Sublime Media - Case studies - eBay onboarding

The challenge

Before the pandemic, eBay's new hire orientation was an elaborate in-person event dedicated to immersing new employees in the company's culture and history. Anna Hoeser notes, "We had all these experiences that we had created that required either travel or somebody to be nearby to be at campus. Remotely you had no visibility, no connection. So, we very quickly had to shift."

Sublime solutions

Custom onboarding roadmap

eBay’s onboarding program needed a virtual transformation; they came to Sublime to optimize their content for remote asynchronous learning. Sublime delivered more than formal training: the web experience captures all the components of an onboarding journey—from setup to core curriculum to live meetings and more.

Sublime's team of instructional designers broke down the learning journey into phases, grouping content into milestones that learners use as a map and to-do list—creating accountability for new hires and visibility for their managers.

Inspired by eBay’s “Our DNA” development program branding, Sublime embraced the idea of eBay DNA as a visual metaphor for mapping the learning experience. This format allows eBay learners to see where they are, where they've been, and where they're going as they assume their new roles. The sleek UX keeps the onboarding experience focused, organized, and on brand for the e-commerce innovator.

Onboarding guide for mentors and managers

Onboarding has a lot riding on it. When done right, companies see increases in revenue and higher retention; when done wrong, employees aren't afraid to jump ship—it's no surprise that 20% of staff turnover happens in the first 45 days. For eBay to transition to virtual onboarding, they needed managers and mentors to understand their impact on the new hire experience.

The manager and mentor onboarding guide deepens their understanding of their responsibilities and jumpstarts upskilling. Managers get a week-by-week walkthrough of the onboarding experience using engaging storytelling, statistical insights, and branded design.

Expedition eBay: A virtual campus

The eBay Expo was a quarterly event that introduced new employees to the culture and resources at eBay. Pre-pandemic, this event brought all new hires together to tour different booths and meet community leaders. The transition to a virtual experience was a challenging feat for eBay, especially when it came to reimagining the eBay Expo.

Sublime determined right away that any virtual experience that tried to replicate an in-person experience would come up short. There's no substitute for real people and real conversation. However, Sublime could turn a program manager’s vision into an interactive exploration that gives new hires the tools and context they need to learn about eBay.

Expedition eBay is an introduction to eBay’s culture, resources, and initiatives. New hires tour the virtual campus and visit kiosks that showcase various organizations and groups.

The experience gives a voice to the many parts of eBay that were typically represented at the onsite expo. Sublime made it simple for each department to share information by creating a format for short introduction videos. The virtual experience tracks which kiosks are visited and when, providing new and valuable insight into learners’ behavior and interests.

Learning and development can lead

The pandemic demonstrated that L&D can effectively lead through change. With Sublime's help, eBay took a huge transition and turned it into an opportunity to optimize its learning experience. eBay found new ways to engage learners, include employees from all over the world, and grow during a global crisis.