Business 101: Principles of Management

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The function of new employee orientation introduces a new employee to the company, its policies, the co-workers and the job itself. Its characteristics include introducing the employee to the company's culture, roles and responsibilities, job description and other important things an employee will need to know.

The First Day

In this lesson, we will explore the function of new employee orientation and the characteristics, or features, of bring a new employee on board.

New employee orientation involves the function of introducing a new employee to the company, its policies, the team and the job responsibilities.

New employee orientation is an important part of human resource management. There are several benefits to a successful orientation. Employees who are formally oriented into a company will experience less stress, develop stronger relationships with co-workers, are at less risk of quitting and learn the job quicker.

What does New Employee Orientation Look Like?

There are several important characteristics to new employee orientation. They include:

• Culture, values and mission of the company
• Employee introductions
• Roles and responsibilities of the employee and others in the company
• Job description
• Systems training
• Job performance feedback and appraisal system
• Facilities tour

Let's take a closer look at how Telly's Call Center brings on new telemarketers using each of the characteristics. Telly's Call Center employs over 200 people who sell The Daily Bugle, a local newspaper, over the telephone.

Telly, the call center owner, recently hired Juan. Juan came from a much smaller call center and was unfamiliar with working in such a big company. It was important that Telly make Juan's first day a positive experience.

The first thing Telly did was introduce the culture, values and mission of the company. The culture, values and mission of the company talk about the guiding principles and purpose of the company. In other words, it talks about what the company believes in and why. Telly told Juan about the history of the company, the code of ethics and the mission statement.

This also may include showing Juan the employee handbook, a document that describes the company policies and procedures. Some of the information contained in this document includes:

• Benefits (like insurance)
• Dress code
• Company policies
• Vacation and time off

Telly then introduced Juan to some of the people he would be working with. This is known as 'employee introductions' and involves getting familiar with co-workers on the first day. It fosters good relationships in the future.

Then, Telly told Juan about the roles and responsibilities of each department and employee. Some of the important questions Juan asked during the conversation were:

• What are my job duties
• Who are my co-workers
• Who do I report to every day
• What does the organizational chart look like

Telly presented Juan with a job description. A job description is a description of the tasks the employee is responsible for performing. The job description includes:

• Location or department
• Description of duties
• Tools or equipment used on the job
• Schedule or shift

Telly also told Juan about the systems training he will receive. Systems training involves training on various programs and software that Juan will use at work. Some of the trainings Juan will attend are how to set up email and computer passwords, where to park his car and how to use the telephone system.

Then, Telly discussed the performance evaluation and appraisal system. Performance evaluation and appraisal systems are systems used to evaluate an employee's performance. Employee evaluation and appraisal systems include:

• Goals set by the manager and employee
• Timelines for goal completions
• Feedback on performances

Finally, Telly took Juan on a facilities tour. The facilities tour is designed to help a new employee became familiar with where things are located like:

• Cubicle
• Time clock
• Employee break room
• Restrooms
• Supply closet
• Water cooler

Once Telly and Juan completed the tour, Juan was ready to begin working.

Lesson Summary

In summary, new employee orientation involves introducing a new employee to the company, its policies, the team and the job responsibilities. There are several characteristics to new employee orientation. The employer will:

• Introduce the new employee to the culture, values and mission of the company
• Review the employee handbook, which contains policies, procedures, benefits and other important information the new employee needs to know about the company
• Present the new employee to co-workers by making employee introductions
• Familiarize the new employee to the roles and responsibilities of employees in the company
• Explain to the new employee the job description that details the tasks, duties, schedule and reporting procedures of the job
• Schedule systems training for things the employee will need to know to perform the job
• Describe the job performance feedback and appraisal systems so that the employee understands the goals and the timeline for feedback
• Take a facilities tour so that the employee becomes familiar with the physical layout of the company