process to ensure they fully understand the expectations of their role and how it aligns with the overall mission of the organization, especially regarding any client-facing work. The OWL orientation follows the Drexler-Sibbet Team Performance Model in order to provide a roadmap for common language and common expectations in the pursuit of high performance. This is the frame of reference that the new employee’s manager or mentor will use to address each of the following points of emphasis:

• Orientation: Why are we here? New employees get a deep sense of the OWL mission and vision, including how their identity, perspective, and expertise can add unique value to the organization.

• Trust Building: Who are you? New employees are provided with opportunities to build mutual respect and open, supportive, and trust-based relationships with colleagues.

• Goal Clarification: What are we doing? New employees are provided with clear roles and responsibilities that ensure they see how that role fits into the overall OWL mission and vision.

• Commitment: How will we do it? New employees learn how the work is done, especially with regard to how they will contribute to decision making and problem solving.

• Implementation: Who does what, when, where? New employees have a sense of clarity and can operate effectively due to the alignment of shared goals.

• High-Performance: The wow factor! The new employee is part of a high-powered collaborative team that is accomplishing more than is expected.

• Renewal: Why continue? The new employee is given recognition that celebrates achievements, as well as time to reflect on lessons learned and areas for improvement for the future.

The new employee’s manager or mentor will provide a customized onboarding plan that follows the above framework, while also including a formal welcome meeting and orientation checklist that addresses the following items (at minimum):

• OWL Annual Report & Budget

• Organization Chart

• Employee Handbook

• Employee Job Description

• Examples of Work Products

Position Description

Every new employee is provided with a job description that thoroughly articulates how their role helps ensure Open Way Learning meets its mission and vision (see next section for more detail). Current roles & responsibilities for OWL employees are found in this folder.