Onboard Workgroup Members

Workgroup Member Onboarding

Onboarding is the process of preparing community members to participate effectively in your workgroup. A strong onboarding process helps participants understand the project, their role, expectations for participation, and available supports. It also builds trust and creates an opportunity for members to ask questions before work begins.

Onboarding should always include a live meeting (virtual or in-person). Providing written materials alone is not sufficient. Members who are eligible for compensation should be compensated for their onboarding time.

Onboarding Resources

Start With Introductions

Begin the onboarding meeting with introductions. This helps participants get to know one another and creates a more comfortable environment for discussion.

Encourage participants to share pronouns if they choose. If a blind participant has requested visual descriptions, model a brief self-description and invite others to do the same.

You may also use an icebreaker to encourage participation and build connections among group members. To ensure participants feel comfortable:

  • Participation is always optional.
  • People can respond verbally or in chat.
  • Icebreaker prompts are shared with participants ahead of time in the meeting agenda.
  • Prompts should not require participants to share sensitive personal information.

Example Icebreakers

  • Describe your current state, mood, or expectation for the meeting in one word.
  • In one word, how would you describe the past week/month?
  • Share one idea, skill, or perspective you are bringing to the workgroup.
  • Highlight and hurdle. Share one positive moment from the past week and one challenge you are dealing with.
  • What are you looking forward to about Fall (or whatever season is appropriate)?
  • Where would you go for a dream vacation?
  • What is your favorite junk food or snack?
  • What is your favorite book or TV show?
  • What is your favorite way to eat a potato?

Once you have broken the ice, you should acknowledge access needs and outline the steps you will take to ensure accessibility.

Acknowledge Access Needs

At the beginning of each meeting, review the steps you will be taking to improve accessibility and invite participants to share any additional needs.

Talking openly about accessibility helps normalize access needs and creates a culture where requesting support is expected and encouraged. Repeating this message consistently reminds participants that they are welcome to request accommodations or other supports at any time throughout the engagement process. The example below is one way to frame this information.

Accessibility Agreements

To improve access for everyone, we will:

We ask participants to:

Once you have reviewed accessibility, you can help everyone understand why they're there and how they can participate.

Provide Context & Expectations

Explain the purpose of the workgroup, the problem it is intended to address, expected outcomes, and any key terminology participants should know. Members should leave onboarding with a clear understanding of why the workgroup exists and how their contributions will be used.

Clearly communicate expectations for participation, including:

  • Should they expect communication on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis?
  • Where/how can workgroup members expect to receive information about the workgroup?
  • How will meeting materials be shared in future? If there are past materials, where are they stored or shared? Are they available on a public-facing website, or shared via email only?
  • Are workgroup members expected to prepare for meetings in any way? (Estimated time)
  • If the workgroup is subject to the Open Public Meetings Act, inform workgroup members that meetings will be broadcast live.

Review Public Records and Privacy Requirements

When workgroups happen within government agencies, they are subject to the Washington State Public Records Act (PRA). The PRA is a law that gives the public the right to access many records created or used by state agencies.

Public Records Act (PRA) Overview

Providing PRA training helps community members understand what this law means for their participation. It explains what kinds of information may become public, how records like emails and notes can be requested, and what protections exist for personal or sensitive information. When people understand the PRA from the start, they can participate more confidently, communicate more clearly, and avoid surprises later.

 

  • Provide training on the Public Records Act and data privacy as a mandatory first step before workgroup participation can take place.
  • Use our Public Records Act Training slide deck and the WA State Open Government Training as guides to create your own training. Additionally, your agency may already have its own PRA training or slide deck.
  • Make sure to emphasize that any written communication is subject to public disclosure so that workgroup members know that anything they email, text, write in a Zoom or Teams chat, etc. could potentially be made public.
  • Workgroup members may want to create a new email address just for workgroup purposes to keep their personal email separate from any potential public disclosures.
  • Use Tool “PRA Training for Workgroup Members” as an example to help create your own public records and data privacy training.
  • Present the training verbally and visually at the onboarding meeting and print or attach digital copy of the presentation to the onboarding packet.

 

Explain Community Compensation

IMPORTANT:

Workgroup Managers are required to thoroughly review the Community Compensation Guidelines and have a compensation process in place that is fully compliant with all state laws BEFORE onboarding members.

