Have you ever been the "new kid"? We probably all have at some point. In starting a new job, the rest of the team all know each other and may even have a short-hand in working together. Entering in can feel daunting.
While many companies have new employee orientation programs, not all companies have programs in place to help the new employee fully orient to the job and the team. Even welcoming teams can be challenging for a new employee and not all teams are welcoming. Most new employee make up their minds about a new job within the first few weeks.
If the employee is unhappy and stays, the odds are that morale will be low and work performance will suffer. Or, if the employee decides to quit, the new employee is now unemployed. The stress levels of remaining employees rise from having to cover the workload of the open position. The organization has high expenses for turnover including advertising, recruiting, hiring and training another person to come in who, if they have the same experience, could have a similar result . and the process continues. That's a lose-lose-lose scenario - and it happens all the time!
Supervisors usually show the new employee of their work station and can assign tasks but may not always remember to help the new employee get to know the rest of the team, know the ins and outs of the job and/or even help to teach the specifics of the work environment. Many times, employees learn rules only after getting in trouble for breaking them.
To better help integrate a new team member, designate a mentor on the team who can help the new person learn the intricacies of the new job, the new team and the new organization. This mentor should be someone who can invite the new person to join activities and get to know others. The mentor should be someone who can set up the new employee for success through patience, support, knowledge and caring. Can you imagine how helpful a mentor in the workplace would have been for you when you started? This mentor likely has more time than the supervisor and knows the job and how it should be done well to be a good role model for success.
Orientation can mean introduction for newcomers or the person's attitude, feelings or beliefs on a particular subject. To help orient new employees to the job, we should start by making sure people who are passionate about employee success are the ones to orient them to their new jobs!
The question I have is that when the consequences for poor orientation are so high, why are they so common? Why don't more organizations invest in good orientation programs and protocols for their people?
To learn more about setting up employees for success, visit our website at www.makoed.com, email Mako & Associates at DeeAn@MakoEd.com or 206-992-7484.
