New employees find value in orientation sessions
If you’re one of the many new employees who has joined Team HISD in the past few months, you might be wondering if the regularly scheduled orientation sessions are worth attending. If so, just ask a few of your colleagues.
“I found the session to be extremely helpful,” said Glennis Gilmore-McCray, who works with students receiving Special Education services at Westbury High School. “The most important thing I learned was that I was not alone. I came to HISD from a smaller district and I was worried that I would just be one of many here. But after the orientation, I felt assured that I mattered and that I was a part of a great group of people.”
Gilmore-McCray was particularly pleased with the support network she was able to build in just a few hours. “I liked the fact that everyone I came in contact with was helpful, knowledgeable, and understanding of my million questions,” she added. “And I loved the fact that I received email addresses and phone numbers from all of the people who spoke to me.”
Nancy Jorlando, who joined HISD recently as a nurse at DeChaumes Elementary School, said she also found the orientation useful. “It was informative,” she said, “and it educated me on topics that I did not have prior knowledge about. The venue was very nice and I liked the interactive questions with graphed responses.”
A third employee, who responded to an anonymous survey conducted after the session, called the orientation “a very valuable experience.”
“I’ve worked for 25 years and didn’t know what some of the benefits/insurance terminology meant until now,” he/she wrote.
And Anthony Hill, a manager in Transportation Services, was pleased to discover all of the resources available on the district’s website. “I found that almost all of the forms and information I need to do my job can be found on the portal,” he said, “along with any training that I may need to do my job better.”
The next new employee orientation session is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014. Participants can expect to learn about benefits, retirement options, and an overview of HISD’s Strategic Direction and employee policies. For additional dates or to register, please see this related article.
