When a new employee joins the team, it's the employer's responsibility to ensure that orientation covers all the crucial elements of working within the company. Even so, many businesses overlook critical information that may lead to severe damage later on.
While it's difficult to cover everything in the span of an orientation week, there are a few critical topics that should be included to avoid future complications in the employee’s performance and, by extension, the business's processes and interactions with the public.
To help HR teams struggling with this issue, 15 members of Forbes Human Resources Council go over the most crucial topics that companies typically overlook during their employee training.
Members of Forbes Human Resources Council share their expert insight.
Photos courtesy of the individual members1. Organizational Culture
The culture of the organization is so important yet often overlooked. I have also said that cultural fit may be more important than skill. We must give employees every tool to be successful. A good cultural fit will aid in an employee's performance, inclusion and collaboration. - Dawn Taylor, Pinnacle Talent Acquisition
2. The Nuances Of Their Role
As the workplace becomes more digital, functional onboarding is increasingly important in ensuring employees understand the nuances of their role. Beyond company policies and benefits, onboarding must cover the “must-knows” of a role. This requires facilitator-led training, independent courses and other mechanisms to distill and gamify the information employees need to be successful. - Kristina Johnson, Okta
3. Company Rules Of Engagement
A new employee's understanding of the unique rules of engagement and cultural norms of a company is critical. One of the best ways to do this is by creating quarterly in-person (or live Zoom) orientation sessions where several senior staff tell their story, including their successes and challenges at the company. Your staff learns not just from the content of the story but from the tone of the conversation. - Tammy Kelley, Bethany Christian Services
4. How Things Are Done At The Firm
A new hire should come with an awareness of "what" needs to be done. They need to be onboarded about "how" things are done at the new firm. The culture piece in each organization is different and is critical for the long-term success of the new hires. The onboarding teams, be it HR or functional managers, should focus on values, principles and other cultural fabrics of the organization to integrate the new employee. - Kumar Abhishek, S&P Global
5. Creating A Sense Of Belonging
The piece that is often missing from onboarding programs is to create a lasting sense of belonging. It's not enough to just introduce new employees to team members. We need to build activities to reduce the isolation that can happen with new joiners during the pandemic. I am also still a big advocate for creating a small support network for each new hire, with two buddies and their manager. - Erin Adkins, Sony Interactive Entertainment
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6. Clear Expectations
Clarity around expectations is an area that could use more attention during onboarding. Both new hires and organizational leaders make assumptions based on the job description and interview process. It is crucial to take time to call out those assumptions early on and create the space to clarify mutual expectations. - Trenae Forman, Black Girls CODE
7. What Matters To The Employee
Add a reflective session on "what matters to you." We spend time preparing tools and onboarding plans, without incorporating their inputs into the plan or the perks and challenges of remote working. After losing two new hires, we incorporated this and it has made a difference. Adding this reflection exercise and listening makes them feel valued and important. It also elevates the company's EVP. - Mofoluwaso Ilevbare, Procter and Gamble
8. Proper Introduction To Others
A proper introduction to others at the company is critical! It's an elementary concept but overlooked by so many. Start your new hires off strong by ensuring they get to quickly establish relationships with peers, key stakeholders, etc. I'm always shocked at how many companies just show someone to a desk and then hope they can figure for themselves who does what. - Bryan Passman, Hunter + Esquire
9. Generalist Overview Of The Company
Many times, employers hire specialists and fail to give them a generalist overview of the organization. This is key, as your employees are your greatest asset. They are your outside world promoters, so it is essential they know as much as possible about the organizations’ capabilities. Give new employees the full picture of the organization, not just the department they will work in. - Nakisha Griffin, Virtual Enterprise Architects
10. Career Growth Opportunities
During onboarding, take the time to define what career growth means at your organization and share current success stories. Most employees are looking for a career, not just a job, so by taking the time to define what that could look like and how to obtain that growth at your organization, you not only set expectations for your new hire but will also keep employee satisfaction high and work-focused. - Jessica Adams, Brad's Deals
11. VUCA-Related Skill Development
We are now operating in a hyper VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complex and ambiguous) world. As such, leaders will need to provide employees with training and resources to help them build skills in resiliency, empathy and adaptability. Last year’s events taught us that we need to quickly reimagine the future of work and these skills are paramount to successfully navigating it. - Naveen Bhateja, Medidata Solutions
12. The End Of The Honeymoon Period
The end of the honeymoon period is a critical aspect to discuss. About three months after the start date, employees' relative happiness goes down. The excitement of being in a new role with a new company wears off, and one begins to notice the normal/natural irritations of everyday work life. Mentioning this when people onboard is essentially an inoculation against unnecessary panic and increases each individual's self-awareness. - Elizabeth Roberts, eGenesis, Inc.
13. Value Alignment With Delivery, Operations
Educating employees on how a company's values tie into delivery and operations ensures that everyone is working from the same guiding principles. Great employee training will go beyond simply reading off the values. Instead, companies should showcase how their values come to life each day, from operations to client interactions to employee recognition. - Dina DeMarco, Hueman People Solutions
14. Conflict Resolution Policies
Conflict resolution and your company's specific approach to proactively mitigating interpersonal issues is something rarely addressed yet critical to creating high-performance teams. If you have norms around issue clearing that make it feel safe to address situations head-on in an open and constructive manner, you can instill a shared culture of honest and supportive feedback from day one. - Lorna Borenstein, Grokker
15. Application Of Tech Skills
Employee training often focuses on basic technological skills without drilling down to how those skills are applied. For example, a job that requires working knowledge of Microsoft software should focus on what functions an employee needs to use within each application. Failure to meet specific training needs ultimately results in a strain between talent performance and employer expectations. - Sameer Penakalapati, CEIPAL Corp.
