New Hire Orientation: An Introduction

After being hired it is vital that new employees have an understanding of the operation, what’s expected of them, and that they feel comfortable in their new environment. However many companies fail to fully realize the importance of this introduction, its effect on morale, motivation and future productivity.

All of us, at one time or another, have had a first day on the job. We remember what it was like to be inundated with new information and processes and being uncertain of how to apply it all. Some of us may have experienced the “sink or swim” scenario and were put to work immediately with little instruction or guidance and expected to learn as we went. As our understanding of humans in the work environment increases, new technology and processes are invented, new workplace legislation and precedents come to pass, and competition continues to increase, the “old sink and swim” method can wind up being a determent both to the employees success and the company’s bottom line.

Company orientation is your opportunity to lay a solid foundation for a productive, loyal, and healthy relationship with your employees. When workers understand and implement correct and efficient operating procedures, productivity is much higher, workplace accidents are fewer, and the quality of the product will be better. When workers are more knowledgeable, they feel more secure and are more likely to be “on-board” with company goals and objectives. When employees see how they “fit in” to the “overall picture”, you are likely to have a happier, more motivated workforce that sees their employment with you as an investment into their future as your decision to hire them was an investment in the company’s success.

Process vs. Program

It is important to think of orientation as a process rather than a program. Human beings, when exposed to new information, go though a cognitive process before that information can be completely understood and absorbed into long-term memory. It is unrealistic to expect a new employee to capture, understand and retain all of a company’s policies and procedures within a few hours or even half-day of company orientation. Employers should plan to spend at least a day on this effort. Preferably this time should be spread out into multiple sessions over several days to allow the employee time to digest the information and formulate questions. Additionally it is critical to update the employees on changes in the company’s policies and procedures. Time spent on a quality orientation will reduce the headaches and problems that will undoubtedly arise if employees are uncertain about their role in the workplace.

Objectives:

• To reduce startup-costs -
  Proper orientation can help the employee get “up-to-speed” much more quickly, thereby reducing the costs associated with learning the job such as errors and downtime.


• To reduce anxiety -
  An employee, when put into a strange, new situation, will experience anxiety that can impede his/her ability to learn the job. Proper orientation helps to reduce anxiety that results from entering into an unknown situation and helps provide guidelines for behavior and conduct, so the employee doesn’t have to experience the stress of guessing. Additionally supervisors spend far less time correcting undesired activities and actions.


• To reduce employee turnover -
  Employee turnover increases as employees feel they are not valued or are put into positions where they can’t possibly do their jobs because they don’t know what is expected of them. Orientation shows that the organization values the employee by giving them the tools and information that will help them to succeed on the job.
  


• To save time -
  Simply put, the better the initial orientation, the less production time supervisors and co-workers will have to spend “showing”, “telling”, and answering questions.
  


• Develop realistic job expectations & foster positive attitudes -
  It is important that employees learn early what is expected of them, what to expect from others, as well as learning about the values and philosophies of the organization. While people can and do learn from experience, many unnecessary, costly, and often dangerous mistakes can be avoided with a thorough orientation.