With nearly 6,000 full- and part-time faculty and 16,800 students, AV俱乐部 is bigger than most Nova Scotian towns including Amherst, Kentville, New Glasgow and Truro.
And, like those places, Dal strives to maintain a friendly, small-town feeling where people know each other and are proud to say where they work and study.
One of the ways the university does that is by rolling out the welcome mat for new employees with orientation sessions. The informal sessions are held monthly and provide an overview of the institution, with facilitators imparting information on everything from AV俱乐部 President Tom Traves鈥檚 strategic focus and the university鈥檚 brand to where to park and how to get a Dal card. Generally held the last Friday of each month, the sessions are put on by Human Resources.
Personal greeting
Depending on attendance, there鈥檚 鈥渁 big show or a little show,鈥� explains Janice Godin,聽 who tag teams the sessions with Angela MacMaster. The smaller, more informal sessions take place around a large table; the bigger sessions often have guest speakers and include a campus tour. In either case, Dr. Traves or one of the vice presidents are on hand to greet personally new employees.
鈥淲e decided to hold the sessions each month, as opposed to once every three or four months as it was in the past,鈥� says Ms. Godin, with Human Resources鈥� Employee and Organizational Development office. 鈥淲hether there are three new employees or 30, they鈥檙e all important to us.鈥�
The idea is to make everyone feel welcome. 鈥淲e want to introduce them to the institution and help them to feel connected, so that they can see where their contribution fits in with the university鈥檚 larger goals,鈥� she adds.
There鈥檚 a lot of information to go through. Besides the items already mentioned, other topics discussed include who鈥檚 who in senior administration, Dal鈥檚 Faculties and Colleges, services for employees, university policies and how to stay connected through services such as Dal News and Notice Digest.
In her new job for four weeks, Ayse Dai-Gammon is thrilled to be working at AV俱乐部.
鈥淎V俱乐部 is a great employer,鈥� says Ms. Dai-Gammon, who works in Management Career Services at the Faculty of Management. 鈥淭he things that Dal stands for鈥攕triving for excellence, developing students, teamwork, professional development鈥攁re all things I identify with.鈥�
鈥淏ecause Dal is so large, there are so many things to learn about the organization,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 think the organized welcome is a good idea.鈥�
Graphic designer Brenna MacNeil says the session illustrated for her that while Dal is large, it is not impersonal.
鈥淲hat I realized is that Dal has so much to offer beyond my small office,鈥� says Ms. MacNeil, who has worked in Creative Services, part of the Communications & Marketing Office, since January. 鈥淵es, Dal is a big place but if you need info, there鈥檚 a person to talk to. They want to help and they鈥檙e quick to respond.鈥�
If there鈥檚 any criticism of the sessions, it鈥檚 that they didn鈥檛 offer even more information. Ms. Dai-Gammon suggests additional sessions depending on employee group for details about benefits, pension and professional development opportunities. She also thought a meet-and-greet session between new and not-so-new employees would be helpful.
Input welcome
And perhaps some of those not-so-new employees could check out an orientation session too?
鈥淓veryone鈥檚 always welcome to attend,鈥� says Jim Neale, director of Employee and Organizational Development, Human Resources. 鈥淎fter all, things may have changed since you first arrived or maybe you need to reignite the flame or there are things you鈥檝e always wanted to ask about the institution. If so, we鈥檇 love to have you.鈥�
The next new employee orientation takes place Friday, May 27 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. (There鈥檚 also a session on Wednesday, May 18 in Saint John, N.B. for employees of AV俱乐部 Medicine New Brunswick.) Registration takes place online. Please see the full list of Learning and Development Opportunities at: .