How-To
Onboarding New TAM Staff
There are many resources available to help onboard new TAM staff. Some resources may need to be adapted and/or curated in a way to make it easier for the person who has no TAM knowledge to digest the information. The following are steps that can be taken to maximize the learning and building readiness for the role.
Understand the Roles and the Skills
There are many different TAM roles needed in your agency so clearly document what you think are the skills needed to be successful at the role. It's also important to clearly define the tasks that the role needs to carry out. One technique for defining a job role is to create a job book. There are several examples of job books at transportation agencies.
Understand the New Staff and their Skills
When onboarding a new staff, it's also important to understand their background and know what skills they have already. One person may already be coming into the role with some TAM knowledge while another may not have any but bring specialized skills that are needed. This knowledge will help you shape the resources you use to onboard the new staff.
Inventory the TAM Resources Related to the Skill Needs for the Role
Build an inventory of TAM resources that will help a new TAM staff get started in their role. This library of resources should be maintained with each new employee who starts. It will include customized approaches for staff with different skills. It will include an online training course and other training materials. These resources will be useful with each new employee.
Develop an Onboarding Plan for Each TAM Employee
Use the combination of the first three steps to develop an onboarding plan for each new employee. This onboarding plan will align each person's schedule with the sequence of material they should consume. It will be timed with trainings that are offered by others with the timing of the offerings.
Direct New Employee to Specific Resources and Provide Guidance on How They Should Use It
Be clear with the new staff on why each resource is important to their job. Describe its importance and how they should be used to carry out their job tasks. Communicate that building knowledge about TAM is an ongoing process where understanding TAM concepts unlocks new knowledge that they will be learning.
Evaluate Learning Progress and Adjust Onboarding Plan
Make sure the TAM staff's onboarding is a continuous process that monitors their learning and what knowledge has been built. The onboarding plan should transition to a training plan that continues their knowledge building.
Add Resources to Your TAM Resources Base
With each new TAM staff, it is likely that new TAM resources are discovered. You may also learn of new resources through your contact with peers and through national activities such as webinars and peer exchanges. When a new resource is identified, be sure to add it to your onboarding resources inventory in Step 3. This will make it easier to onboard your next new TAM staff.