A new employee orientation, (sometimes referred to as employee on-boarding), introduces new employees to the organization and their new role. Beyond providing information about the organization’s policies and procedures, an effective orientation should make the new employee feel comfortable, helping them to learn about their role and the organization’s culture and values.

Developing and facilitating a new employee orientation takes time. Too often, busy workplaces forego a proper orientation in the hopes that new recruits will ‘figure it out’ as they get to work. But in fact, by taking the time to properly orient new hires, employers will increase that employee’s chances of being successful. This could increase employee retention which saves the organization time and money in recruitment in the long run.

A good orientation will enable a new employee to be successful by:

• Reducing the anxiety of the employee
• Sharing relevant organizational information and beginning a process of learning about the organization’s mission and work
• Socializing the employee to the culture of the organization, including the values, behaviours, formal and informal practices, etc.
• Building relationships between the new employee and colleagues, including managers or supervisors