Orientation

A. When an employee is hired, commonly they go through an orientation program.

B. That’s right, orientation programs provide employees with the information they need to perform their jobs satisfactorily, in addition to being a component of the socialization process.

A. What do you mean by socialization process?

B. Well, socialization is an on-going process of instilling the attitudes, standards, and values required by the organization. In other words, the socialization helps the employee fit in to the workplace culture.

A. Okay, so what kind of information should be provided to a new employee?

B. Well, some examples could be: an overview of the firm, including the firm’s vision, value, strategies and structures; specifics like: working hours, vacation, company benefits, payroll dates; in addition, any training information needed. Some companies may provide more information then others but hopefully the result is that the job expectations are clarified and the reality shock is reduced.

A. How can a firm know if its orientation program is effective?

B. Simply interviewing or surveying the new employees for their opinion of the usefulness of the orientation program is one way. In addition, firms should do a cost/ benefit analysis comparing the orientation costs of such things as printing the handbooks to the benefits of the orientation. In other words, is there a reduction in errors by the new employees?

Key Terms
This week’s HR terminology includes:

- orientation

- socialization
- workplace culture

Multiple-choice quiz
*Answer found at the end of the post.

1. Some problems with orientation programs are:

A. Information provided by the HR department is too broad to be meaningful

B. Little or no orientation is provided
C. Too many forms need to be filled out
D. Too much information is provided in a short time
E. All of the above


Answers: 1) E