Orient New Employees Briefing - Take notes and upload here

Effectively orienting new employees to their positions is critical to establishing successful, productive working relationships. The employee's first interactions with you should create a positive impression of employer. The time you spend planning for the new person's first days and weeks on the job will greatly increase the chance for a successful start. Countless horror stories exist about how a new employee has received a ten-minute talk with the manager, and directed to his or her office position, with no further guidance or instruction.  Not only is this exceedingly stressful for the employee, but it virtually guarantees a very long period of unproductiveness for the employee.

An effective orientation will:

• Foster an understanding of the business’ culture, its values, and its diversity
• Help the new employee make a successful adjustment to the new job
• Help the new employee understand his/her role and how he/she fits into the total organization
• Help the new employee achieve objectives and shorten the learning curve
• Help the new employee develop a positive working relationship by building a foundation of knowledge about mission, objectives, policies, organization structure, and functions

New employee training is often divided into two phases:

• Orientation – overview of the company and its operations.
• Job-specific training – usually combines group learning in a classroom setting and hands on training. Hands-on training often includes job shadowing. The new employee works side by side with an experienced employee to learn the specific tasks of the job.

Purposes of Orientation

• 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.   
• To Reduce Anxiety- Any employee, when put into a new, strange situation, will experience anxiety that can impede his or her ability to learn to do 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.
• To Reduce Employee Turnover- Employee turnover increases as employees feel they are not valued or are put in positions where they can't possibly do their jobs.  Orientation shows that the organization values the employee and help provide tools necessary for succeeding in the job.   
• To Save Time For Supervisor & Co-Workers- Simply put, the better the initial orientation, the less likely supervisors and co-workers will have to spend time teaching the employee.   
• To Develop Realistic Job Expectations, Positive Attitudes and Job Satisfaction- It is important that employees learn early on what is expected of them, and what to expect from others, in addition to learning about the values and attitudes of the organization.  While people can learn from experience, they will make many mistakes that are unnecessary and potentially damaging.   

Orient New Employees Briefing continued

Before the Employee Arrives

The new employee orientation process begins before the employee comes to work. Planning ahead for your new employee's arrival will allow you to spend productive time on that first day. So, before the employee arrives you should:

• Notify everyone in your unit that a new person is starting and what the person's job will be. Ask the other staff members 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 card, job vacancy listing (JVL), job performance standards, campus organization chart, and your department's organization chart.
• Enroll the employee in the New Employee Orientation class
• Make sure the employee's work location is available, clean, and organized.
• Make sure a copy of the appropriate personnel policy manual or contract is available for the employee.
• Have a benefits information package available.
• If possible, identify a staff member to act as a buddy/mentor for the first week.
• Put together a list of key people the employee should meet and interview to get a broader understanding of their roles
• Arrange for a building pass, parking pass, and IDs if necessary.
• Draft a training plan for the new employee's first few months.

Key Planning Questions

Human Resource professionals and line managers first need to consider key new employee orientation planning questions before implementing or revamping a current program. These are the key questions to ask.

• What things do new employees need to know about this work environment that would make them more comfortable?
• What impression and impact do you want to have on a new employee's first day?
• What key policies and procedures must employees be aware of on the first day to avoid mistakes on the second day? Concentrate on vital issues.
• What special things (desk, work area, equipment, special instructions) can you provide to make new employees feel comfortable, welcome and secure?
• What positive experience can you provide for the new employee that she could discuss with her family at the end of the first day of work? The experience should be something to make the new employee feel valued by the organization.
• How can you help the new employee's supervisor be available to the new employee on the first day to provide personal attention and to convey a clear message that the new employee is an important addition to the work team?

Orient New Employees Briefing continued

The First Day on the Job

A new employee may be anxious about starting a new job. Try to create a comfortable environment and remember not to overwhelm the new employee with too much information on the first day. Orientation is a continuing process, so there will be plenty of time to give the employee all the necessary information. On the first day, you should:

• 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 other staff members.
• Arrange to have lunch with the new employee.
• Show the new employee around the office.
• Review the job description card and organizational charts with the employee.
• Explain ride-sharing and transportation services, if necessary
• Review telephone, fax, e-mail, and Internet use
• Give the employee the New Employee Benefits Packet. Be sure to discuss any questions or refer the employee to your Department Benefits Counselor
• Explain any policy concerning the probationary period before they become regular status employees. Discuss what the probationary period is all about and explain how and when the employee's performance will be appraised during the probationary period
• Have the new employee complete all the necessary personnel forms.

Follow up Meetings

Over the next few weeks, schedule meetings with the employee to discuss the following:

• Employee's overall impressions. Find out how the employee perceives your department so far. If there are any problems or concerns, address them.
• Organization of the business. Spend time explaining the business’ structure. Talk about where your department fits in and how it relates to other departments
• Mission statements. Discuss the mission statement 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 his/her progress and evaluating his/her performance. Explain the timing of appraisals and the methods you'll use to measure progress
• Department work rules. Review your department's work rules with the new employee. Discuss attendance guidelines, call-in procedures, and requests for time off
• Controlled substances. Explain that the business does not tolerate the use of illegal substances or abuse of legal substances on the premises or reporting to work in an unsafe condition.
• Security. Discuss your department guidelines on security, such as keeping doors, cabinets, and file drawers locked.
• Safety. Review the policies and your department's policies on safety in the workplace with your new employee. Evacuation procedures, emergency preparedness guidelines
• Injuries on the job. Discuss procedures for handling injuries on the job. Tell the employee to report all job-related injuries to you, regardless of how minor
• Training plan. Discuss your training plan with the employee. Consider incorporating any changes the employee suggests. Implement any changes that you both agree upon.
• Other resources. Tell the employee about any other resources that will help get the job done, Accounting, your department's Personnel Manager, or Mail Services.