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
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 (PT). *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 24, March 31, April 7, April 14, April 21, April 28
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 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.
Campus Tours
Interested in learning more about Stanford and exploring the historic Palo Alto campus? Sign up for one of our upcoming one-hour tours below. Please note that all tours start at 2:00pm PT.
Upcoming Tour Dates: April 10th, April 17th
Social Events
Grab some snacks, win prizes, and meet your fellow new hires at our upcoming social events!
Upcoming New Hire Social Event!
Location: Palo Alto (Main Campus)
Date: April 2nd, 2025 | 11:30-1:30PM
We had an overwhelming amount of sign ups.
Please join our waitlist here.
Athletic Events
Meet your fellow new hires and cheer on Stanford at one of our athletic social events!
Stay tuned!
Join a group
Build your community with colleagues by sharing knowledge and supporting professional, personal, cultural, and social interests. Find a list of some employee 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 on your own time
WorkLife Office Offerings
Explore a variety of resources available to support you in integrating work and personal life, no matter what stage of life you’re in. These include parental support programs, work-life integration resources, support for adult and elder caregiving, and more. Our benefits and employee programs are designed to enhance your overall well-being, purpose, and goals as you contribute positively to our community and the world. Visit the WorkLife Office site to learn more.
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 2025 program year, from Jan. 6 - Nov. 30, 2025. 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 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.