Last updated at Tue, 25 Apr 2023 22:00:43 GMT

Rapid7’s onboarding program, Making the Band, first came to the stage in the fall of 2017 when the original 2-week, video-based program evolved into a dynamic 90-day experience. The updated program delivered learnings to new hires through digital self-paced content and a 2-day live training focused on tactical elements, as well as foundational company knowledge.

However, in the spirit of Never Done, the Rapid7 People Development team challenged convention and recently evolved the onboarding program to address the needs of our evolving business and the future of work.

After analyzing the current state of the program, People Development realized that what was needed was a streamlined experience that supported and connected a growing, hybrid company, as well as one that aligned and prepared employees for role-specific success, regardless of their location or position.

The goal of this work was to reimagine the current onboarding process in a way that sustained the essence of the original 2017 experience, but also adapted and scaled as we onboarded a global new hire population. This would be achieved by keeping ALL Moose in mind, curating opportunities that built connections in this new normal, emphasizing the importance and impact of our culture, and seamlessly guiding new Moose through the fundamentals in order to shorten their time to impact.

Flipped learning: Delivering a vision for evolution

A primary focus for Rapid7’s People Strategy team is to help our Moose build the best career experience. Onboarding is the first step to building this experience. Denee D’Andrea, Sr. People Development Specialist and visionary behind the evolved program, recognized this and wanted to ensure that the program delivered the right content at the right time. This resulted in a new global onboarding experience that extended beyond one-and-done live sessions and self-paced content to a full, multifaceted experience, using blended learning and flipped-classroom approaches.

D’Andrea’s new onboarding vision focused on 3 key phases grounded in our Core Values: Connection, Impact in Your Role, and Embodiment of Bring You.

Rapid7 recognized creating connections was a key element of success while working in a hybrid environment. Because of that, D’Andrea partnered with organizations across the business to ensure opportunities for connection were threaded throughout the entire program. The Connection piece was fostered using the flipped approach – meaning the majority of “classroom time” was spent teaching through discussions led by Rapid7 Culture Ambassadors (our own Moose!) and subject matter experts.

Additionally, to stay true to the Challenge Convention mindset, I created a fully virtual, interactive multi-phase challenge with the goal of further encouraging connections. By navigating animations, digital games, and customized puzzles and codes, new hires were introduced to the security landscape, customer challenges, and Rapid7’s portfolio. The intentional design of the challenge provided the space and activities to encourage discussion and collaboration towards a common goal. New Moose would not only connect with each other (regardless of their location) but also feel like they were connecting with Rapid7’s history, culture, and Core Values.

Next, Impact in your Role focused on encouraging the Never Done mindset and highlighted the connection between individual growth and the success of our teams, customers, and the company as a whole. This mindset was woven throughout the entire 90 days, both within “classroom time” and in the on-demand, self-paced digital content. To create the most impactful learning environment, the team again utilized the flipped classroom. Live sessions provided collaborative learning and discussion opportunities, and then digital flipped-learning materials further fleshed out the learnings. This design ensured New Moose not only benefited from social learning but also fostered accountability to their development both during and beyond the onboarding experience.

And finally, Embodiment of Bring You. At Rapid7, we truly want our people to bring their authentic selves to their work because we believe that these unique perspectives, ideas, and values enable us to Challenge Convention and enhance the work we do. The final piece of the program, an experiential learning challenge, encouraged New Moose to embrace the value Bring You while collaborating with their cohort and Culture Ambassadors to build their cross-functional network.

The New New Moose

On January 3, 2022, this new program launched, for the first time, with a cohort of 43 New Moose. Since then, over 370 Moose, globally, have engaged with the program.

And how has it been? EPIC.

Making the Band is where our New Moose start building the career experience of a lifetime.This program not only motivates and empowers employees to embody our Core Values but also helps them to understand that we are #onemoose, and when we Impact Together, we accelerate together.

Check out what some of our New Moose are saying!

The program

  • “AWESOME… Onboarding has been an incredible experience so far… One of the best onboarding experiences I have had in my professional career… I believe Rapid7 has an amazing and talented team facilitating the onboarding experience.”

Virtual, interactive challenge (“Insuring” the Security of MiracleMoose Insurance)

  • “That was fun and engaging… The group roles/participation were great…it was a fun way to collaborate with my fellow new Moose… and the content was highly engaging which provided a meaningful intro to Rapid7's portfolio and the customer while also fostering communication and critical thinking skills.”

Stay tuned over the next several months to dive deeper into how People Development will be introducing flipped content and other innovative practices into all of their programs for 2022 and beyond in our blog series, “The Forecast Is Flipped.”

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