Orientation for new staff is process which can be helped by online content and should last for months, not weeks, according to recruitment company Drake International.
When new staff member arrives at the Drake offices, options include clicking on an intranet link to watch an interactive message from the company’s international chairman Bill Pollock giving his personal greeting to new staff. They can also click to see New Zealand general manager Gay Barton give an outline of the company’s culture, its direction and the commitments it makes to staff and customers.
The intranet links are examples of the company practising what it preaches. Drake has released White Paper ‘Onboarding and Orientation’
– extending traditional orientation programme into an exercise that runs from the first contact through the first 12 months of employment.
“To gain the fastest and highest productivity and the greatest longevity with new hires, wise employers are engaging their people through comprehensive orientation process, and through reinvented process call onboarding,” the paper says.
“The value to an organisation ranges from avoiding and reducing costs, to faster productivity and return on salary costs, to increased employee retention.”
In today’s job market, would-be
employers need to recognise that they are sellers not buyers, Barton says.
“They have to put much more effort into selling their organisation to candidates and establishing their employee value proposition and promoting their employment brand.”
Barton says the White Paper picks up where these recruitment steps stop and the employee is on board. Drake’s philosophy is that people are the engine room of any successful organisation, she says.
“Having the right people with the right skills and behaviours is what organisations need in today’s competitive environment. The payback for employers is much more than happy workers. It is also good economics,” says Barton.
The Paper says effective onboarding programmes can yield return of investment of up to 125 percent. It says, traditionally, employees take 120 days to become top performers and that an effective onboarding programme can cut that time down by 15 days, which means productivity savings can easily outweigh programme costs.
The Paper breaks the onboarding process into:
•The pre-offer. Make first impressions count, so provide meaningful and positive information about the company and the role.
•Extending the offer. potential staff member should receive comprehensive pre-employment package with all relevant contacts, forms and information.
•The first day. Capitalise on new employee’s enthusiasm by making their first day positive.
•The orientation programme. This should be broken down into intensive, informative modules covering all aspects of the job and the organisation.
•Post orientation. This is an evaluation process and means areas for further training can be identified.
“Onboarding and orientation programmes do not take away the responsibility that managers have in directing and inspiring people. But, as organisations grow, these programmes provide the structures necessary to ensure that people within an organisation are on the same journey and have the same values,” Barton says.
The free paper can be ordered at www.drakeintl.com
