Employee Orientation

What Is Employee Orientation?

When you start a new job, you’ll likely have to go through some form of onboarding. In a nutshell, that’s employee orientation.

Employee orientation is the process used by an organization to introduce new employees to their teams, colleagues, processes, responsibilities, and workplace.

Why Is Orientation Important for New Employees?

A robust employee orientation program lays the foundations for new hires and their future at that organization (or within a specific department).

First impressions matter. New hires are going to be nervous on their first day, and the purpose of employee orientation is to make their transition as smooth and as comfortable as possible.

So why is it important?

• It gives the new hire all the information they need to hit the ground running. It allows them to feel more comfortable in the job from when they walk into their new workplace.
• It helps with employee confidence – especially in the first few weeks on the job.
• It encourages a more productive and happy workforce.
• When done correctly, employee orientation can improve employee retention.
• It encourages effective communication between employees and line managers.

How Can You Provide Effective New Employee Orientation?

This can be broken down into what you need to do before they get to the office on their first day and what you should do during their first few days on the job.

Before

• Make sure the employee knows who they are going to be met by on their first day.
• Make sure they know what the office dress code policy is.
• Make sure all paperwork is done before they arrive – there’s nothing worse than having to watch someone fill out paperwork on your first day.

On The Day

• Set up their office and workplace with them.
• Give them a guided tour of the entire workplace.
• Introduce them to their new colleagues with very brief introductions.
• Make sure all administrative details are finalized.
• Make sure all company policies have been reviewed.
• Introduce them to any software that your organization uses that might be new to them – this could be anything from project management software to HR software.

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