Definition: Employee orientation is a systematic approach of an organization to deliver the relevant information to the new hires so that they can efficiently perform the given tasks. The whole-sole purpose behind this induction process is to familiarize and accustom the new employees with the work environment.
Example: ‘Google’ is well known for employee satisfaction. The company’s employee orientation and training program equally set a benchmark for other organizations.
The new hires at Google are considered as Nooglers; they are initially engaged in a two weeks orientation program. In this period, a new employee is made familiar with the organization’s structure, culture, work practices, programming, technologies, etc.
Also, the Nooglers are provided tutorials through Codelabs to enhance their efficiency at work.
Google has a different vocabulary, and everyone uses it for communication in the workplace. To be familiar with the glossary, the new hires are provided with a developer handbook.
The company even came up with a mailing list ‘NEHEN, i.e., Noogler Engineers Help Engineering Nooglers’ for those new hires who hesitate to ask doubts openly.
Content: Employee Orientation
- Objectives
- Types
- Preparing an Effective Employee Orientation Program
- Best Practice Ideas
- Consequences of an Ineffective Orientation Program
- Sample
Employee Orientation Objectives
Employee orientation is considered as just an introduction session by some.
However, it fulfils some of the most significant purposes of the organization; some of these are as follows:
- Employee orientation makes the new employees familiar with the organizational culture, norms, code of conduct, environment, people and work.
- It develops trust and commitment within the new hires for the company as they feel positive and satisfied with their joining decision.
- It ensures long term retention of the employees by creating a robust first-time impression.
- Employee orientation specifies the company’s expectations from the new hires to set performance standards.
- Also, it explains the individual roles and responsibilities of each person to avoid any confusion.
- Employee orientation clarifies the criteria for leaves, medical benefits, rest intervals, basic amenities and many more.
Employee Orientation Types
Every organization is a build-up of people who have varying mindsets. Let us now find out how companies can carry out orientation programs:
Formal Orientation: A proper and planned orientation program is carried out before the new employee is onboard to acquaint him/her with the work environment.
Informal Orientation: The new hire is directly onboard after a briefing on his/her work. He/she is left by himself/herself to acquaint with the work environment and the team.
Individual Orientation: The small companies prefer to carry out orientation program for a single person individually since they don’t hire in bulk.
Group Orientation: Mostly, large organizations that carry out bulk hiring, execute a single orientation program for the whole lot hired in a given period.
Serial Orientation: A well-experienced personnel execute the orientation of the new hires as per the given criteria and norms.
Disjunctive Orientation: Here, the new employee does not have any role model to follow; instead, he/she has to develop one’s inventive ways of doing things.
Preparing an Effective Employee Orientation Program
A human resource manager must design an orientation program in such a way that it creates a positive and long-lasting impact on the new hires.
Let us now go through the steps which leads to the creation of a compelling employee orientation program:
- First, decide whether you aim at retention or high performance or something else as a result of orientation.
- Next, write down everything that the organization wants its new employees to know.
- Now, prepare a checklist with a different kind of information included in it.
- Then, transform this checklist into an interactive and engaging orientation session.
- Keep improving the orientation program to include new ideas and suggestions.
- Ask for existing personnel’s opinions and views to improve the present orientation program.
Best Practice Ideas
How can the organization make their employee orientation enjoyable?
The first day of a job leaves long-lasting memories along with a strong impression of the organization in the employee’s mind.
Following are some of the tips to design an influential orientation program:
The person leading the orientation program should be soft-spoken and humble. He/she must patiently handle questions and doubts.
The orientation program should include more audio and video presentations along with allowing considerable interactions, to make it interesting altogether.
Also, the orientation content should comprise of all the necessary facts, but the delivery of information should be short and straightforward.
Developing cordial relations and connectivity with each individual makes the orientation more effective. The person leading should emphasize the role of the new hire or expected results from him/her for the company’s growth and success.
Consequences of an Ineffective Orientation Program
If an orientation program goes wrong, it may adversely impact the whole organization in one or the other way.
Given below are some of the most prominent outcomes of a substandard orientation plan:
- Lack of Understanding: The new hire may fail to grasp the organization’s work culture or environment.
- Role Ambiguity: He/she may have a lot of confusion about his/her duties in the organization.
- Poor Interpersonal Relations: It may lead to clashes and misunderstandings within the teams or workgroups.
- Low Performance: The new employee may not feel satisfied or comfortable in the work environment, resulting in reduced output.
- Employee Dissatisfaction: If the orientation leaves a wrong impression on the new hire, he/she may doubt the joining decision and feel discontented.
- Higher Employee Turnover Ratio: One of the extreme consequences of poor job orientation is employee resignation and short term association.
- Workplace Chaos: The new hires may not have a clear idea of whom to report. Also, the other employees remain unaware of who to assign a particular task.
New Employee Orientation Program Sample
A checklist is an essential tool to make sure that the orientation program involves maximum and valuable information. Also, it certifies that no crucial fact is left untold.
An orientation checklist is a piece of evidence for the new employee is aware and accept that he/she has the complete knowledge of the listed topics.
Three-Phase Employee Orientation Plan Checklist
The orientation process has been segregated into three different stages for its simplification. These are discussed elaborately below:
Pre-Orientation
At the time of making the offer to the selected candidate, the pre-orientation is provided in written (usually through a mail).
It includes the basic information about the organization, salary, compensation, other benefits, policies and procedures, formalities, documents required, etc.
It is that orientation stage on which the candidate’s joining decision relies upon.
Job-Site Orientation
Next, when the candidate agrees upon the terms and conditions and joins the organization, the job-site orientation is provided on the first day to the office.
It comprises of the site visit and tour, to make the employee acquainted with the workplace, lunch area, washrooms, parking lot, fire exits, emergency equipment and other amenities.
Also, the new hire is familiarized with the head office, his/her department, team, manager and colleagues.
Job-Specific Orientation
At this crucial phase, the new employee is introduced to his job profile. He/she is enlightened upon the individual roles, authority, responsibilities and duties (as the job position demands).
Also, the new hire is briefed out about the supervisor’s expectations, training sessions and awaiting opportunities.
Moreover, application of skills (possessed by the new employee) for accomplishing a specific job or work is also apprised and reviewed at this stage. In short, it discloses information related to job description and specification.
New Employee Orientation Template
Let us now see how a new employee orientation checklist looks like:
We can see that the employer and the employee duly sign this list. It signifies that the employer has delivered the complete information, and the employee also accepts that he/she has been briefed out on each topic.
The given list may vary according to the job position. Also, the orientation program and the checklist is updated frequently to make it more impactful.
Idiakheua, Edison Omogenfe says
a good write up one would conclude that you have a good grap of industrial/organisational psychology