07/ 19/ 2006
by Charles R. McConnell
Why should a company have a new employee orientation program? Because there's no other time when you have a better opportunity to establish open lines of communication with new employees and get them started the right way.
Workers in the early days of their employment are relatively free from the attitudes and opinions of coworkers, and they have not yet formed strong opinions about their jobs, the company or management. Also, new employees have a number of needs which, if properly addressed, can help them attain a level of comfort with their circumstances more rapidly than might otherwise be possible. This factor alone can be critical: Much of the turnover that happens early in employment occurs because people feel adrift, in over their heads when simply placed on the job and left to assimilate their surroundings on their own. A new employee orientation reduces early turnover and helps workers get up to speed faster and more efficiently.
New employees are most impressionable when they first come on board. To get them properly started off, a new employee orientation should:
- Create a favorable impression of the company and its management
- Convey the company's expectations of performance and conduct
- Provide an overview of the work environment, including locations of specific services and, in general, the conditions of employment (for example, hours of work, time-off policies, training and advancement opportunities, etc.)
- Provide an overview of compensation and benefits programs and advise employees how and where to obtain detailed information when needed
- Describe additional pertinent policies, rules and regulations in specific detail, including review of the employee handbook if one exists
- Identify the kinds of clients or customers to be dealt with and emphasize the importance of satisfying them
- Emphasize the importance of cooperation, teamwork, flexibility and the ability to adapt to change as necessary
- Finally—and in many instances this is likely to be part of a brief, separate department orientation—ensure that new employees receive everything they need to get started in the performance of their work and that they know where to turn for help when they need it.
One manufacturing concern set forth 10 assumptions considered fundamental in addressing the contents of a new employee orientation program. Representing needs to be addressed, these assumptions comprise guidelines for developing an appropriate orientation program:
- Early impressions are lasting impressions.
- The first 90 days of employment are critical.
- Orientation begins with specific preparations before the new employee arrive.
- Day one is crucial.
- The new employee is responsible for learning.
- Communicating the basics comes first.
- A new employee must understand the total company.
- Information must be timed to employees' needs.
- Information overload must be avoided.
- Orientation works best when the new employee's supervisor is involved.
New employees always have questions, and the more questions that can be addressed by an effective company or departmental orientation, the more quickly an employee will reach the level of comfort and effectiveness of other employees. The first list offered above, essentially the objectives of an orientation, cover many questions that might be asked about the company overall. However, new employees always have specific questions that are best addressed at department level, for example:
- What are my duties and responsibilities?
- Where's my work station, the cafeteria, rest rooms, parking areas, and such?
- How do I answer the telephone, obtain supplies, and operate the copier and other necessary equipment?
- How will I know if I'm doing satisfactory work? Who evaluates my work?
- When is payday? Are we paid weekly, bi-weekly, or on some other basis?
- What are my starting and quitting times, and when do we get breaks and how long are they?
- When does my probationary period end?
- Who do I go to with questions or for help when I need it?
In addition to getting new employees started as smoothly and knowledgeably as possible, orientation should encourage new employees toward the delivery of superior customer service. And, as noted above, effective orientation should help minimize the likelihood of immediate turnover. One of the surest ways of causing unwanted turnover is turning new employees loose with little or no orientation or personal guidance in finding their places in the company. Even a trained professional can feel abandoned when left to survive alone and unaided in a new and possibly strange environment.
