Effective new hire orientation plays a pivotal role in integrating employees into the company culture, setting expectations, and providing essential information for a successful start. It sets the tone for the employee’s experience and influences their productivity and long-term commitment to the organization.
- Gallup reports that only 1 in 8 employees strongly agree that new hires at their organization receive an excellent orientation and onboarding experience.
Employee orientation serves as the initial welcome of new hires to a company, marking the beginning of their employment journey. Orientation provides a general overview of company policies, procedures, and culture. It is one of the first steps in the overarching onboarding process, which encompasses a series of events and training sessions. This process is designed to facilitate new hires’ transition into their roles, help them evolve into successful and productive employees, and acclimate them to the organization. As part of the broader onboarding process, orientation is critical to setting up a new hire for success—and often tenure—at the organization.
We recently released a new HR Toolkit that aims to assist employers in designing, executing, and refining their new hire orientation programs to ensure a seamless and effective onboarding experience for employees on their first day: HR Toolkit: New Hire Orientation
