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Employee Socialization & Orientation

The purpose of new hire orientation is to assimilate the new employee into the organization through a formal program as rapidly as possible.  If this is not done, the void will still be filled. Unfortunately, it will be filled with information that is inconsistent, disorganized, and inefficient. By bringing pertinent information directly to employees during their first week, they are acclimated far more quickly. This is true, provided the information shared is organized in a logical way that reinforces appropriate on-the-job learning

A recent research study finds that new hire orientation should be less about the company and more about the employee. In an article titled “Breaking them in or Eliciting Their Best? Reframing Socialization around Newcomers’ Self-expression,” published in the March 2013 Administrative Science Quarterly, a research team found that the traditional method of telling a group of new hires about the corporate culture, it is better to include them in the corporate culture right from the start.

This is done by shifting the focus away from the organization and onto what each employee believes he/she brings to the organization. When this discussion occurs in a group setting with other new employees, the identity of each employee is encouraged to come to the forefront. As such, the organization is letting the employee know right from the start that their opinion, technical expertise, knowledge, skills, and abilities are essential to the ongoing success of the organization.

According to data provided by the Bureau of Labor & Statistics (BLS), more than 25 percent of individuals living in the United States experience a career transition each year. With this said, transitions to a new company and/or position within an existing company, are not always to the advantage of these employees.

For example, half of all hourly workers leave new jobs in the first four months, and half of senior outside hires fail within 18 months. The good news is that an effective employee onboarding program, designed to help new hires adjust and adapt to their new organization, can be accomplished with a reasonable level of effort (see the report published by SHRM titled: Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success). This report outlines best practices associated with onboarding, as well as provides useful tools to help ensure that onboarding programs for new hires are successful.