Three Steps for a Successful New Hire Orientation
For any company looking to grow and expand, finding and securing new hires is a critical element.
The basic orientation process is critical to creating a 1st impression and providing the base for a comprehensive on- boarding plan.
The goal of a successful orientation is to get acquainted with each other and to begin a working relationship as soon as practical and necessary.
Our whitepaper, On-Boarding: A Requirement for a Variety of Reasons, outlines three steps to a successful new hire orientation.
Becoming acquainted:
Typically first 30 days (timeframe may vary based on size and complexity of organization).
– Reviewing role and responsibilities (revisiting the position description).
– Developing relationships with his/her boss.
- Establishing check-ins first 90 days.
- Developing sense of communication preferences.
- Reviewing expectations, priorities and initiation for first 30, 60 and 90 days and possibly 1 year.
– Developing cross functional orientation.
- More in depth meetings to familiarize the hiree with executives and key people from other departments, including their roles, needs and functions, as needed.
- One on one/small group explanations of managers’ or executives’ insights on the company, its culture and relevant operating practices.
Work group orientation:
Focuses on the department and the people with whom this person most closely works.
– Consider assigning a “buddy” from the hiree’s group of peers who will be responsible for answering day to day questions and helping with all those “things” that slip through cracks with many orientations. This buddy fulfills a temporary role typically 30-90 days and is not his/her mentor. The buddy could be a peer or someone close to hiree’s organizational level.
– Organize one on one meetings between a new employee and those people with whom he/she will most closely work. The objectives of one on one meetings should be more to impart more detailed and personal information than the introductory meetings. They may include the following:
- Understanding each other’s respective roles in the organization.
- Understanding any specific expectations of the new person.
External orientation:
Focuses on key external relationships that the organization has or should have that are relevant to the hiree’s position.
– The external people and companies with whom this person should meet will vary based upon the position, but here are some examples:
- Law firms
- Banks
- Major customers
- Critical or major suppliers
- Accounting/ auditing firms
- Consulting firms a company has utilized
- Insurance company/brokers
- Software vendor
Following these steps to a successful orientation can maximize a company’s investment in a new professional, manager or executive. For more information about orientations and on-boarding, read the full whitepaper here.