In a recent article on SHRM’s weekly Newsletter (membership required), a survey of 597 organizations found that 86% of organizations have an orientation program (14% don’t?), but most said they lacked real impact. Here are some other findings of the survey:
- 81% of the organizations turn to HR to administer new employee orientation, 23% involve multiple departments and 21% include the department in which the new employee will report.
- Orientation usually takes a day or less for about half of the employers and 26% take two to three days.
- Nearly half use employee surveys to measure the effectiveness of their orientation program, 22% don€™t track it at all, 20% measure first-year retention and 17% look at performance ratings.
Robert Half offered some tips for a successful orientation program:
- Don€™t skip the basics. Supervisors should give new employees a tour of the office, introduce them to colleagues and explain security procedures.
- Invite senior management. An appearance by an executive or other leader in the company adds credibility and weight to the orientation session. If that€™s not possible, consider a high-quality video or virtual experience.
- Keep your messages consistent. The ideas conveyed in orientation should reflect those expressed during recruitment and how the company presents itself externally.
- Have an agenda. Provide an overview of the discussion so new employees know what to expect and to signal the importance the organization places on orientation.
One area the article did not address was keeping the orientation programs relatively similar across all levels of the organization. We have encountered sales departments where orientation programs are not tightly structured. Worse yet, we have found some of the 14% of companies that have no (sales) orientation program. As the article states (emphasis mine):
The company should use the opportunity to have new employees communicate and build relationships with leaders in the organization right out of the gate. Noting that new employee orientations offer a unique opportunity to gather a new recruit€™s impressions of the marketplace and the company.
What better way to set the tone with your new employee than to spend the first day(s) with them making sure they get acclimated to your company’s culture? You have spent a lot of your time and resources in making sure you picked the best employee so show them by investing more of your time to bring them onboard properly.