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David
Lee
Consultant
Speaker
Author |
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For
More Information:
David Lee, Principal
HumanNature@Work
P.O. Box 430
Bar Mills, Maine 04004
Tel: 207-929-3344
E-mail: info@HumanNatureAtWork.com |
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AR
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Start
Your New Employees Off Right With Effective Orientations |
| By
David Lee |
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| Reprinted
from Employment Times |
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What message do new employees
get when they go through your company’s
New Hire orientation program? Do they get the
message that you are a well run, world class
company that they can be proud of, and a company
that cares about its people, or do they get
a very different message?
Many companies inadvertently create a negative
first impression by putting together a "quick
and dirty" orientation program that neither
prepares new employees intellectually or emotionally
for their jobs. By not putting the time and
effort into designing an effective orientation
program, these companies set the stage for
high turnover, low morale, and poor work quality.
To make sure you’re laying the foundation
for success, rather than high turnover and
other employee problems, ask yourself these
questions:
Are We Making a Great
First Impression? – This
is the first chance new employees have to experience
your company as an insider. If your orientation
doesn’t address all the basics adequately,
if it starts late and runs over, if it’s
disorganized, if the trainers are boring, if
it’s heavy on rules and regulations and
light on inspiration, you’re likely to
create "buyer’s remorse."
In the sales field, buyer’s remorse is
the sinking feeling a person gets after the
initial thrill of purchasing a product is gone,
and they begin to question the wisdom of their
purchase. Running a slipshod or boring orientation
is a good way to trigger buyer’s remorse
in your New Hires.
Are We Making New
Employees Feel Welcome? – When
I managed the training department for an insurance
company, we put a welcome sign in the lobby
with a list of all the New Hire’s first
names. In the training room, they were greeted
by a big welcome poster with all the Team Leader’s
signatures on it. Such simple gestures make
a big impact on people. They get the message
that you care about them and that they’re
important. By showing interest and graciousness
from the outset, you send a message to New
Hires about what kind of company you are and
how highly you value your employees. This not
only makes employees feel welcome, it increases
the chances they will treat their co-workers
and your customers graciously and respectfully.
Are We Engaging Their
Hearts? – People
want to be proud of their work and where they
work. They want to feel like they matter, like
they can make a difference. Smart companies
address this core human need by having the
CEO, owner, or a senior officer speak at the
orientation.
There’s nothing like having someone from
the top paint a compelling picture of the company’s
mission and vision to help new employees feel
like they’ve joined a winning team. Inspirational
leaders take the big picture and translate
it into each person’s job, showing them
how they make it all happen.
As you consider this critical component of
effective orientations, look at your orientation
program and see how much of it is technically
and logistically oriented and how much of it
is inspirational and motivational. If you ignore
the inspirational and motivational component,
you will be missing out on the "secret
weapon" of world class companies – engaging
the hearts and souls of their workforce.
Are We Giving New
Hires Enough Information About The Basics For
Them to Feel Secure? – It’s
hard to expect new employees to be excited
about the big picture if they’re worried
about all the day to day workings of your company
they still don’t understand. If they’re
wondering about who to call when they have
an employee benefits question or where they
get their supplies from, or any of the many
logistical facts that seasoned employees know,
they’re not wondering about how to help
make your company a success.
To make sure you are covering all the areas
an employee needs to know, get input from employees
who have recently gone through your orientation
and those who have been at your company for
awhile. Ask them if you’ve missed any
critical areas; ask if you could have explained
anything more clearly, etc. Another resource
you can use to make sure you’ve covered
all the bases is the short guide "Successful
Orientation Programs" published by the
American Society of Training and Development
(703-683-8100).
Are We Making Job
Responsibilities and Performance Expectations
Crystal Clear? – After interviewing
over a million employees, the Gallup Organization
found that one of the best predictors of employee
retention and performance was how well employees
understood what was expected of them at work.
When employees don’t have a clear understanding
of their job responsibilities and performance
expectations, they are likely to become anxious,
frustrated, and demoralized. There’s
no way they can know if they’re doing
well if they’re trying to aim at a target
they can’t see. Knowing what is expected
is especially critical in new job situations,
when most people are feeling anxious.
Are We Helping New
Hires Make a Smooth Transition Onto the Floor? – Some companies have
a macho "sink or swim" attitude with
their New Hires. They provide new employees
with virtually no orientation and then throw
them into the fray without any support. This
is a great strategy to achieve high turnover,
but not one to create a motivated, competent
workforce. Smart companies ease new employees’ transition
by using seasoned employees as mentors.
Mentors not only provide New Hires with support
and guidance for the technical aspects of the
job, they also help New Hires "learn the
ropes" of the company. Although one’s
supervisor can be the source of this information,
having a peer is usually more comfortable for
most people.
You can also contribute to a smooth transition
by having the HR manager or trainer check in
with New Hires a few times in the first month
or two to see how they’re doing.
Are We Bringing the
Real World Into the Classroom? – New
Hires need to hear from more than the HR Manager
or company trainer. They need to hear from
managers, their future supervisor, and seasoned
employees. This is especially important if
the new hire orientation and training is several
weeks long. Getting "news from the front" keeps
New Hires from feeling insulated and isolated
from the rest of the company.
The more they hear about their jobs and the
workings of the company from the people in
the trenches, the more prepared - and therefore
the more comfortable - they will feel. Hearing
about the challenges and demands of the job
will also increase their motivation to get
the most out of training.
Bringing in leadership also increases the power
of important messages. Having a division head
or one’s future boss say "This is
why your doing a great job is so important
to our company" has a greater impact than
if a trainer or HR Manager makes the same statement.
Are We Constantly
Seeking Ways to Improve Our Orientation Process? – This process plays
such a critical role in your ability to attract
and retain quality people, it deserves careful
consideration and ongoing quality improvements.
Ask colleagues from other companies and other
industries what they do, both to address the
intellectual, logistical needs of new employees
and to address their emotional, motivational
needs. By doing this, you will create a positive,
upward trajectory of motivation, morale, and
commitment. |
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About the Author: David Lee is an internationally recognized authority on organizational and managerial practices that optimize employee performance. He is the author of Managing Employee Stress and Safety, as well as dozens of articles on employee and organizational performance that have been published in trade journals and books in North America, Asia, Europe, and Australia. For information on his programs and service, click here.
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