Building a better orientation program

HR Magazine, Nov, 1996 by Alice M. Starcke

The supervisor's role in orientation. Guidelines for the supervisor on the new employee's first day include meeting the person and being his or her first point of contact, assigning a "sponsor" for the new employee on the first day, making the person feel welcome, and completing the items on the New Employee Orientation Checklist designated for that day.

One important task for the supervisor is giving the new person an initial assignment to do on the first day. Lundberg says an initial assignment should be "something simple but meaningful, not just busy-work." During the first week, remaining items on the checklist should be completed, whenever they fit into the work schedule.

Identifying a sponsor. Supervisors learn about another special feature of the Minnesota program - involvement of one of the new employee's co-workers as a "sponsor." The supervisor chooses this employee beforehand as someone the new hire can identify with or relate to. In picking the sponsor, supervisors look for an employee who is also fairly new to the job (six months to a year) and is a good performer and team player.

"It's important to find someone who will set a good example for the new hire," Lundberg says. The sponsor's role is to be the single point of contact for the new employee when the supervisor is not available. But the sponsor is not a substitute for the supervisor. Sponsors should show new people "the ropes" - help employees learn all those informal tidbits of information that contribute to success on the job. Basically, the sponsor is someone to help the supervisor make the new person feel welcome and a part of the organization, she explains.

FOCUS GROUPS FOR FEEDBACK

While developing Facilities Management's current program, Lundberg used a focus group system to obtain feedback from 29 randomly selected new employees in varied job categories.

So far, Lundberg says, the department hasn't formally evaluated orientation, "but we do take casual comments or feedback from employees into consideration and continue to work on improving the program."

The 29 participants in the new-employee focus groups held in 1995 came up with several valuable suggestions and guidelines. First was a set of questions - What New Employees Really Want To Know (see box, page 113); second was a list of orientation planning questions for HR and line managers to consider, including questions such as:

* What things would new employees need to know about this work environment that would make them more comfortable?

* What impression and impact would I want to make on new employees that first day?

* What key policies and procedures must employees be aware of the first day to avoid mistakes on the second day? Concentrate on vital issues.

* What specific things can I do to ensure that new employees will begin to know their co-workers without feeling overwhelmed?

* What special things (desk, work area, equipment, special instructions) can I provide to make new workers feel comfortable, welcome and secure?

* What positive experience can I provide for new employees that they could discuss with their families? The experience should be something to make the new employee feel valued by the organization.