EMPLOYEE ORIENTATIONS A bad orientation program is like serving a gourmet meal and then offering Twinkies for dessert Critical and crucial process.

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EMPLOYEE EMPLOYEE ORIENTATIONSORIENTATIONS

A bad orientation program is like serving a gourmet meal and then offering Twinkies for dessert

Critical and crucial process for attracting and retaining employees

Cannot afford to blow this opportunity to make new hires feel great about the choices they have made – chance to reconfirm their commitment

It should make employees feel both challenged and comfortable

Convince them that making this their new home was a very good choice

Many employees say that they would have rather gone to the dentist than to their companies orientation program!

Send out the welcome wagon – i.e. handwritten note from CEO welcoming them, use Send-out-cards idea

Good orientation = higher employee satisfaction, greater levels of commitment, decreased turnover and cohesive workforce

Companies spend a lot of time and money recruiting and hiring new employees

Once the hiring decision has been made, many companies feel their job is done

Very little formal attention paid to reinforce the notion that the employee made the right decision

The orientation program begins during the interview process, as interviewers give info on what the organization is like

The orientation continues when the employee arrives at work

The employee is making up his/her mind about what type of company this is and whether they will want to begin/continue working here.

Most employees arrive for work that first day full of enthusiasm and determined to do a good job

A poorly-planned or non-existent program will cost the organization more money in the long run and perhaps make the new employee another turnover statistic

Don’t forget the importance of providing an orientation for part-time or temporary employees

Orientations are not a nicety but a necessity and when performed correctly they can:Reduce start-up costs: A good orientation can help employees get up-to-speed much quicker, thereby reducing some of the costs of training   Reduce anxiety: When employees are properly prepared for their entry into an unknown work situation, they are likely to have less anxiety, and more likely to perform better

Reduce employee turnover: An effective orientation shows employees that the organization will provide tools and resources to help them succeed, making then feel valued

Save supervisor and co-worker time: The better the initial orientation, the less time spent training on-the-job

Increases job satisfaction: When employees learn early on what is expected of then they are more likely to have realistic job expectations, leading to more successful experiences and positive attitudes

What is your role? How will you plan to make the new employee

feel welcome? How can you make certain the employee has

clear direction about job expectations? What might you put in a "New Employee" kit? How can you lay the foundation for any

training the new employee might need? What is the human resource department’s

role in the orientation process? What role should your team have in this

process?

What follow-up, if any, should you do after the employee has gone through the orientation program?

How can you measure the success/effectiveness of your orientation program?

PLAN

PREPARE

PARTICIPATE

BEFORE THE EMPLOYEE BEFORE THE EMPLOYEE ARRIVESARRIVES Notify everyone in your team that a

new person is starting Ask co-workers to welcome the new

employee and encourage their support Prepare interesting tasks for the

employee's first day Make a copy of the job description, job

performance standards, department and company organization chart

Make sure the employee's work location is available, clean, and organized

Have employee policy and safety booklets available

Have payroll and benefits information package available

If possible, identify a staff member to act as a buddy for the first week

Put together a list of key people the employee should meet and interview to get a broader understanding of their role

Arrange for a building pass, parking pass, and IDs if necessary.

Draft a training plan for the new employee's first few weeks/months.

Give a warm welcome and try to reduce any nervousness the new employee may feel

Discuss your plan for first day Introduce the employee to co-workers Arrange to have lunch with the new

employee Show the new employee around the office Explain where the restrooms, refreshments

and break areas are located Review the job description and

organizational charts

Review telephone, fax, e-mail, and Internet use

Provide required keys Give the employee all payroll and

benefits forms, as well as all policy booklets

Have the new employee complete all the necessary personnel forms

Advise as to when the new hire orientation will take place and with whom

Schedule a meeting to discuss the following:

Employee's overall impressionsIf there are any problems or concerns,

address them immediatelyOrganization of the Company and how

your department fits inDiscuss the mission statement of the

Company and how the goals and objectives of your department help support that mission

Performance evaluation process. Explain that you and the new employee will be developing a performance plan, discussing their progress and evaluating performance

Explain the timing of appraisals and the methods used to measure progress

Discuss your training plan possibilities