Case Studies

Client: CF Industries
Industry: Chemical Manufacturing
Focus Area: Onboarding

Audience: HR and L&D Leaders, Hiring Managers, New Employees

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The Challenge:

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The organization hires throughout the year, but its performance cycle follows a set calendar. Goal setting, the mid-year check-in, and the annual review happen at specific times. So someone who starts in January enters the cycle at a very different point than someone who starts in October.

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A one-size-fits-all onboarding experience didn’t work well. Someone hired just after goal setting ended was in a different position than someone who started at the beginning of the year, but the standard checklist treated them the same. New hires weren’t always sure what was expected, which parts of the cycle had already passed, or whether they were on track.

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The organization also wanted new employees to understand how performance works from day one: how the yearly cycle runs, how their goals connect to company priorities, and what they’re responsible for.

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Our Approach

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CK Digital built onboarding around what makes each new hire’s experience different: when they started.

We asked:

• What should a new hire know and do in their first 30, 60, and 90 days?

• How does that change based on when they started?

• How can we make sure no one is held to expectations they couldn’t have met?

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We created a short digital course that explains how performance works at the company, plus an interactive tool in Storyline. New hires choose the month they started, and the tool shows what’s expected at 30, 60, and 90 days based on where they are in the calendar.

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From One Checklist for Everyone to Expectations That Fit Each Hire

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We helped the organization replace its one-size-fits-all onboarding with an experience that adjusts to each new hire:

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✅ Personalized 30-60-90 Day Expectations

Old way:  Every new hire got the same expectations, whether they started in January or October.
New approach: New hires choose their start month in an interactive tool. It then shows the 30-, 60-, and 90-day expectations that fit their start date.

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✅ Expectations That Reflect the Performance Cycle

Old way: Because the performance cycle follows a calendar, someone who joined partway through could seem behind before they’d even started.
New approach: The tool doesn’t expect new hires to complete steps that happened before they joined. It shows where they are in the cycle and gives them a checklist for the next milestone, so they know what to focus on.

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✅ A Clear Picture of How Performance Works

 

Old way: New hires had to piece together how performance management worked by asking different people and checking different sources.
New approach: A short, welcoming course explains the yearly cycle, how goals connect to company priorities, and what new hires are responsible for. Videos follow an example employee through the process, making it easier to relate to. New hires get a clear foundation from day one.

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✅ One Consistent Experience, All Year Long

Old way:  The onboarding experience depended on when someone was hired and who happened to explain things.
New approach:  Every new hire uses the same course and tool, no matter when they start. The content adjusts to their start date while the message stays consistent.

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The Outcome:

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• The organization now has one onboarding tool that works year-round, rather than separate versions or a single checklist that only fits some start dates.

• New hires can see what’s expected at 30, 60, and 90 days, and what to focus on next, without having to ask.

• New hires aren’t measured against steps in the performance cycle that happened before they joined. Instead, they get a clear checklist of what comes next.

• The organization now has a consistent way to explain performance to every new employee.

 

Bottom Line:

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By building onboarding around each new hire’s start date, CK Digital helped the organization move beyond a one-size-fits-all checklist. Now, expectations fit when each person joined, new hires get a clearer picture of what’s ahead, and the tool works all year long.