Which way is your employee orientation program oriented? When company executives take the time to “meet and greet” new employees, walking them through the basic processes and logistics of their job environment, as well as introducing new employees to their co-workers, there is a good chance that the new employee will feel great about their decision to join the company and get off to a great start.

In sharp contrast, when employees begin their first days of employment in a random fashion, uncovering their new job requirements on their own as they wander about the company, they are far more likely to get off to a shaky start, leading to a state of confusion and anxiety from the start.

I refer to this approach as “Trick or Treat” because it resembles the Halloween activity that we are all familiar with, where the new employee in their unfamiliar ‘costume’ searches from department to department for the friendly ‘treat’ of a warm welcome, but often is ‘tricked’ up by the ambivalent reception he or she actually receives.

In the absence of a formal structured orientation process, new employee introductions are left to chance and are hence more likely to create a ‘scary’ impression to the new employee.

In larger employee-intense environments, it is particularly important for the relationship between management and staff to establish solid ground from the outset, since so much depends on teamwork and the requisite interworking relationships. When left to chance, the problems emanating from these poor beginnings can snowball to the entire employee population.

Unfortunately, as we have seen from our experience in consulting with dozens of midsize to larger companies, this is not always the way company executives approach orienting employees to their company. Rather than paying more attention to this important step, it appears that is all too often given short shrift.

It seems that many executives feel the job is done once the new employee paperwork is complete. Since corporate trainers may not actually begin to train new personnel immediately, there is frequently a gap lasting between days, weeks, sometimes even months while the new employee is left to fend for themselves in getting started. During this time, many employees will simply give up and quit their jobs.

Often, to deal with these potential problems, many companies will use a fragmented approach to orientation, taking the time to make sure employees have the necessary tools to do the job, e.g. computer, workstation, etc. and related processes necessary to start work, but then stop short of completing the orientation. In effect, they do the hard stuff but not the softer stuff. Unfortunately, these softer areas are very important and can make a real difference to the new employee who is just getting underway. Typical softer areas include steps like employee introductions to other employees, an overview of the company and general welcoming interventions to get the employee off to a good start.

One technique many companies use to communicate new hires to the general population is to post new employee information on company bulletin boards, including a picture of the new employee together with their position and relevant personal data; e.g. acceptable nicknames, hobbies, interests, etc. By taking these steps, the new employees are more easily recognizable by the existing employee population.

As a result of our experiences, we at MaraStar Communications have created an innovative way to deal with these issues. We offer “Welcome Aboard” messages, which can be emailed to all relevant co-workers. These animated messages can be sent out to a group of e-mail addresses or posted to a common Intranet site for general viewing. The static image can also be printed and subsequently posted to company bulletin boards, as well.

After some basic information on new employees is communicated, the face to face introductions to co-workers should commence. Having already communicated basic new employee information is a way to facilitate these introductions, making for a smoother connection.

All too often, these fundamental steps are skipped and the employees who wind up staying are the ones who have survived the somewhat abrupt treatment by management and co-workers.

In addition to the high cost of turnover and substantial incurred hiring cost, probably the biggest impact to the company is the low morale caused by workers with an “attitude lacking gratitude.” When employees feel that they are not being treated with proper respect, they frequently begin to demonstrate their displeasure in less than acceptable performances at work. These performances can infect other existing employees and consequently impact the performances of other employees, subsequently affecting the morale of the group as well as the satisfaction of the customers who are served by these employees.

So, what steps can employers take to avoid these costly missteps? Well, let’s review a short list of the best orientation practices from our experience in both operating a dozen call centers and in consulting to dozens of others.

For larger populations with dozens or more new hires per week, we recommend more formal processes consisting of some or all of the following steps:

1. Video orientation presenting an overview of the company, supported by material for the new hire to read to get a good general picture of the company landscape

2. Formal process of visually posting new hires to the company Intranet, supported by pictures of the new employees posted to company billboards

3. Company newsletter insertions including new hires with pictures and appropriate anecdotal information about the new employees

4. Animated messages, as offered by MaraStar Communications, sent to the general population or posted to the Intranet, to introduce new personnel

5. A comprehensive orientation agenda for the first week of employment, including introducing the new employee to their coworkers

For smaller, less frequent hiring groups I recommend less formal but structured steps like these:

1. Brief conference room PowerPoint orientation program presented by Management or Human Resources staff to accomplish the basic overview

2. Bulletin Board postings accompanied by animated email messages, as offered by MaraStar Communications

3. Physical introduction of new employees at company meeting or via face to face meeting with the new co-workers

Simple steps like these, when done in a thoughtful and considerate fashion, are a good way to establish a trusting relationship from the get go.

Once these steps are taken on the job, follow-up by a mentor/co-worker can help facilitate the requisite job processes necessary for workers to get underway.

Having established a good starting point during the orientation period makes it much easier to build the knowledge and skills via formal and informal training interventions that enable the employee to begin making a contribution to the company.

Taking the time to start off in the right direction sets the correct course from the start. Even a slight variation on the correct course can mean a huge difference in the employee’s journey down the road. So take the time to set the course right from the start, avoiding all the tricks, and you’re likely to be treated by an enthusiastic employee ready to make their mark and demonstrate their appreciation for the positive reception they have received.