The Talent Blueprint - After You Hire: Orientation, Onboarding and Retention

About this workshop

After You Hire: Orientation, Onboarding and Retention focuses on what happens after a candidate accepts the job. Explore the difference between orientation and onboarding and learn how the first year of employment can help move a new hire from a newly hired candidate to a fully integrated, engaged, and loyal team member.

This workshop is part of The Talent Blueprint: From Attraction to Retention, a four-part series covering the essential pillars of modern talent management. Each session is designed to stand alone, so you can attend this workshop individually or participate in the full series.

You’ll learn how to:

• Distinguish between employee orientation and effective onboarding.
• Identify key elements of a strong first-year employee experience.
• Create a more intentional approach to integrating new hires into your team and company culture.
• Apply practical strategies to support employee engagement and retention.

Who should attend

This workshop is designed for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and business leaders who want to improve the experience of new and existing employees. It is especially relevant for businesses looking to strengthen onboarding, increase engagement, and create an environment that encourages employees to stay and contribute to the company's success.

What you’ll walk away with

You will leave with practical strategies for creating a stronger transition from new hire to fully integrated team member. You will also gain ideas for improving the first-year employee experience in ways that can support engagement, retention, and positive representation of your company in the broader community.

Presented by

Katie Beach, Mojo Leadership Group

About The Talent Blueprint: From Attraction to Retention

This four-part series provides actionable insights to help businesses build a more engaged, high-performing workforce. Sessions explore the full talent journey, from understanding the value of talent and evaluating the hiring process to attracting candidates, onboarding new employees, and supporting retention.

Series schedule:

• Session 1 — Wednesday, August 26, 10:00–11:30 a.m.: Foundations of Talent Management: The Business Value of Talent
• Session 2 — Thursday, September 24, 10:00–11:30 a.m.: The Talent Funnel: Evaluating Your Attraction and Application Process
• Session 3 — Wednesday, October 21, 10:00–11:30 a.m.: Talent Attraction: Modern Recruitment Strategies for Top Candidates
• Session 4 — Wednesday, November 18, 10:00–11:30 a.m.: After You Hire: Orientation, Onboarding and Retention

Registration

Registration cost: $10.00 per class.

Separate registration is required for each class.

Refunds are not available.

Funding Disclosure

The Virginia SBDC Network is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Commonwealth of Virginia, George Mason University, and local host institutions. Full disclosures regarding federal funding are available at virginiasbdc.org/funding-sources. The Virginia SBDC is nationally accredited by America’s SBDC.

Our workshops, events, and programs are designed with a small business owner in mind. Actionable, sharing of ideas, and takeaways to keep things straight.

The City of Roanoke is our fiscal host. The cost of this workshop is directly allocated to Virginia SBDC, Greater Roanoke & NRV Regional Small Business Development Center programming.

The SBDC reserves the right to cancel a workshop/event/program for insufficient enrollment, weather emergencies, and other unforeseen circumstances. Should a cancellation occur we will use the email you provided to contact you. Pre-registration is highly recommended. If an event is canceled or postponed and you have not pre-registered we will not be able to contact you.

All programs of the Virginia SBDC are open to the public on a non-discriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance.