Employee orientation is both your first chance and last chance to get a worker started on the right track. Yet, writes Doris Sims in Creative New Employee Orientation Programs, few companies dedicate adequate resources to welcoming new workers. She cites a 2000 American Society for Training & Development report that found only 7 percent of training dollars went to new employee orientation.
That trend is changing. “More companies are starting to recognize the importance and value of this first-impression program,” writes Sims, a human resource development director at Alcatel in Flower Mound, Texas. She outlines six steps to creating or updating an employee orientation program.
- Define or refine the new employee notification and setup process. Sims suggests holding a meeting with HR, benefits, payroll, information technology and other key departments when new employees are hired.
- Conduct a needs assessment to determine (or confirm) the objectives of your orientation program. Be sure to canvass supervisors and managers, experienced employees, recently hired employees and anyone involved in the orientation process.
- Identify your audiences. One size doesn’t fit all. That’s why some companies develop special orientation programs—for example, for managers or technical employees—to communicate expectations.
- Determine the best delivery methods. Choices include classroom-style instruction, manager-led sessions, online or video training, and buddy programs. Sims notes these choices are not mutually exclusive.
- Identify activities to be used during orientation. Sims outlines a number of games companies use to make the orientation process more fun for employees.
- Continuously improve the program. For starters, Sims suggests routinely surveying employees after 90 days about their orientation.
Multinational employers face additional orientation challenges. In “Orientation for a Global Population,” one of the 50 essays in the book, consultant Dave Eaton notes that Americans are more receptive to participatory learning than people from other nations. In addition, culture influences the way workers view issues such as sexual harassment, time management and feedback. “Small adjustments in design and delivery can go a long way toward ensuring that goals and outcomes are met for all employees,” Eaton writes.
Creative New Employee Orientation Programs includes checklists and other materials readers can adapt for use in their organization’s orientation program. Case studies describe how employers such as Ford Motor Co., Alcatel and Micron Technology revitalized their orientation initiatives.