Tailoring a new experience for every new employee will not only affect your employee’s experience but will also help you retain valuable hires as the war for talent intensifies between businesses. Workplace orientation is very important for any new employee’s entire career with the company, it will set a foundation for everything that follows.
A study shows that 69% of employees who experienced a great onboarding process are more likely to stay with the company for at least 3 years.
In this article, we’ll define what company orientation means and what methods businesses should focus on during company orientation.
What is company orientation?
Company orientation is like a welcome party for new hires, it’s the process of introducing them to their job roles, work areas, and work environments. During orientation, a supervisor enlightens the new employees on company policies, introduces the old staff and departments, answers any questions, and teaches possible skills that the new employee might be lacking.
The clear objective of this orientation is to prepare new employees for their roles and all potential problems they might run into. When a problem arises the new employee won’t feel stuck in a box, they will know where to go, who to talk to, and what solutions to consider.
As a study showed, 37% of people agree that starting a new job triggers their anxiety. This percentage can be avoided if the company incorporates the right methods of company orientation, employees will experience much lower levels of stress.
Aspects companies should focus on during orientation
Company orientation is a one-time event, you don’t get a couple of tries, so the stuff that you emphasize in the first few days or week is what the employee will remember most. Here are some elements you will want to highlight for the best result and impression:
Organization overview
The words speak for themselves, this overview should include a detailed business summary, with its history, what it’s working on at the moment and future goals. These details will help an employee fit into the scene and atmosphere of the company, or let them understand that they have different priorities and might not be the ideal candidate.
Responsibilities
Work assignments work for new employees to start expressing themselves. If you give one a task without a deadline they might be too introverted to ask for help and will spend days trying to figure it out on their own.
Whereas a deadline will stimulate a new employee to become extroverted and look for opportunities to ask for a helping hand from the team. The more an employee communicates with older employees and staff the faster they will acclimate to the company.
Acclimation
For employee acclimation to become even easier it’s important that you set a tone of the workplace through employee integration. It’s the process of introducing new hires with old staff, a boost to help them form relationships and uplift productivity.
The friendly energy from the orientation process should never end once the training phase is over, after post-orientation, employees and staff should strive to keep a companionable environment.
Key benefits of company orientation
A memory of the first work day is carried with a person throughout the rest of their jobs and work days. The first workday will also leave them with a first impression of whether they would like to stay or the company doesn’t feel like a place where they belong. The following benefits are expected from company orientation:
Higher employee retention
58% of employers who don’t practice company orientation, spend time hassling with paperwork rather than explaining aspects and questions to new employees, which isn’t the right thing to do. The right company orientation methods will make your employees feel needed, it will give them a sense of belonging which will increase their productivity.
Boosted productivity
During employee orientation, the new employee has an opportunity to ask all questions and note down the answers, which in the long run will boost their productivity since they will have all the details they need to finish a task.
Better resource management and organization
Company orientation helps to keep order within an organization. New employees that finish the trial period and start working within the company will be already informed of all accepted behavior and what is intolerable, plus they will know major rules and policies.
This can save them from some major embarrassment, or mistakes, or even rescue them from breaking the law, by supposedly accessing some secret software or prohibited data.
Lower turnover
Turnover is the rate at which employees quit or leave a company. With a good company orientation program, the rate can be turned down, all because the employee gets introduced to all aspects before getting hired, and if something doesn’t fit their manner they get to leave before ruining your turnover rate after a few weeks of unsuccessful working.
Conclusion
Having employees jump right into work won’t give them a headstart, it will rather make them feel uncomfortable and resist them from reaching their full potential.
An effective company orientation program is more than just informing new employees about their responsibilities. It’s a company’s chance to recruit and withhold quality hires. By dedicating time to your workplace, you are setting a great example, and inspiring employees, and in return, you get a happy employee who roots for the company’s success.
