1. HR Glossary
2. Employee Orientation

Employee Orientation

What is Employee Orientation?

Employee orientation is the process of introducing the new hire to the coworkers and workplace culture. The motive behind this is to help the employee feel comfortable with the team and organization. An effective employee orientation creates awareness of the company’s policies, addresses the new employees’ concerns or queries, and defines the expectations as they transit to their new roles.

For example,

• A candidate is hired after he passes the interview rounds.
• That employee joins the company the next day.
• The HR manager firstly introduces him to company policies.
• Next, HR gives him a tour of the office and introduces him to the respective team and the reporting manager.
• All these processes come under employee orientation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary aim of employee orientation?

Employee orientation is established considering the following purposes.

Familiarize with the organization:

The basic part of the orientation is to give employees a complete organizational tour and overview of their cultural aspects. This will help employees get comfortable with the rules and operations of the workplace. Additionally, employees can be taught about fun activities conducted, etc.

Understand policies:

Every company has its unique set of values and code of conduct representing the culture. As soon as employees join the company, they are introduced to all the policies.

Understand responsibilities:

Orientation also allows employees to understand their roles and responsibilities. In addition, they are made aware of the expectations, targets, and accountability needed for the position. This will help them perform better from the beginning.

Socialize with team members:

Without proper orientation, employees will not be able to understand their surroundings, including people and processes. They will feel isolated. So, orientation is an essential step for new recruits to harmonize with other people.

Representing their best:

Proper orientation will allow employers to meet the employee’s needs and thus improve their loyalty to the company. They are also explained about roles that need to be accomplished under the job agreement. Therefore, they can prove to be loyal employees and perform their best from the very beginning.

What is the importance of employee orientation?

An employee orientation signifies the relationship between an employee and the employer. From the very first day, an employee starts evaluating whether joining the company was a better decision or not. It will also help retain the employee in the long run. So it is essential to include everything he or she may seek.

Moreover, if, in any orientation, all the job expectations are cleared, the employee can work productively from the very first day. The only thing to keep in mind is to ensure all the employees receive equal training.

What is included in new hire training?

An organization’s primary aim for new hire training is to make sure they are properly valued and welcomed. Now to do this, the following are the few points that should be taken care of in orientation training.

• Never make employees weighed down with so many facts, videos, and new people as soon as they enter the office on their first day.
• Keep their assets such as mobile phones, laptops, desktops, and credentials up to date and ready to assign.
• Appoint someone to guide them through all the essentials around the workplace and even outside.
• Offer welcome kits, including stationery, t-shirts, freebies, etc.
• They can be offered with an org chart explaining different departments and employees. Thus, they know whom to reach for queries.
• As a part of their work duties, appoint a trainer to help them in the first few months.

What does the employee orientation checklist mean?

An employee orientation checklist involves all the steps and materials needed to make the process effective and satisfactory for the new hire. On a comprehensive note, this may include company introduction, interaction with the right people, tools to improve their productivity, etc.

What is involved in an orientation checklist?

The new hire onboarding checklist involves the following criteria:

• Develop new recruit paperwork.
• Set up all the devices and account credentials required.
• Organize the employee workspace.
• Share a welcome mail to the employee.
• Share an employee handbook and policies.
• Appoint an office guide and organize a tour around the workplace.
• Introduce new hires to reporting managers and team members.
• Discuss their work schedules.
• Assign a mentor for their task review.
• Schedule orientation feedback.
• Set up an employee review plan.

How does orientation differ from onboarding?

Onboarding is the process beginning from the stage when an employee accepts the job offer and ends when he or she is ultimately settled within the company. On the contrary, orientation is a procedure wherein the employee is made aware of the company, culture, and work responsibilities.

Thus, it can be said that onboarding is the parent process where orientation is one of its parts.

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