Easterseals Tennessee Holds Regular Check-Ins With Newly-Hired DSPs

Posted on September 17, 2026

Submitted By: Cathy McKinley, Chief Compliance and HR Officer, Easterseals Tennessee

To assist with new hire engagement, the Easterseals Tennessee HR Department and the Employee Relations Partner contact all new hires at set intervals, including 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days after the employee’s start date. These check-ins are established to ensure that the new hires have everything they need to be successful in their positions. This also gives the new hire an avenue for communication and assists the agency with retention. These are really  informal friendly conversations that focus on how orientation was, is there anything the HR Department can do for them, and what have they enjoyed the most about being with Easterseals so far!

The Impact Of The New Hire Check-In Program

Since the program just started this year, we do not have enough quantitative data to understand the impact of the program. However, in the communication that we are tracking, we have heard a lot of positive feedback from staff. Communication is always a challenge in organizations, and this has assisted us with keeping communication channels open. With that, Easterseals Tennessee is tracking the responses through Survey Monkey, and the management team discusses the responses and acts on situations if necessary.

The check-in with the DSPs – from the HR Department and the Employee Relations Partner – gives DSPs a more personal connection to the agency. In some responses, the new DSPs did note that they appreciated the calls. The HR staff and the Employee Relations Partner have been able to help connect or assist them with questions during these calls. Once DSPs get out in the field, having that avenue of communication is very important. In one instance, staff in a new home were having issues with understanding how to complete notes in our system, so they let the Employee Relations Partner know and he was able to get compliance in touch with them for further training.

Replicating A New Hire Check-In Program

If you are looking to set up a new hire check-in program, it is important to establish those check-ins with all of your new hires. You should also make the effort to keep the lines of communication open and available to staff. In addition, organizations must have a way to track the responses and discuss them. Beyond just collecting the responses, agencies need to ensure that they are acting on any concerns that may come up such as further training needed, concerns about scheduling and improvements needed for communication. It’s critical that you don’t just receive the data without actually responding and following up with staff if necessary. Staff have to feel that the agency is listening and will make changes if needed.

One challenge you may face with the check-ins is being consistent with the questions being asked and developing a solid way to track it. If you don’t ask the same questions, your organization will not have good data to aggregate. Easterseals Tennessee has established a new hire check-in question guide, and it allows for conversations to start with the new staff. Finally, organizations have to listen to the feedback they receive and be willing to make changes if necessary. With that, communication is an area of improvement for all organizations.

About Easterseals Tennessee

Easterseals Tennessee believes in a future where everyone, regardless of ability, can thrive, contribute, and achieve their goals. For more than 100 years, Easterseals Tennessee has been empowering people with disabilities through vital programs and services that foster independence, inclusion, and opportunity.

Easterseals Tennessee is dedicated to addressing these challenges with programs that create lasting change by:

• Providing job training, placement, and coaching to help adults with disabilities gain independence and self-sufficiency.
• Offering people with disabilities the chance to build confidence, social skills, and make lifelong memories and experience the joys of camp life.
• Ensuring a safe living environment by offering support in the home.
• Raising awareness about disability rights, accessibility, and advocating to create a more inclusive community and workplace for all Tennesseans.

You can learn more about Easterseals Tennessee by visiting: https://tn.easterseals.com/

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Since 1969, CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership has been a leader in working with human service organizations and systems to continuously define, measure, and improve quality of life and quality of services for youth, adults, and older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and psychiatric disabilities. CQL offers accreditation, training, certification, research, and consultation services to agencies that share our vision of dignity, opportunity, and community for all people.