How to Know When it’s Time to Update Your Employee Orientation

The orientation and onboarding processes that your new hires go through are simultaneously difficult — both for you and for them — and of the utmost importance. A great orientation sets your hired talent up for success, arming them with the baseline tools they need to get started on the path to success with your business, and giving them the first real insight into what your workplace culture really looks like.

A great orientation means everyone gets off on the right foot, and sets the tone for your, and there, expectations right out the gate. A poor presentation, however, can send great hires running for the hills. How do you know when your employee orientation needs a revamp? You’re about to find out.

These Are Clear Signs That It’s Time to Overhaul Your Employee Orientation
Obvious Disengagement from New Hires
Because all of the information you’re presenting and people you are introducing are important, it’s absolutely imperative that your orientation process be able to keep people engaged. This doesn’t mean you have to break out the confetti and party favors, but it does mean that if hires are showing clear indications of being bored, your orientation might be lacking.

Keep these points in mind when building a strong employee orientation that’s capable of keeping attention:

Presented information should be clear, easy to understand, and snappy. Avoid wasting time repeating points too frequently.

Ask natural, leading questions throughout your orientation to reaffirm information instead of assuming everything sinks in.

Talk to new hires, rather than at them. The best orientations are ones that let hires get engaged and start contributing right out of the gate, which creates a sense of comfort and community on day one. Allowing discussion can be monumental for getting a better, healthier response.

Clear Indications of Missed or Misunderstood Information with New Hires
The first few weeks at a new workplace can be discombobulating, even for an industry veteran. However, if you notice any obvious problems with new hires, especially if they show up time and time again, it’s very possible that your orientation is missing major details about specific job requirements or expectations.

If you’re struggling to pin down what exactly is being missed, remember that you’re part of a team! Consult with long-standing employees to find out more about their experience with the orientation process within your business. No one can provide you with insight better than someone who has experienced your process first-hand.

Failure to Follow Established Workplace Rules
Laying out the rules of your workplace serves to protect new hires and existing employees, keeping your workplace culture strong and healthy. If rules aren’t followed, it’s possible that your orientation failed to impress the importance of them, or failed to include major points that need to be firmly established.

A great orientation process can increase workplace morale, bolster retention rates, and can contribute heavily to a frictionless, collaborative workplace. If you notice any of the issues we covered here and feel that it’s time to update your employee orientation, then get to it!