The Joint Munitions Command launched an updated and resilient onboarding program. The program illustrates that JMC’s senior leaders know the importance of the onboarding process for new employees.
The objective of JMC’s onboarding program is to facilitate a smooth transition for new employees and help them feel included by understanding their role, the command’s mission, and how each role supports the Department of the Army.
The human resources team at JMC’s headquarters recently hosted a virtual training for supervisors to help them understand the resources available such as the onboarding Sharepoint site and hear about onboarding experiences from different perspectives of leadership.
“With our updated and innovative onboarding program, we want the resources to be available to all users at the click of a button, to include supervisors, sponsors, and new employees,” said Michelle Timmerman, JMC’s deputy chief of staff for human resources.
During the training, Tina Manns, Chief of the Strategic Outreach Branch at the Army Civilian Career Management Activity, discussed how the Army onboarding program has evolved in recent years, and the intent for the future of onboarding. Manns said JMC is creating onboarding practices for the rest of the Army to copy.
“Onboarding refers to the processes in which new hires are integrated into the organization. It includes activities that allow new employees to complete an initial new-hire orientation process, as well as learn about the organization and its structure, culture, vision, mission, and values,” according to the Society for Human Resource Management.
“From my perspective, the most important thing is about making that new employee - whether they are brand new to government service or just transitioning from a different GS position or truthfully any organization – it’s about bringing that person in and making them feel as if they’re part of the team,” said Lt. Col. Jason Knapp, JMC’s chief of staff. “Integrating them immediately and immersing them into the culture of our organization.
“When we bring a new employee in, they want to feel like they’re part of the team and that has to start with the onboarding process,” Knapp added. “If we don’t get that right up front, then we’re setting a negative tone for those employees for their time here, and truthfully; a lot of them probably aren’t going to want to stay. Onboarding also has a lot to do with retention.”
The No. 1 priority for Col. Ronnie Anderson Jr., JMC’s commander, is the command’s people, and he has set a goal of 45-days to hire new members of JMC’s workforce.
The installations in JMC’s Organic Industrial Base aren’t all currently using the same onboarding model, but the human resources team at JMC’s headquarters will be partnering with them to ensure the updated onboarding program is effective across the enterprise.
"We will standardize onboarding best practices across all commands to ensure that every team member is well-equipped for success and feels a sense of belonging,” Anderson said. “By fostering a supportive onboarding environment, we aim to communicate that everyone has a promising future on our team and encourage a desire to stay and thrive. We remain committed to providing the necessary resources for each employee to engage successfully as we continue to welcome new members into our workforce.”
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