Carnegie Mellon University
EN-8: Employee Orientation

CMU's Weekly Onboarding Sessions and New Hire Orientation include a range of topics, several of which reflect our commitment to multiple dimensions of sustainability and additional resources are available on various CMU webpages for new staff and faculty members.

Weekly Onboarding Sessions
These comprehensive sessions address onboarding tasks and campus services. During the Parking & Transportation section, biking, public transportation, and carpooling are highlighted to encourage alternative transportation commutes. Wellness programming is also outlined, including information that faculty and staff and their household members have access to CMU's Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Employee benefits are also reviewed and assistance provided to identify the options best suited to the employee to meet their physical and mental wellbeing.
  
New Hire Orientation
In additional to the weekly onboarding sessions, new employees are encouraged to attend the monthly New Hire Orientation to learn more about personal and workplace safety and security, university policies, CMU’s mission and culture, and the additional benefits of being a CMU employee.

Since 2013, new employee orientation has included a walking tour of campus that highlights green aspects of the university operations led by staff council. This tour is supplemented by highlighting the campus sustainability efforts and resources on the new hire orientation website that provides a central repository for new employees of key information covered in both the onboarding and orientation sessions.

The presentation also articulates that Carnegie Mellon places importance on fostering diversity and a spirit of inclusion and emphasizing the power of creativity and innovation across the university—from academic and research programs in art and technology to staff positions in finance and administration.
 
We believe a diverse campus community is essential to enriching intellectual exchanges and enhancing cultural understanding. Staff learn about the Carnegie Mellon Women's Association (CMWA) and our growing network of employee resources groups that serve to unite individuals to a common cause and act as a conduit for outreach efforts for the local community and for other campus initiatives. CMWA is open to all women associated with the university including staff, faculty, administrators, trustees, and wives/partners and friends of staff, faculty, administrators, and trustees. CMWA celebrates the diversity and achievements of women at Carnegie Mellon while building a greater sense of community life on campus.

The orientation sessions also cover our CMU's commitment to families and making reasonable accommodations for all to fully participate as productive members of our campus community. Family care initiatives are reviewed including our award winning lactatoin suppport program (recently recognized by the PA Breastfeeding Coalition with a Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer certifcate) as are CMU's disability resources and accommodations process. 

Finally, experts from CMU’s Recreation staff discuss CMU’s commitment to being a healthy workplace, which includes providing resources to help employees manage personal and work-life issues.