“Onboarding starts with satisfying the most basic of Maslow’s psychological needs: belonging. New hires shouldn’t arrive to an empty cube and be forced to forage through corridors searching for a computer and the bare necessities of office life. A new hire isn’t a surprise visitor from out of town. Plan for their arrival.”
-Jay Samit
All companies are in search of prize people that will help them grow and improve. Whether it is a 10x coder, a talented maintenance technician, or a person with leadership skills that can fulfill e-commerce orders, the competition for talent is high.
The Columbus Region has been fortunate to grow its population by nearly 10 percent this decade, driven by employment growth of over 16 percent. These tens of thousands of people have moved to the Columbus metro from both near and far. Let us not forget those who have moved for additional reasons, including new graduates, young families and employees working to execute a short-term assignment or major construction project.
We pride ourselves on being an open and smart community—open to all kinds of people and their ideas. But we can always do more. How do we truly welcome people to our region? Who welcomes them? Who lets them know how to use our transportation system, or how to navigate the education and workforce training system? Who helps them find the best career opportunities?
Two great resources for international residents include Mayor Ginther’s New American Leadership Academy and Governor Kasich’s Opportunities for New Americans. However, most of these good people are left to fend for themselves, hunting through the myriad of websites or relying on word of mouth to get connected.
Be it simple gestures or systematic programs, we can gain so much when we intentionally reach out to those new in our communities, and in turn, help them to be productive contributors to their individual neighborhood and larger economy. Whether your community is growing or not, being a welcoming place can help you build a more diverse, skilled and productive workforce.
-Kenny McDonald
One Columbus Update
- One Columbus is co-hosting a cyber-security seminar with AT&T on Wednesday, October 3. Click here to register!
- Last week, members of our team attended the Chinese Chamber of Commerce Annual Gala, IAMC Forum, and MGA Summit.
- This week, our team is attending the North American Strategy For Competitiveness (NASCO) 2018 Reunion and the ASPIRE Columbus 2018 Conference.