Orientation for New Employees Policy and Procedure
Purpose
The majority of all work environments have some type of orientation for new employees. This introductory stage is the beginning of an employees time with their new employer. A poor orientation only results in anxieties from new employees, confusion, and possibly a loss of interest for the job. Hicks (2000, p.59) says “unsuccessful orientations can result in more than slowing down new employees’ adaptation to the organization; it can mean no adaptation.” Without a proper orientation, a new employee may feel overwhelmed and feel as if they are not ready for the job. Most of the time, employees describe their orientations as short and not informative. Another reason why employers do not implement an orientation program is due to finances. “Growing companies are often stretch thin and unable to dedicate the necessary resources to develop a formal orientation program, which takes planning to put together” (Duffy, 2007). Orientations orient the new employee to the occupation, it covers rules, policies, procedures, duties, and responsibilities that are job specific. Cirilo-Kleiner (2003) stated successful orientations lead to heightened confidence, which results in better performance. Not only is there a benefit to employees getting an orientation of their new job, it is also beneficial to the employer because now their new employees will adapt faster to the occupation. With all the benefits of having an orientation for the new team member, it signifies the importance of having an efficient and beneficial orientation program for new employees. Orientations are the foundation to an employee having a successful job because the employee will know exactly what to do during their job. Orientations are an important part of socialization and transition to practice because it allows for the employee to feel more comfortable in their surroundings and with more confidence comes a better employee.
This policy and procedure will primarily establish guidelines on how to administer an efficient and beneficial orientation for new employees of the Student Activity Centre at Lake Superior State University.
Scope
This policy and procedure will cover the Student Activity Centre (SAC) at Lake Superior State University. It will apply specifically to the people who are employed at the SAC.
Background
3.1 General and Specific Orientations
Orientation is the process of familiarizing employees at their new job. It helps them understand and perform their new duties efficiently. The two types major types of orientations are general and specific orientations. General orientations typically will occur first, followed by the specific orientation. A general orientation should be relevant to all new employees. There are several things to be done to have a successful employee orientation. According to Ku, B., & Kleiner, B. H. (2000, pg. 44), a successful orientation program should start with an introduction to the company, who the company is, where it has been, and where is it going. Each company or workplace will have slightly different introductions depending on what is important to the company. “The key is to make the new employee feel good about the company, begin to install the pride of belonging, being apart of the company” (Ku, B., & Kleiner, B. H., 2000, pg. 44). The second part of an orientation should cover all policies and performance standards. “Second, an important policy review must include standards of conduct, performance, the introductory period of employment, discipline policy, and safety” (Ku, B., & Kleiner, B. H., 2000, pg. 44). The orientation should include things like: description of campus recreation, emergency procedures, important phone numbers, dress code, job descriptions, work schedules, and meeting schedules. During an orientation you want everyone to feel welcomed. A description of campus recreation will allow for the employee to know where places are and where to go, for example where the basketballs are kept. Its important for the new employee to know emergency procedures and important phone numbers because the employee will need to work fast in an emergent situation and stay calm, the employee will have to notify the proper people and must know where to find the important peoples phone numbers. Dress codes and work and meeting schedules are important to learn in the orientation because it will ensure for employees to follow the same standards and know about important dates. Finally, the job description, this is a very important part of the orientation because it allows for the employee to know exactly what is to be done by them during their work hours. “The general orientation usually lasts for one or two weeks” ("What are the tips for Employee Orientation," n.d.). This allows for enough time to talk about everything that the new employee needs to learn before they start work.
Specific orientations usually happen after a general orientation. This orientation is specific to the employees department and job title. During this orientation, a management member needs to clearly define the role of the job and the expectations of the new employees performance. Providing the new employee with key information will help them feel more comfortable in their new position. New employee orientation should not be an obstacle of productivity but allow for the new employee to be prepared and ready to get involved with work. “The objective is to provide a smooth transition into the new job in a way that maintains motivation and gets the new employee into production as soon as possible” (Ku, B., & Kleiner, B. H., 2000, pg. 44). During the specific orientation, the new employee should be welcomed to his/her fellow coworkers. Not only should they meet other people, the new employee should also be shown around his/her new working environment. “Unlike general orientation, the specific orientation does not have a time a specific duration, and is an ongoing process” ("What are the tips for Employee Orientation," n.d.). During the specific orientation, management members should decide between the two types of specific orientation formal or informal.
