A new digital welcome presentation will give future new employees of AU a clear, accessible introduction to Aarhus University as an organisation and workplace. The presentation is intended as a supplement to local onboarding programmes.

2021.03.24 | Louise Asmund-Hjorth

Screenshot from the first film in the digital welcome presentation, in which rector welcomes new empleoyees

Every year, about 2,000 new employees start work at Aarhus University in both permanent and fix-termed positions. Onboarding programmes organised decentrally help these new employees get off to a good start; until now, the central administration offered a packet of written information about AU to supplement local onboarding activities. But from Thursday 25 March, a digital welcome presentation will replace the previous printed welcome packet.

The digital welcome consists of three short films followed by short texts, images and graphics that together provide a general insight into the structure, history, strategy and different units of the university, as well as the personnel policy and work practices. The welcome is accessible from a computer, smartphone or tablet, and employees can watch it at their own pace.

According to deputy director for HR, Anne Lindholm Behnk, the digital welcome is a natural step in the ongoing development of AU's approach to employee recruitment and onboarding:

"With the digital welcome, all new employees will receive a general introduction to Aarhus University as an organisation and workplace. The new format presents this information in a lively, accessible format that employees can access whenever and whenever they like. Hopefully, it will be a useful supplement to the big effort that that departments, schools and units put into getting new employees off to a good start. Because we know that a good introduction at an early stage of employment contributes to performance, loyalty, commitment and better retention. The final step in a successful recruitment process is successful onboarding,"said Behnk.

Will be automatically sent by email

In future, new employees will automatically receive a link to the welcome presentation when they have been given access to an AU email account. Jesper Aagaard, PhD student at the Department of Law, who was hired in late summer 2020, tested the digital welcome before the launch:

“AU is a big place, obviously. It’s not a place you get to know intimately right from the start, but the digital welcome helps you on your way. The format functions well, not least the combination of film and small blocks of text that you can navigate yourself. The first film, a welcome from the rector, made a big impression. It was warm and personal, and I felt very welcome. In general, the welcome contains a lot of useful information that I have been able to use – even some time after I started,” Aagaard said.  

All employees who have started or will start working at AU after 1 January 2021 will receive an invitation in their AU inboxes. Explore the digital welcome presentation

Further information

If you have any questions about the digital welcome, please contact Project Manager Ina Wilkens Nissen, AU HR (iwn@au.dk).

The digital welcome presentation in brief

• The digital welcome presentation provides a general introduction to AU as an organisation and workplace.
• It consists of three short films followed by short texts, images and graphics that together provide an overview of the university’s structure, history, strategy and various units, as well as the personnel policy and work practices.
• It takes about 30-45 minutes to watch the entire presentation.
• The presentation can be accessed from a computer, smartphone or table.
• The presentation can be stopped at any point and resumed at a later time.
• The digital welcome was developed by AU HR in collaboration with the administration and with input from recent hires, both academic technical/administrative.
• The welcome will be updated approx. every six months, and the date of the most recent update will appear on the start page. Any input and updates can be sent to digitalvelkomst.hr@au.dk
• Explore the digital welcome presentation