Introduction
New hire orientation is an essential part of the post-recruitment process which helps in shaping the perception of the newly recruited employees perception of the organization and the employees (Rousseau, 1990). Orientation is a useful tool to provide a welcoming gesture to the newly employed hires fresh out of college, develop a positive perception about the organization, teach the new recruits about their roles and responsibilities in the organization, the fundamental skills they would require conducting their job, generating a training requirement profile, and putting the new employees at ease. Thus, an orientation training program is an extremely important function of the human resources to condition the new employees to eh organizational culture and atmosphere and set expectations – what the organization wants from them and what they may expect from the organization.
In the ABC inc. case study the campus recruiter Carl Robins was responsible to hire from campus and conduct their orientation program. Carl being new himself in the company managed to recruit the requisite number and was eased comfortably to conduct the orientation program. He was responsible for the orientation of 15 new hires which he had scheduled for 15 June so that they can start in July. But Carl finds out that the requisite formalities for the orientation like medical checkup, completely filling up of the new trainee application forms, etc. have not been done. When he checked for the training orientation room where the orientation was to be conducted, he found out that it had already been booked by another department for a month’s period. So the task that Carl had to do was to successfully conduct an orientation program for the Operations department’s new hires on the stipulated date. So he had to conduct the new hire formalities like the required paper works and medical checks, and conduct the orientation and find a suitable venue for so.
The case analysis presents the problem at hand for Carl, and then we try to analyze what the literature on orientation and new hire orientation has to suggest on the current situation at hand and then draw meaningful recommendations for Carl to take him out of the deadlock.
Orientation
There is a degree of enthusiasm and excitement that new employees have on their first day at work. Their first interactions often shape their perception regarding the organization which can be steered to be positive or negative, depending on the first interaction (Cadwell, 1988). This perception is directly related to the new hire’s career motivations and his/her intentions to stay with the organization (Rousseau, 1990). Thus, a well planned orientation is essential to motivate the new hires to their job efficiently as well as reduce the turnover statistics. It will lead to a fewer mistakes and better understanding of the task that the hires are required to do. This will improve employee relations and improved customer service.
Traditional orientation practices employs a virtual “data dump” on the employee which is conducted in a traditional setting through a (possibly) computer-based training program (Sims, 2002). But the new approach advocates development a program that employs numerous activities, group, and team building games, fun. For instance, Southwest Airline’s idea of an orientation is “New Hire Celebration” where the atmosphere is jazzed up with music, fun, and games (Sims, 2002). A good orientation program should provide ‘warm welcome’ to the new hires: “Orientation is the time to rollout the red carpet.” (Cadwell, 1988, p. 6) Orientation literature suggests that inviting an employee should be associated with enjoyment as well as training. Thus, appointing a new and innovative orientation program is essential to develop loyal employees. Further, this orientation program should be used to develop a planned culture within the organization which makes them learn “what to do, what not to do, what to wear, and specific words or phrases that are valued either positively or negatively in the organization” (Sims, 2002, p. 6). Thus, “Through a strong HR orientation, companies enjoy a more competent and committed workforce, thus creating a sustainable competitive advantage that rivals will find difficult to suppress.” (Lam & White, 1998, p. 352).
Recommendations
Given the situation at hand for Carl, he needs to find a new venue for the orientation as the room was not available. So he had to check his orientation budget and conduct the training in a separate location where there can be both learning as well as fun. he need to design a training program which breaks free the computer aided training method and employ activities which help in team building and skill training. Further, the part which is to be delivered through a video can be transformed into an online delivery platform. The video may include snapshots of the department where the new hires will work and make them familiarize with the departmental setting. This process will answer all questions regarding the culture, dress code, lingo, etc. moreover, this video will also explain the expectations that the company has from the new hires. The departmental head should be invited to undergo a brief interaction with the new hires which will help them understand the department better. Moreover, Carl should call the physician who was to conduct the drug tests on the morning and conduct the tests prior to the starting of the orientation program. Employing an off the site orientation venue will solve the problem of unavailability of the training room and help make the orientation a more exciting and learning process.
Works Cited
- Cadwell, C. M. (1988). New Employee Orientation. USA: Thomson Crisp Learning.
- Lam, L., & White, L. (1998). Human Resource Orientation anc Corporate Perfromance. Human Resource Development Quaterly vol 9 No. 4 , 351-364.
- Rousseau, D. M. (1990). New hire perception of their own adn their employer’s obligations: A study of psychological contracts. Journal of Organizational Behaviour vol. 11 , 389-400.
- Sims, D. M. (2002). Creative New Employee Orientation Programs. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional.