Employee retention is an important aspect of an organization’s internal processes, and one way to maintain staff members is by implementing a well-planned orientation program (OP). Employers must strive to make a good impression on new hires from the beginning, which can be achieved through OPs as they affect workers’ commitment, employment, and experience (Armstrong & Tayler, 2020; Arthur, 2019). OPs cover a variety of topics, yet the inclusion of certain matters depends on the specifics of each particular work environment (Arthur, 2019). This paper presents an employee orientation program that encompasses ten subjects and is meant to be executed in an online format due to the potential employees’ preferences.
The proposed OP consists of five main modules with ten topics. The first one is the introduction unit aimed at welcoming the new employee to the company, explaining the OP’s format, and providing contact information for resolving any issues (Arthur, 2019). The second module is the virtual tour demonstrating the firm’s key offices, like the human resources department (Arthur, 2019). The third unit focuses on the employer and employee relationship and covers the matters of a safe and secure work environment, rules of conduct, and growth opportunities (Arthur, 2019). The fourth unit assesses employee benefits describing insurance and vacation (Arthur, 2019). The final module concentrates on the program’s completion asking to answer several questions to examine comprehension of the discussed sections (Arthur, 2019). The ten presented topics within the five units are meant to offer a thorough orientation without information overload.
To understand the selection of the listed components, it is important to explain the concepts of commitment, engagement, and experience. Armstrong and Tayler (2020) suggest that commitment refers to loyalty to the employer and depends on such elements as human resource policies, cooperative workplace climate, and career opportunities. Engagement illustrates a person’s enthusiasm and involvement in the work process and can be affected by factors like challenges, possibilities for development, and rewards (Armstrong & Tayler, 2020). Employee experience represents staff members’ feelings about different work-related situations, such as the first impression of the organization, safety, and working conditions (Armstrong & Tayler, 2020). Accordingly, the three discussed concepts are significant in managing employee retention due to enhancing loyalty to the employer, increasing eagerness to labor, and generating positive associations.
The thirteen components were selected to address commitment, engagement, and experience. The topics concerning welcoming, format, and contact information are meant to make a good first impression by suggesting that the organization is friendly and open to discussing issues (Armstrong & Tayler, 2020; Arthur, 2019). The second module’s subject of presenting the firm’s key offices is aimed at affecting the new hires’ experience by demonstrating the company’s departments (Armstrong & Tayler, 2020; Arthur, 2019). The components of a secure work environment, rules of conduct, and growth opportunities were chosen to impact the three above-discussed concepts associated with retention (Arthur, 2019). For instance, commitment and engagement depend on development prospects, whereas experience is concerned with a safe workplace climate (Armstrong & Tayler, 2020). The fourth module’s topics about benefits are meant to appeal to engagement and experience due to their reliance on rewards and working conditions (Armstrong & Tayler, 2020; Arthur, 2019). The subject of asking respondents questions regarding the reviewed sections is supposed to increase engagement based on a comprehensive human resource policy (Armstrong & Tayler, 2020; Arthur, 2019). Consequently, each selected component is meant to present the company positively.
The type of the created OP is online due to the format’s practicality and the potential workers’ priorities. The online orientation is based in virtual classrooms where new employees can join a group or learn individually (Arthur, 2019). Such an approach is more likely to appeal to Centennials, Millennials, and younger people who are used to and appreciate modern technology (Arthur, 2019). For example, Generation Z represents 32% of the global population, is tech-savvy, values automatization of processes, and prefers self-directed and independent learning (Chillakuri, 2020). Consequently, the online format was selected for the OP because the company typically hires Millennials and those from Generation Z. Despite having some drawbacks, the online approach has considerable advantages compared to traditional face-to-face orientation. In particular, the online method is cost-effective, self-paced, efficient, and easier to modify (Arthur, 2019). On the other hand, the disadvantages of traditional classroom orientation are being less convenient, time-consuming, and difficult to revisit topics to understand the information better (Arthur, 2019). Therefore, the online format was chosen for the OP to appeal to the organization’s potential employees and because of the approach’s cost-effectiveness and uncomplicatedness in making changes.
Upon completing the OP, I showed the list of available forty options and the ones I had selected to my co-worker. My colleague primarily agreed with my choices but questioned the necessity of explaining the OP’s format stating that the use of an online approach was rather obvious. Due to the specifics of the company’s operations and products, my co-worker saw the virtual tour and the topic concerning a safe and secure work environment as more important than other sections to new employees.
References
Armstrong, M., & Tayler, S. (2020). Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice (15th ed.). Kogan Page.
Arthur, D. (2019). Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, & orienting new employees (6th ed.). Harper Collins.
Chillakuri, B. (2020). Understanding generation Z expectations for effective onboarding. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 33(7), 1277-1296. Web.