You carefully recruited, screened, and
tested several applicants for that new position. When the time came
to make a hiring decision, you confidently selected the most qualified
candidate. But two months later, the new hire resigned, confessing that
she "never felt part of the company." The right first impression is everything, and a poor employee orientation
can cost you dearly. It's a fact: those who don't start right don't
tend to stick around long. And high turnover means you must find new
people all over again. What's more, turnover takes a high toll on the
morale of those who do stay behind. They begin to wonder whether they
too should be looking for another job. To retain new employees,
it's critical to have an effective orientation program. Staff members
who are properly trained and welcomed at the beginning of their careers
feel good about their choice of employer, fit in quickly with colleagues,
and readily contribute new ideas. They also represent the company more
confidently to customers, business partners, and suppliers.
Now is the time
to review your orientation program. The following ideas can help new
staff members succeed in your department or organization.
To help new staff
feel accepted, give them opportunities to interact with co-workers
and managers. Diversify the time and nature of these meetings. For
formal presentations, meeting rooms work well. For informal conversation,
lunches and after hours get-togethers are a good choice.
In addition,
allow new employees to visit other company departments and customer
facilities. Spending a week, a day, or even an afternoon in a different
part of the business or with a customer helps new employees understand
the company's entire operation, and it also builds rapport.
New staff usually
want to follow accepted norms and values (e.g., dress, punctuality,
hours worked). But understanding actual company culture happens gradually
through formal presentations, informal dialogue, and personal experience.
Over time, "official" positions are compared to what gets said "confidentially"
over lunch.
Because company
culture is not determined solely by formal presentations, it's helpful
to extend your positive influence beyond them. Create a buddy system
or mentor scheme to match your most sincere and enthusiastic staff
with your incoming employees. Be sure to give the mentor relationship
real support: pay for a few lunches, allow time in the weekly schedule
for conversations, acknowledge mentor services in annual staff appraisals,
and show appreciation to mentors with tokens of recognition.
New staff need
quality answers to the following questions:
Introduce new
staff to these "Big Picture" issues with a well-designed presentation.
Using transparencies, slides, video, or multi-media, highlight your
history, outline your current goals, and introduce your future plans.
Keep the "Big Picture" presentation upbeat, lively, and up-to-date.
Clarify expectations
from the beginning. Ensure new staff are thoroughly familiar with
their job responsibilities and accompanying levels of authority. Explain
and demonstrate your staff appraisal system. Show new staff a copy
of the actual appraisal form and explain how good performance is assessed,
measured, and rewarded. Use career paths of those who have come before
them to illustrate possibilities and potentials in the job.
There will always
be paperwork. Employment agreements, tax forms, insurance policies,
benefit packages, charitable contribution formsÂ… the list goes on
and on. While these documents are important, resist the temptation
to "get through them" in one long sitting. Instead, spread administrative
tasks over a number of short sessions during the first few weeks.
Requiring new employees to spend hours filling out forms on their
first day is no way to generate enthusiasm about the dynamic nature
of your organization!
Make sure your
orientation accurately reflects the nature of your company. If your
program shows only the bright side of the business and the happy side
of daily work, don't be surprised when new employees come back shell-shocked
after two or three weeks on the job. Be open and candid about pressures
associated with your company, your team, your customers, and your
competition. This truthful approach produces staff who understand
the workplace and wish to make it a better place.
Give everyone
in the organization a role to play in new employee orientation. Involve
co-workers in your mentor schemes, engage managers in talks and panel
discussions, put colleagues in charge as hosts and guides during cross-department
visits. Invite the families of new staff members to a special "Meet
the Company Day" and take lots of photographs. Later, mail the best
photographs to your new employees' home addresses-with copies of your
company's newsletter and hand-written 'thanks for coming" notes.
Most important,
gain full participation from the new employees themselves. Resist
the temptation to provide only "one way" information from the company.
Instead, have new staff generate their own questions by exploring
the company, researching the competition, and meeting the customers.
When the time comes, involve your new employees in welcoming the next
batch of incoming staff. Such participation helps your orientation
program stay fresh and makes new staff feel like company veterans-experienced,
involved, and able to contribute.
It takes a lot
of work to make sure your new employee orientation program is thoughtfully
designed and carefully delivered. But the time, money, and human resources
you dedicate can become valuable long-term investments that reduce turnover,
smooth out learning curves, strengthen employee commitment to your company,
and make human resource management easier and less costly.
POINTING
THE WAY TO JOB SUCCESS
Designing Effective Orientation Programs
Keys to a Good
Orientation Program
1.
Create comfort and rapport
2. Introduce the company culture
3. Show the "Big Picture"
4. Explain job responsibilities and rewards
5. Handle administrative matters
6. Provide reality checks
7. Gain full participation
Effort Well Spent
This article was adapted from Ron Kaufman's "It Pays to Help New Staff
Start Right." Ron is a leading author, trainer, and keynote speaker in
the fields of improving service quality and implementing customer focus.
Based in Singapore, he has helped hundreds of clients, including Fortune
500 companies, government agencies, and associations around the world.
More free ideas, techniques, articles, and information are available at
www.ronkaufman.com.