A well-thought-out orientation process takes energy, time, and commitment, but it usually pays off for the individual employee, the department, and the organization.
One of the critical aspects of the recruitment process is orientation. It’s where new employees learn more about the organization, what the expectations are in the position, and in general, what they need to know to become a productive part of the team.
However, many companies not only don’t provide orientation, but they also expect their new employees to figure it out themselves.
Here at Staffhouse, we believe that orientations can be simple to prepare and conduct. The key is to plan, beginning from the point of hire when an offer is presented. The offer letter can include a welcome and a brief overview of benefits, time to report, who to report to, and what to expect on their first day.
On new employees’ first day, they should be given a tour of the facility regardless of the size. Introduce the staff and prepare a list of names and their functions. An overview as to how basic operations of the company and department work should also be given time.
The orientation is also an opportunity to explain to the new employee the importance of their position and how it works to support the goals of the company. Orient the employee to their work area and make sure they have all the necessary supplies, materials, documents, and manuals that may be necessary for them to do the job.
The conduct of new employee orientation can range from one day to several weeks. In larger organizations, it may even extend longer than that. To better understand the value of spending time to orient new hires, we have listed below the topics employers should focus on when conducting orientation for new employees:
Business Fundamentals
This includes the history of the company, its mission, vision goals, and objectives. They are also made familiar with the organizational structure of the company, placing emphasis on the relationship of their position with that of the other positions in the organization. Overall, a new employee will be made to understand how important their role is in the organization.
Company Policies and Procedures
Some of the policies and procedures that the employee will be informed about include dress code, reporting and making expense claims, and safety procedures.
Benefits Details
If the company has retirement benefits and other similar benefits packages such as health insurance and group insurance, they should also be presented to the new employee. Other information to discuss includes sick leave days, holidays, and vacation days.
Job Responsibilities and Expectations
The new hire’s job description may have been thoroughly discussed with them during the recruitment process but there is a need to reiterate it during the orientation. This is also where the new employee will be supplied with, and introduced to, tools and methodologies that they will use to perform their tasks.
A carefully planned and executed orientation program can go a long way, which may help the company retain good employees because it shows the care and time given to the program. Just asking the employee, “how are you doing?” can go a long way toward making your orientation a great one.
Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/jhIQlYem7CA