3.2 Formal Orientations
Formal orientations are apart of the specific orientation. It has a structured format, in order to show the top standards for the new employee. “Formal orientation is a programme which is planned and officially conducted by the company at set times” (Ku, B., & Kleiner, B. H., 2000, pg. 45). Formal orientations are typically done within larger companies and corporations. The more formal the programme, the greater the likelihood that the new employee will learn the standards faster. “Eighty-seven percent who underwent a formal orientation said that it help them prepare for success within the organization”(Duffy, 2007). Formal orientations are also geared towards a new employee who has a higher job standing, for example a management role. These orientations are typically lengthy and cover a lot of information. “The results of the research did not support the hypothesis that a formal orientation process would result in higher levels of organizational commitment. However, there were higher levels of organizational commitment in newcomers who attended the formal orientation” (Hellman, 2000). The attributes the new employee will cover in a formal orientation will provide a good foundation for work. Overall, the formal orientation is one of the best ways to orient a new employee into their work setting because they are consistent with the information being shared throughout all new employees.
3.3. Informal Orientation
Informal orientations are the second type of specific orientation. Many organizations use informal orientations without even knowing it. Informal orientations tend to put the new employee in a disadvantage because the new employee is not getting enough valuable information to start their new job. “Informal orientations are a continuing programme which is unplanned and unofficially conducted by fellow workers” (Ku, B., & Kleiner, B. H., 2000, pg. 45). The informal orientation puts new employees directly into the jobs and they are expected to acclimatize themselves with the work and the company. Since anxieties are typically high for new employees, this point of the orientation can be stressful. This is when management should do some sort of an evaluation. Management should do frequent evaluations, especially when using informal orientations, because the managers should know if their employees are up to the standard they need to be. This also allows for constructive critism from management and allows for questions from the new employee. Ku, B., & Kleiner, B. H., present some topics include the duties of those in his/her immediate work area, where they are struggling, where they need further training, and a tentative plan to accomplish it. This will help with the employees anxieties.
3.4 Creating an Effective Orientation
When creating an orientation, management should design a process, not an event. This should unfold over time, not just in one day. “The first day is clearly an important part of orientation. However, as has been widely recognized, orientation is not just a first-day or a single event. The best orientations are designed as an extension of the recruitment, selection, and hiring processes” (Wallace, 2009, pg. 168). The process of orienting new employees to an organization is common to formally socialize newcomers. Orientations are a training opportunity to promote organizational effectiveness in a new employee. An effective orientation brings the new employee through the easier tasks first, then as the new employee continues through the orientation the information being presented is progressively becoming the harder tasks to learn. While creating a new employee orientation, management should establish clear and focused goals. "If you fail to establish concise goals, your content is more likely to be unfocused, ineffective, and worst of all, unappealing to your new employees” (Lewkovich, 2017). These goals should be in line with the company’s overall goals and should be addressed during the orientation. A key part in an orientation is what happens after the orientation, gathering feedback. Feedback from employees who just went through the orientation program is one of the greatest resources in order to perfect the orientation. “The feedback you collect will tell you which parts of your employee orientation have worked and which parts have room for improvement” (Lewkovich, 2017). To achieve maximum pay-back, employee orientation should be viewed as an initialled crucial step in the continuing the management-employee dialogue.
Definitions
Employee: a person working for another person or a business firm for pay.
Formal Orientation: structured programme, helps a new hire in acquiring a known set of standards.
Informal Orientation: employees are directly put on the job, promotes innovative ideas.
Orientation: An introduction, as to guide one in adjusting to new surroundings, employment, activity; systematic and planned introduction of employees to their jobs, their co-workers and the organization.
Successful: Achieving or having achieved success; the accomplishment of one’s goals.
Policy
It will be the policy of Lake Superior State University to implement an orientation program for all new employees of the Student Activity Centre to ensure that all of the new employees have a proper introduction as a guide to adjusting them to their new surroundings. Failure to follow this policy may result in a new employee not fully ready to work, a new employee not being confident enough, or even higher turnover rates due to stress and anxiety of being nervous and not ready.
Procedure
Provide new employees with a proper introduction into the workplace by implementing a formal orientation. The formal orientation will include:
Meeting/conference in classroom to discuss the information needed to work in the SAC.
A handout of all the information included from the meeting.
The formal orientation information handout and meeting will discuss:
The mission and vision statement of Lake Superior State University.
Job description.
A tour/map of campus.
In depth tour of SAC, outdoor facilities (tennis courts, soccer fields, disc golf).
know where first aid kits, AED’s, and fire extinguishers are kept
Introduction to other employees
Programs Lake Superior State University offers from its campus recreation.
The qualities of a good employee in the SAC.
what is expected from the new employee
Other policies
Attendance and lateness
Switching shifts policies
Opening and closing procedures
EAP
fire
power outages
weather
Payroll
Communication (email, texts, phone calls)
Computer and homework use
Important phone numbers.
Dress Code.
Daily routine.
This orientation must be done within the first and second week of hiring the new employee.
First meeting
go through paper work — signing up for payroll, reading all policies and procedures
Second meeting
start formal orientation process
Throughout time of employment management should do follow ups with the new employee, ask for feed back, and use constructive criticism to help grow the employee.
The first week of actually working, the new employee will be provided with mentor who will they will be able to shadow.