Orientation | Meaning and Definition

What is Orientation?

Employee orientation entails the process of introducing fresh employees to the workplace. They are familiarized with the team members, job responsibilities, departments, company policies, workplace culture, etc. New employees bear many questions in mind about their roles or anything concerning the place. A comprehensive orientation program intends to settle all such queries. It also helps them get started on any necessary certification or training which further supports them in cranking up their productivity.

Employee orientation programs establish the first impression of the organization on the new employees. Just by participating in this program, they can understand how their life would be with the company and whether to continue or not.

Organizations that arrange effective orientation tend to experience a low employee turnover rate. Thus, it directly helps reduce the business operation costs to a substantial extent.

What should be included in the employee orientation?

First off, welcome the new employees and do the following things to make them feel at home:

  •   Make sure the new employees get their phones, laptops, email addresses, etc., on the first day of the job itself. Provide them with proper demos and instructions, so they can be productive at the earliest.
  •   COnsider the paperwork on the first day of work itself.
  •   Allocate welcome kits with freebies like mugs, T-shirts, key chains, or other useful stuff. You may even organize an outing with other team members. This would help them in establishing rapport with each other at the beginning itself.
  •   Make sure that supervisors and managers spare time to interact with the new employees. They must be informed of their roles and responsibilities. It is also necessary to grasp the personal goals of new joinees and come up with a plan that aligns them well with the enterprise.