Employee orientation is vital for new staff and business establishments. Employers can skip it if they choose to, but they could quickly lose new workers. Here’s why:

It Makes New Workers Feel Rushed

Employee orientation is the brief period when workers become more familiar with the company itself, the staff, and various procedures, guidelines, benefits, etc. It’s like a first date in a new relationship. Most people want to be eased into a new relationship and learn more about the other person before getting further involved. Workers feel the same way about their employers. They want to know who they’re dealing with, how everything works, and what they need to do to succeed in their positions.

It Makes New Employees Feel Clueless

Some orientations include quite a bit of procedural information. Without that, new workers might feel lost. An assigned trainer may or may not convey those procedures effectively. Thus, those few hours of watching videos in the beginning may be helpful.

Skipping Employee Orientation Is Discourteous

Skipping orientation is discourteous to new employees. First, it gives the impression that employers don’t want to invest in their workers. Secondly, it makes the new-hires feel unwelcome and sends the message, “Figure it out yourself. We can’t be bothered.” How long will those people stay with over 11 million jobs currently available in the US?

It doesn’t matter how much experience new employees have in a particular field or how minimal the job seems. They still appreciate a courteous welcome from a new employer. Aside from that, all businesses operate differently. So new hires don’t know anything about a new business when they first start.

Employee orientation ensures that new workers transition into the workplace comfortably. It’s not required, but it’s a professional standard that has worked well for decades.

What do you think about new-hire orientations? Are they necessary? Has your new employer ever skipped one? If you’re an employer, is skipping it part of your new employee orientation best practices? Leave a comment to start a discussion.