If any workgroup members are eligible for Community Compensation, train them in the compensation process, including:

  • Hourly rate
  • Daily limit
  • Impact of payments on their public benefits
  • Any forms or processes that are needed from them (ex: do they send in an invoice each month, or does the workgroup manager fill out all paperwork on their behalf?).
  • The timeframe for payment
  • Who to contact for help

Self-Attestation Form

Eligible workgroup members must review and sign a self-attestation form wherein the signer verifies that they are “low income” or have “lived experience.” The form should include plain-talk definitions of:

  • Low-income
  • Lived experience, and
  • NOT being otherwise compensated for their time by another entity.

The member does not have to say what their exact income is or describe their lived experience on the form – they only must attest that they meet the requirements. We recommend that you create a form so that they can securely attest to their income and experience level.

Refer to Office of Equity’s example Self-Attestation form.

Statewide Vendor Number

To receive payment, workgroup members need a Washington Statewide Vendor Number (SWV#). Workgroup members can get an SWV# by submitting a Supplier Registration Form. The form can be completed electronically or printed and manually submitted.

If workgroup members don’t know if they have a Vendor ID, they can visit the Statewide Vendor Number Lookup page or contact Statewide Registration at 360-407-8180 for assistance.

To make filling out the Supplier Registration form less confusing, you can review the printable version of the form during the onboarding meeting. You should also offer individual assistance to workgroup members if they have any difficulty with the form.

Check Digital Accessibility

Digital access means ensuring participants have the technology, internet access, and support needed to participate fully. Do not assume that participants are familiar with the tools your workgroup uses. Provide clear instructions, training, and ongoing support as needed.

Check participants’ access to devices and internet.

Ask whether people have a reliable computer or smartphone, stable internet, and a quiet space to participate. Some members may need support such as:

  • Resources for borrowing devices,
  • Assistance with assistive technology,
  • Links to online resources,
  • Help finding accessible public meeting spaces (for example: branches of public libraries), or
  • The option to join meetings by phone.

Not all community members may be familiar with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or other online tools you plan to use for workgroup meetings. To make sure everyone can fully participate, you should provide clear, simple training and be available for ongoing support. Demonstrate how to:

  • mute/unmute,
  • turn on their camera,
  • use the chat (and hide it),
  • raise their hand,
  • add reactions and emojis,
  • turn on captions,
  • pin or spotlight interpreters,
  • adjust the viewing layout.

Offer one-on-one tech support before the first meeting. You can also invite members to join a short practice session where they can test their audio, video, captions, interpreters, and screen-sharing view without pressure. Continue checking in throughout the project and provide support based on participant feedback.

After covering logistics and access needs, work with members to create shared norms for how the group will work together.

Create Group Agreements

Establishing and following ground rules for your meetings is an effective way to make space for all voices to be heard. Such expectations set the tone of a meeting and let participants know how to engage. Revisiting expectations at the start of each meeting encourages participants to think about the way their actions impact others.

Establish your Group Agreements in advance of the meeting by sending an email to all members so that they can be collaboratively edited by the entire group. Strive to achieve 100% consensus on these engagement rules so that all members can participate appropriately in the meetings.

This is also a good time to discuss the use of AI notetaking tools. Such tools should not be used unless all group members give their consent.

Some examples of common group agreements to get you started:

  • Pay full attention to the discussion.
  • Don’t have side conversations or multitask when others are speaking.
  • Come to the space teachable.
  • Listen for understanding, not response.
  • Honor the perspectives of other people.
  • Focus on what you’re learning, not what you already know.
  • Don’t dominate discussions or interrupt others.
  • Respect the speaker, even if you disagree with the idea.
  • Use the raise hand feature and wait to be called on by the Facilitator.
  • Use inclusive language by asking for and respecting the use of members’ correct pronouns and gender-neutral collective nouns such as “folks” or “y’all.”
  • Offer and receive constructive feedback graciously and in good faith.
  • Give others credit when it is due!
  • Practice self-care by honoring your own needs and taking breaks as needed.
  • Harassment or bullying of any kind will not be tolerated. Members may be muted or asked to leave by the facilitator or Chair if they exhibit aggressive or disrespectful behavior that distracts from the meeting purpose and causes harm to other members.