Employee orientation is an important event for any business. It’s the perfect opportunity to meet all your new employees, get to know them, and set the tone for the upcoming months. However, pulling off a successful employee orientation program takes time and effort.
Employee onboarding software, free of cost or paid, helps companies deliver employee orientation more quickly and seamlessly, provided everything else has been planned well.
We’ve put together this article to cover a few things that you must work on beforehand to conduct an effective orientation program for your ease of understanding. We’ll cover everything from choosing the suitable date and time to designing the perfect curriculum. So don’t wait – get started today and make your employee orientation program a success.
Choosing the Right Date and Time for Your Orientation Program
The first step in designing an effective employee orientation program is picking the suitable date and time. Consider a few things when selecting a date:
- The timing of your new employees’ arrival will impact when you can run the program.
- If you’re hiring new staff quickly, choose a short orientation period, so everyone has enough time to get up to speed. On the other hand, if your company is more established and there’s less urgency to bring in new hires, choosing a more extended period may be more appropriate.
- The time of day your orientation program is held also matters. Unless you’re hosting the program in the morning or late at night, it’s essential to consider how this will affect attendance. Most people are busiest during the morning and evening hours, so scheduling your program around these times can reduce effectiveness.
- In some cases, it may be necessary to move your orientation date due to schedule conflicts with other events scheduled on that same day or week. This is rare but can happen.
Plan The Right Curriculum for Your Orientation Program
Once you’ve chosen a date and time, the next step is to decide on the curriculum. Consider the points mentioned below when selecting an orientation program:
- The goal of your program is to educate your new employees about company policies and values. Therefore, it’s essential that the material covered is relevant and engaging. You don’t want your new hires sitting through hours of dry lectures; instead, try to include interactive activities to help them understand what they’re signing up for.
- As with any educational program, it’s crucial to ensure that the materials used in your orientation program are accessible and compliant with legal requirements. In particular, all materials used in your program are free of offensive content (i.e., images or language that could be considered discriminatory or inflammatory).
- Ensure that your orientation program is entertaining and engaging. Consider using interesting visuals, humorous details, and lively activities to keep everyone engaged. If your new hires are bored during the program, it will be difficult for them to learn thoroughly about company policies and values.
Choose An Orientation Program Provider
Once you’ve decided on the curriculum, it’s time to choose an orientation program provider. There are several options available, each with its strengths and weaknesses.
You can deliver online orientations through onboarding software. These programs offer flexibility in terms of location (you can provide the program remotely), content (material is generally tailored to your specific company culture), and pricing (online orientations tend to be cheaper than traditional in-person orientation programs).
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve outlined the key factors to consider when designing an employee orientation program. We’ve also outlined some of the most popular options available and tips on choosing the right one for your company.
