Helping a new hire quickly and efficiently adapt to their role is one of the most valuable tools a manager can use.

Without a good orientation program, a new hire’s first day can leave a lasting negative impression on them that hinders their productivity from the get-go.

We’re getting into what exactly makes a good orientation program, and the practices and principles you can use to ensure orientation goes smoothly.

So, without any further ado, let’s get up close and personal with new hire orientation!

Why is good orientation so important?

The orientation process works as an initiation and welcome for a new hire in a company. It refers to the process of introducing new employees to their work responsibilities, their colleagues and the work space itself.

Research demonstrates that good orientation significantly affects employee satisfaction at work. The orientation process helps a new hire get to grips with their role and socialize effectively with the new team, and we all know the importance of social harmony at work.

Just like the first impression you make when meeting someone new, there’s only one opportunity to get it right. On their first day, almost every new starter has those newbie nerves, so isn’t this a great time to orient them in a way that feels welcoming?

What benefits does a good orientation bring?

A well-thought-out orientation program has a cluster of benefits for a new hire. The most common benefits of orientation are:

Reduces the new hire’s anxiety: While confidence can vary a lot between different people who start a new role, many new staff have some anxieties when starting. Good orientation reduces this anxiety with a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere.

Reduces company turnover: Orientation is the first day of the larger onboarding process. New hires who experience bad orientation or onboarding are more likely to leave their job early. Make sure your onboarding is efficient to drive down company turnover and attrition.

Outlining organizational expectations: When the new hire learns early on what’s expected of them, less time is spent trying to figure these things out through guesswork. The expectations of your new hire can be established clearly during orientation.

Traditionally the orientation process involves a tour of the workplace, introductions to colleagues and familiarization with company policies and regulations. The process is (most often) paid, as long as they’re officially hired in compliance with localized standards, like under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in the US.

How is orientation different from onboarding?

While orientation includes a lot of paperwork and meet-and-greets, onboarding is the longer process in which a new employee fully adjusts to the new role. Getting both orientation and onboarding right is critical to the early days of a new hire’s work experience, and in fact, only 12% of U.S. employees say their company does a good job of onboarding.

Orientation might typically have a checklist to go through, with welcome messages, employment contracts, and more paperwork (as well as nice welcoming gifts!). Onboarding on the other hand is longer. Basically, orientation is the first part of the onboarding process. 

So what are the standout principles to include in a solid orientation program?

Best practices for new hire orientation

Here are our best practices and principles to make the most of your orientation system.

Start before day 1

To optimize the orientation process, spend a little time working on preboarding before the first day. Get your new hire integrated into the work email system and your choice of group communication platform. Craft up a nice personalized welcome message in the company’s group chat. Also, consider connecting them before day 1 with their assigned mentor or buddy for their onboarding program.

A nice tip is to ask for a little bit of personal information like their hobby or unique travel experience and share this in a welcoming message when you add them to the work group-chat, like Slack or Discord. Something like “Hi all, welcome our new member David! He’s a keen ultimate frisbee player who lived in Indonesia for a few years, and..” Just make sure they’re open to sharing these cool little facts about themselves. Doing this before day 1 sets a positive tone for the overall onboarding experience.

Convey the company culture

During orientation, conveying and demonstrating the company’s culture to the new hire is one of the most powerful tools in a manager’s arsenal. Throughout the orientation process of paperwork and formalities, remember to highlight the company’s mission and values to set a welcoming tone for the newcomer.

Use success stories from the past to bring the company culture to life. Utilize multimedia and interactive activities like digital storytelling and video testimonials to sing the positive company culture from the rooftops. Organizational culture sets and reinforces the tone for how staff interact with one another at work, so nail this one in the orientation process!

Use an onboarding buddy

Make the most of a well-thought-out onboarding buddy in the first day’s orientation program to kickstart something magical. For many years, companies have used more formal mentor programs and systems to help get their new hires up to speed. An onboarding buddy does all this and more! They add an extra touch of friendship and support for the tricky first few days and weeks, which is highly beneficial for new hires who might be a little nervous during orientation.

Having someone they can turn to for advice, without the formal tone that sometimes comes with a mentorship program, sets the scene for team bonding and establishing employee connections. Make a careful decision before day 1 to select the perfect buddy for your new hire. Match up new hires with buddies who have complementary work styles, personalities, or passions. It’s totally worth it!

Compliance training and protocols

Dedicate time to making sure you communicate all the protocols and compliances the new hire needs to understand during orientation. Use methods that are as engaging as possible, like interactive modules and real-life scenario role-playing to make compliance training a bit more interesting. 

Highlight the importance of each policy and protocol early on in the day’s orientation. You don’t want to let them know life-or-death information like fire exit locations 5 minutes before the end of the day. Keep it early and clear. While you do this, regularly review and update existing protocols if you find anything that’s a little outdated. You’ll be instilling a sense of responsibility and accountability in new hires right from the off.

Tech orientation

Use part of the orientation schedule to introduce new hires to the tech they’ll be using. For staff who have worked in an office for a long time, it is all too easy to forget how overwhelming and rigorous the office’s tech systems are. When your new hires finally take their work seat and get accustomed to your tech systems, they might feel a little too nervous or anxious to ask questions. Don’t let this happen.

Demonstrate to them clearly and patiently the technicalities of office software or technology. You can do this yourself, or relinquish some control to your superstar onboarding buddies. Remember, don’t overlook things like email setups and access credentials. You might regret forgetting those later!

Maximize socialization

There’s no doubt that during orientation and onboarding, proper socialization makes a massive improvement in the new hire’s integration and well-being. Facilitate as many opportunities as possible for your new hires to socialize and mingle with their new team. If they’re a little quiet or nervous, you might have to craft up conversations yourself or have your onboarding buddies help them.

Creating a supportive social network for your new hire enhances their overall job satisfaction and reduces the likelihood of early leaving. Onboarding best practices illustrate the importance of getting the new hire’s first work experiences right. Help them build strong relationships and bonds and become part of the team more quickly. They’ll be thankful for it later!

Avoid information overload

One of the most common issues in new hire orientation is information overload. Bombarding them with too many statistics, flowcharts and figures is a fast-track ticket to underwhelming orientation. 

Keep the information you share clear and concise. If you need to, let your new hire’s buddy reiterate and further explain any info later in the day. When you’ve been in a workplace for a long time, it’s easy to forget that workplace jargon or technical terms can be difficult for new hires to retain quickly.

Gather orientation feedback

Our final recommendation for best orientation practices is to encourage new hires to give their own feedback on the experience. This creates a more open and welcoming environment, where they can feel comfortable sharing their thoughts. You can use surveys, feedback forms or informal check-ins to collect their input.

You might consider using the help of their assigned onboarding buddy too, as the new hire could feel more comfortable opening up to them. Whether it’s you or the new hire’s buddy, make sure the new staff feels like they’re being actively listened to, and make records and notes. Use this feedback to make adjustments to improve the orientation process. This will help boost a company culture of continuous improvement and active listening.

An example timetable for new hire orientation

The duration of onboarding and orientation programs can vary, but a one-day orientation schedule is a good place to start. Here’s our example of a schedule for a day’s orientation program:

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