Improved digital welcome for new AU employees
On October 1, an new version of AU’s digital welcome will be launched. Among the improvements is new content aimed specifically at international staff. The digital welcome is a series of videos intended to supplement your unit’s onboarding programme.
Are you ever involved with getting new colleagues off to a good start at AU? Then it’s good to know that a new version of AU’s digital welcome presentation has just been released. The presentation is a series of videos that all new staff get access to on the first day of work. The welcome provides a general introduction to AU, how the university is structured, how we work, and what we value as a workplace.
The new version was developed in response to user evaluations. Among other changes, this version is more visual, divided in to smaller sections and contains new content aimed at international staff.
Specific changes in the new version:
- Existing content has been reorganised and targeted individual users, so that new employees can read about their own faculty or administrative unit from their first day on the job.
- New animations, videos and images that make the content less text-dependent and more user-friendly.
- More content aimed at international staff specifically, including a new welcome video in English with Retor Brian Bech Nielsen that addresses ‘navigating life and work at AU’.
- The content is divided into three shorter sections that are sent to new staff in stages over the course of their first month at AU. This change has been made because the previous format was a bit of an information overload for new staff.
“Onboarding is about transforming first impressions into optimism in the future,” says Rikke Stengaard, deputy university director for AU HR, adding: “Onboarding is not just an introduction – it’s the foundation for employee flourishing and value creation. A well-thought-out welcome leads to a sense of belonging, motivation and a clear direction, both in relation to the individual unit and AU as a whole. The digital format of the process means that it’s accessible, personal and comparable for all. This is where we build the bridge between day one and long-term success – this is where culture and competencies are developed. This is how both the person and the organisation grow together.” Rikke Stengaard’s unit is responsible for developing and updating the welcome.
The new digital welcome presentation was shaped by user feedback
The first version of the digital introduction to Aarhus University was launched in April 2021. Since then, the information in the welcome presentation has been kept up-to-date (things like key stats and names of units). In the fall of 2024, the time had come for a thorough evaluation to clarify whether aspects of the welcome presentation could be improved and made more user-friendly.
More than 400 new hires participated in the evaluation. They were asked whether they found the welcome relevant and if there were any aspects that could be improved, among other questions. Users were generally satisfied with the digital welcome presentation, but would like to see more practical information, content tailored to international employees and - not least - a more visual form of communication. The improvements in the new version reflect this feedback.
The digital welcome presentation in brief
Every year, AU onboards about 2,000 new employees on permanent and short-term contracts. Local onboarding programmes help these new hires get off to a good start at the university.
The digital welcome presentation presents the most essential information that all new hires at AU need to know – in addition to a warm welcome from our rector. The digital welcome presentation is intended to supplement local onboarding programmes, providing an overall introduction to AU, the structure of the university, how we work and what values inform our workplace. It takes about an hour to watch the entire presentation.
All employees can watch the welcome presentation on the Digital Welcome website.
Please note that all employees are considered new staff in the system. As a result, some content is locked at first and will unlock after 10 and 24 days respectively. From 1 October, new employees will receive an email invitation on their first working day—and again after 10 and 24 days—explaining that the content is released in stages.