The biggest mistake a company can make when onboarding talented, energetic employees into an organization is to cram hours of mind-numbing employment information into its new employee orientation. And yet, this is exactly what many new hires, arriving enthusiastic and ready to work, must endure during their first week on the job with a new employer.
New employee orientations are dumping grounds for compliance. Every department wants to shove as much information about employment, benefits, diversity, and safety as possible into the time allotted. The result is a jam-packed session of PowerPoints, handouts and talking heads. Instead of reaffirming an employee's decision to take the job, and welcoming him or her into the culture, the company unintentionally creates a finger wagging session that leaves new hires weary and dispirited.
New employee orientations play a significant role in a new hire's developing opinions about you as an employer. To learn how to use the time strategically to educate new hires on what really matters, download my new whitepaper, From Orientation to Acculturation: What Really Belongs in Your New Employee Orientation and/or register for my May 13th webcast, New Hire Onboarding: Next Practices for Boosting Performance and Retention.
Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group
Workforce Strategies for the New Economy
