Strategies for Working Remotely Panel Discussion – Virtual Onboarding and Mentoring

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and need for many to transition to unplanned remote work, the IDEAS-ECP Productivity project has launched the panel series Strategies for Working Remotely, which explores important topics in this area. The next panel discussion in the series was titled, “Virtual Onboarding and Mentoring”.

Abstract: As we head into the summer months, student internship programs are underway, albeit virtually as many of us are now working remotely in response to COVID-19 social distancing practices. Several laboratories have already onboarded interns and new team members to work remotely with geographically dispersed teams. What are some lessons learned and best practices about onboarding new hires that we can take away from this experience? In the fourth installment of this IDEAS-ECP panel discussion series, we brought together several staff members of DOE laboratories, who spoke about their experiences in onboarding and mentoring new hires virtually. Topics included challenges, lessons learned, unforeseen benefits, and opportunities to look for from this experience. Panelists made brief introductory comments followed by open discussion.

Panelists:

  • Helen Cademartori (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)
  • Marcey Kelley (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)
  • Jay Lofstead (Sandia National Laboratories)
  • Beth Mccormick (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)
  • Raj Sankaran (Argonne National Laboratory)

Moderators:

  • Ashley Barker, ORNL
  • Rebecca Hartman-Baker, LBNL
  • Elaine Raybourn, SNL