Your company s orientation program has slick, pre-printed handouts. The program s savvy, friendly presenter uses good visuals such as overhead transparencies and a white marker board. Participants receive a guided tour of the facility. The hundred page employee handbook is safely tucked under their arms. Yet the average employee feels bewildered, overwhelmed, and far from welcomed.
Many new hires question their decision to change companies by the end of their first day.
Their anxieties are fueled by mistakes that companies often make during that first-day orientation program. There is no doubt that a company s positive first impressions can cement the deal for a newly recruited employee. Those positive strokes can also speed integration and productivity. Dr. John Sullivan, head of the Human Resource Management Program at San Francisco State University, concludes that several elements contribute to a World Class orientation program. Most organizations are great at celebrating the departure of a beloved co-worker.