CHAPTER
5
Setting Your New Hire Up
for Success: Orientation
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Student Version
PowerPoint Presentation by Charlie Cook
The University of West Alabama
Learning Objectives
1. Explain the importance of planning new employee
orientation.
2. Describe steps you can take prior to your new
employee’s first day to begin the process of setting your
new hire up for success; identify items to include on a
pre-arrival checklist.
3. Explain the importance of discussing expectations held
by the new employee and describe strategies for
clarifying these expectations during the orientation
period.
4. Describe who and what should be included in the new
hire’s orientation plan, including both the general
company overview and the job-specific orientation.
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5–2
Learning Objectives (cont’d)
5. Discuss basic elements of a good orientation training
plan. Identify topics to include in the new hire’s plan and
discuss the value of a buddy system to help the new
employee acclimate to the job and the corporate culture.
6. Identify methods for measuring and reporting progress.
7. Describe the benefits of discussing performance
expectations and reviewing the performance appraisal
process during orientation.
8. Explain how orientation training plans can be modified to
accommodate the virtual employee.
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5–3
The Value of Planning New Employee
Orientation
• Orientation Planning Benefits
 Introduces and welcomes new hire
 Begins the transition from new employee to
contributing team member
 Help the new employee assimilate more quickly into
the organization
 Generates excitement within the team’s current
employees and organization.
 Leads to higher levels of retention, motivation, and
job satisfaction for new employees
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5–4
Items to Address Ahead of Time
• Orientation is more than one day:
 Prepare a detailed list of items new employees must
attend to within their orientation period, covering a
week, a month, or more.
 Determine any forms, documentation, and other
information that can be distributed to the new hire in
advance.
 Identify and secure prior to the new hire’s arrival the
resources, equipment, training, computer access, and
work space that will the new person need.
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5–5
Imagine that you have just been hired for your dream
job. Write the announcement that your new company
should send to all relevant employees announcing that
you have been hired.
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5–6
Fostering Realistic Employee
Expectations
• Sources of Frustration for New Employees:
 Companies and supervisors do not follow through on
commitments and promises.
 New employees have unrealistic expectations
because of faulty assumptions about their jobs.
• Communication is Key
 Provide a realistic job preview and detailed schedule.
 Put promises and commitments and follow-up in
writing.
 Communicate frequently and in detail.
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5–7
The Company Orientation Plan
• First Impressions Are Lasting Impressions:
The New Hire’s First Day
 Greet new employees and be available
 Food is always good
 Present sampling of company products to new hire.
 Make it an ideal day:







Tour facility
Introduce new hire to coworkers
Review orientation plan and answer questions
Have new hire organize his/her personal work area
Take new hire to lunch
Have new hire spend time with orientation partner
Ask for new hire’s feedback on first day’s events
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5–8
Orientation Agenda Items
• Company background and overview
 Mission, vision, and goals
• Employee benefits
 Health and life insurance
 Vacation and personal leave
 Employee stock options and retirement plans
• Hours of operation and important dates
 Holidays and other closures
• Inclement weather policy and procedure
• Emergency preparedness and safety
• Legal Issues (Company Policies)
 Sexual harassment, use of company property, employee privacy,
confidentiality, intellectual property, conflict of interest, and drugs
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5–9
Job-Specific Orientation
Job-Specific
Orientation Items
Department’s
Mission and
Goals
Job
Functions
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Introductions
and Tour
Policies and
Procedures
5–10
1. Why do you think it is important to clarify performance
expectations during a new employee’s orientation?
2. What unintended or negative consequences do you
think are possible if a supervisor fails to let employees
know how and when their performance will be
evaluated?
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5–11
The New Hire’s Perspective
Stages of Adjustment for New Hires
Anticipation
of the Job
Reality of
the Job
Decision to
Stay on
the Job
• What do you expect? Why?
• What are three things you
are most looking forward to
in this position?
• What are three things that
you are worried about in
this job?
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5–12
Measuring Progress
• The 5:15 Report
 Is a reporting tool that allows employees to share
significant information with their supervisor in a
concise manner.
 Should take fifteen minutes to prepare the report and
five minutes to read.
 Is a way for new hires to proactively report weekly to
their supervisors how well they are progressing during
their orientation period:



Milestones achieved
Challenges and changes
Future plans
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5–13
Goals and Measures
• Training Goals
 Develop SMART goals in concordance with training
plan objectives
 Determine who will and when to measure progress
• Assessing Training Goal Achievement
 Objectively measured progress: can the new hire
demonstrate a new skill or articulate new knowledge?
 Subjectively measured progress: how skillfully or
professionally does the new hire perform assigned
tasks?
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5–14
Performance Expectations
• Performance Appraisal
 Is the process of evaluating job performance as a
basis for personnel decisions.
 Helps ensure both that opportunities and rewards are
equitably distributed and that prejudicial treatment is
avoided.
 Helps validate a firm’s job analysis, selection, and
compensation decision processes.
• Why Discuss Performance Appraisal Criteria
During Orientation?
 New hires are more focused and perform better when
they clearly understand what is expected of them.
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5–15
Compensation and Evaluations
Linking
Compensation
and Evaluation
Evaluation for
Development
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Evaluation for
Reward
5–16
Orientation and Training
for the Virtual Employee
Issues in Orientation
and Training for Virtual
Employees
The Travel Option
vs.
Virtual Orientation
and Training
Content and
Format for the
Virtual Orientation
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Virtual Training,
Assessment and
Technical Support
5–17
TERMS TO UNDERSTAND
5:15 report
buddy system
compensation
corporate culture
employee benefits
employee orientation
expectation
feedback
milestones
performance appraisal
pre-arrival checklist
training
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied
or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5–18