A new Cornell employee's first day on the job is completely different now than it was even a year ago, thanks to the new Cornell Onboarding Center, which provides a "one-stop" service that takes the place of visiting various campus offices to conduct the business of becoming a Cornell employee.

Through this single visit, newly hired nonacademic regular full- and part-time staff members and bargaining unit employees meet one-on-one with individuals to: complete required paperwork; activate a Cornell NetID and email account; receive a staff photo ID; select parking and transportation options; review benefits information; and enter personal data into the university's database.

A streamlined NetID activation process and an enhanced Welcome to Cornell website also allow new hires to complete some of these details before their start date.

"The new onboarding process is designed to help new staff and their families transition to Cornell and become vital members of the university and local communities," said Mary Opperman, vice president for human resources and safety services. Studies have shown that networking and having a sense of belonging are key to attracting and retaining employees -- two strategic goals of the university, Opperman said.

She hopes to extend the Cornell Onboarding Center's services to new academic hires during this academic year.

The center, which is located in East Hill Plaza at 327 Pine Tree Road, began delivering services March 1. As of June 30, 103 new staff employees had been welcomed by the onboarding center, with 81 percent having activated their NetIDs prior to their start date and 97 percent indicating that they felt welcomed in their new workplace.

"I had worked at Cornell for 12 years and left in June 2010," said C.J. Burnett, an administrative assistant in the College of Engineering who went through the onboarding process on her first morning back in April 2011. "I loved having everyone there in the same office to take care of the new ID and parking options all at once." She also appreciated meeting the Benefit Services staff, so that if she needed to call them she would feel comfortable doing so.

Henry Frazer, who as custodian for special events at Robert Purcell Community Center is experienced in the hospitality industry, said he was "treated with respect and felt honored by the individualized attention" he received. "It creates a professional first impression. Sonja Baylor helped walk me through the online application and enrollment process, and Chris Edwards and David Richardson were there to answer any questions I had."

Frazer also signed up for the Welcome to Cornell session, which includes a breakfast and bus tour around campus, which helped orient him to the broader Cornell campus.

Pat Wynn, director of the Cornell Store since her May 16 start date, said she was impressed with the onboarding center. "We didn't do anything like that in the corporate office where I worked previously," she said, adding that the staff at the center were "extremely friendly and professional -- it was worth my time. ... It addressed pretty much everything I was concerned about -- the benefits, retirement, overview of resources, parking."