Orientation And Onboarding

Orientation And Onboarding

Elements of an effective orientation

New employee orientation is the most critical human resource activity during a recruitment exercise. It is an opportunity for employers to create a lasting plan, impression, and relationship with employers. New employee orientation must include a thorough explanation of their new jobs and other core elements, regardless of the industry (Wallace, 2009). Eugene, the owner of Eugene’s Western Wear Outlets Store, missed critical new employee orientation transactions when he hired Ralph.

Eugene failed to provide a detailed description of Ralph’s duties. Successful new employee orientation must include a thorough description of the duties of the new employees. The employer must clearly state the metrics used to measure success and failure in the jobs, how success is measured, learning resources available internally, and the relevance of the job to the business (Wallace, 2009). Another mistake was introducing Ralph to Ben, a relatively new employee with little experience. New employees should have a chance to work with performing and experienced employees and ask questions along the way.

Eugene also failed to provide Ralph with critical employee protection documentation. New employees ought to be provided with documentation relating to their benefits, legal liability, and employee safety, among others (Wallace, 2009). Ralph’s morale plummeted due to his unawareness about his rights and benefits.

Moreover, Eugene failed to introduce Ralph to his new colleagues and critical store facilities. New employee orientation should be long enough to allow sufficient introduction to other employees and create a working network. Taking time to orient them with workplace facilities will also enable them to work with other teams seamlessly.

Recommendation For A Manager’s Time Investment in Orientation

Managers play the most critical and hands-on role in an orientation exercise. A Manager’s orientation plan includes taking new employees on tour around the building, introducing them to colleagues, familiarizing recruits with workplace systems and tools, ensuring all policies are well elaborated, and communicating company policies to the recruits.

Challenges and solutions during orientation

The lack of job clarity among new employees can cause many problems for managers during the onboarding phase. It may be too late if employees discover that the demands of their job conflicted with the job expectations they had when they were recruited. To solve this problem, line managers should meet the affected new hires and address the gaps in job expectations.

Issues of time management may also arise from an ineffective orientation process. New employees may focus on specific jobs too much in their race to impress their new employers and ignore other vital tasks. It is incumbent upon line managers to explain to the new employees how important appropriate time management is to the company (Stein & Christiansen, 2010). For instance, most organizations require new employees to be flexible, hence leaving half of their productive hours in a day without a schedule to respond to urgent tasks.

Importance of onboarding and orientation processes

Onboarding familiarizes new employees with their duties, company philosophy, and what the company has to provide. By engaging them, the company produces a motivated team ready to pursue company objectives because they feel to be part of the company (Stein & Christiansen, 2010). Some employees eventually leave employment when a manager is not sufficiently involved in the onboarding exercise and related support.

Appropriate orientation and onboarding also reduce the turnover level in any company. Without proper orientation, employees will leave, which will reduce the productivity level (Stein & Christiansen, 2010). Apart from direct income loss resulting from reduced productivity, companies also incur significant budgets to hire replacements for the employees who leave.

References

Stein, M., & Christiansen, L. (2010). Successful onboarding. McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing.

Wallace, K. L. (2009). Creating an effective new employee orientation program. Library Leadership and Management, 23(4), 168-176.

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Orientation And Onboarding

Read the following scenario:

Ralph showed up for his first day on the job at Eugene’s Western Wear Outlet Store. He was very excited that he had landed a job at the store. He has loved western wear ever since he was a boy, and he also enjoys providing good service to others. He knew he could help the store’s customers, and he looked forward to his orientation so he could learn more about the company. Eugene met Ralph at the door and welcomed him. Ralph filled out the appropriate paperwork to get started and get to work. After he finished the paperwork, Eugene showed Ralph the cash register, showed him how to place an order and ring up a sale transaction, and gave him a brief walk through the store.

Eugene introduced Ralph to Ben. Ben had worked at Eugene’s Western Wear Outlet Store for three weeks and was Ralph’s designated go-to person for any questions he may have. Eugene explained to Ralph and Ben that it was going to be a busy day; a big product promotion was starting, and many of the store’s products were on sale. Eugene told Ralph and Ben to expect a crowd of customers as soon as the store opened for business and not to be surprised if they would have to forgo breaks and take a late lunch since the store was still short-staffed. Ralph was nervous and apprehensive; by noon, he had helped many customers to the best of his ability, but he couldn’t answer many of their questions, made several mistakes ringing up sales, and Ben and Eugene were too busy to help him. By the end of the day, Ralph, who really needed the job, wondered if his new position at Eugene’s Western Wear Outlet Store was the right job for him.

Contemplate this scenario, considering this week’s focus as you write a COMPREHENSIVE SUMMARY (400-500 words), answering the questions and prompts below.

1- Critique the new hire orientation process at Eugene’s Western Wear Outlet Store and explain which elements of an effective orientation were missing.

2- As you have learned, the orientation of new employees can take a significant investment of a manager’s time. Develop a recommendation that supports this investment.

3- Identify two challenges faced by managers when new hire orientation processes are ineffective. Develop two solutions to address these challenges.

4- Why are onboarding and orientation processes imperative for a company’s success?