Capital Power is an independent power producer, based in Edmonton, Alberta, but with operations across North America. It has an aggressive growth strategy with the goal of tripling its generating capacity by 2020. With this strategy, Capital Power needs to increase its workforce of 950 employees and retain the talent that it plans to hire. Feeling that traditional orientation programs were not effective, the senior vice president of HR, environment, and health and safety designed and implemented an onboarding program called Strong Start. The features of the program include the following: 

• A new hire portal, which directs the new employee to content relevant to the position

• An e-learning module, Capital Power 101: The Basics, which outlines the organization’s design, vision, values, leadership team, major policies, and how the company makes money, as well as the growth strategy

• An e-learning module, Capital Power 102: Powering Up and Plugging In, which provides the template for a 100-day developmental plan that the new hire must create with the manager

• A day-and-a-half classroom session with other new hires, which includes a personality inventory (to increase self-insight); a presentation by an executive about the mission, vision, and values; and a plant tour An assessment of the Strong Start program revealed that over 90 percent felt that the program leads to the engagement of employees, aligns employees with the culture of the company, and enables new hires to be more successful. A majority also felt that it will assist in reducing turnover. There has been a 30 percent increase in organizational knowledge among participants. According to a study by Alan Saks (University of Toronto) and Jamie Gruman (University of Guelph), structured onboarding tactics result in more engaged employees who believe that they fit both the job and the organization. Onboarding programs, unlike orientation programs, create opportunities for employees to develop a social network and establish where and how to get information.

Questions 

1. Using the checklist in Highlights in HRM 7.5, compare the requirements for an orientation program to Capital Power’s Strong Start program. What are the differences? 

2. Capital Power has evaluated its program. Using the four levels of evaluation, determine which levels were used. Prepare an evaluation program that will assess the goals of the program and the goals of onboarding outlined by Saks and Gruman.