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SESSIONS AND EVENTS

Be part of our community

Engage in special sessions to learn more about ways to connect with our community and meet fellow new staff members.

Sessions and Events

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Welcome Session

Join us to hear a welcome message from our leaders; get an overview of our culture, organization, history, and core values; learn more about our community and available services; and get some tips to help you get started. You’ll also meet other new hires in breakout rooms during this fast-paced session.

What to Expect

  • Opportunity to meet new hires
  • Become more familiar with the work we do at Stanford
  • Know what comes next in your onboarding process

Attend a session on the first day or during your first week. Sessions are held every Monday from 10:30am - 12:00pm (PST). *Please note that if Monday is a holiday, we will hold that week's session on Tuesday instead.

Check your inbox for a welcome email with the Zoom information for this session. If you have not received this email 48 hours prior to your orientation session, please email "welcome-to-stanford@stanford.edu"

Upcoming sessions: March 18, March 25, April 1, April 8, April 15, April 22, April 29, May 6, May 13, May 20, May 28 (Tuesday session due to Memorial Day on Monday) 

Have a need for accommodation? If you need a disability-related accommodation (such as sign language interpretation or live captioning), please email disability.access@stanford.edu. Requests should be made one week prior to the date of the event to allow time to meet your need.

Other Sessions

Read below to learn more about your benefits and retirement plans

Benefits Session

All new hires must accept or decline benefits offerings—if you do not make any selections, you will be automatically enrolled in benefits. The default medical plan does have a cost. Find more details about benefits and rewards on Cardinal at Work.

If you have questions that are specific to your health and wellness needs, please contact the University HR Service Team directly at 650-736-2985.

Enroll within 31 days of your start date. 60-minute sessions are held every Tuesday at 11:00 am (PST).

Look out for your welcome email for a Zoom link. Search for an email from "welcome-to-stanford@stanford.edu" to access the Zoom information.

Read an overview of your benefits. Learn about your health benefits in the 2024 Health & Life Benefits Summary slideshow.

Retirement Session

Whether your retirement is decades away or just around the corner, it's never too early or too late to start saving.

Stanford's Retirement Savings program ensures that you have a variety of investment strategies and resources available to you, so you can save for the retirement you want to have. Find more details about retirement savings on Cardinal at Work.

Join a staff group

Build your community with colleagues by sharing knowledge and supporting professional, personal, cultural, and social interests. Find a list of some staff groups to join on Cardinal at Work.

Add BeWell events to your schedule

Take advantage of Healthy Living classes and wellness events offered through BeWell. View the full events calendar, details about Healthy Living classes, and more on the BeWell website.

Join Communities of Practice

Explore Stanford's collaborative communities and communities of practice that you can utilize to expand your and Stanford's capabilities. Visit the Communities of Practice directory for a list of some of the groups you can join. Learn more about the DEIB Community of Practice (DCP) groups offered by the UHR-DEIB Office on Cardinal at Work.

Learn on your own time

WorkLife programs

Learn about the many services, programs, and financial assistance programs offered to support every stage of your life. (10:21)

BeWell Programs

BeWell encourages benefits-eligible employees to commit to their health and well-being. New hires are encouraged to enroll and start earning during the 2024 program year, from Jan. 4 - Nov. 30, 2024. For an overview of the programs and services that support your well-being, visit bewell.stanford.edu

Sustainability

The university's commitment to sustainability is broad, including both organizational programs and individual incentives that support sustainability goals. (11:38)

Health & Life Benefits Summary

Learn about the health benefits available to you, including medical, dental, life, how to make benefits changes (such as adding a dependent), and more. 

In addition to viewing this video, please review/download the 2024 Benefits Summary for an overview of your benefits.

Retirement Savings: Overview

Get a comprehensive overview of the plans available to help you save for retirement, including options to start saving after receiving your first paycheck and how the matching program works once you are eligible. For a live overview, sign up for a Retirement Savings workshop (1 hour), presented monthly, where you'll hear about the options and be able to ask questions. The Summary Plan Description is available here.