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New Employee Orientation
tom hogglund, Student (Other), Sweden, Member
I am beginning with my master thesis. The subject is developing a New Employee Orientation (NEO) design:
- What topics should be included in NEO?
- Why is NEO an important issue to address?
- Who is responsible for NEO?
- Giving a timeframe for an international company.
- Which theories (articles, authors, books) would be relevant in your opinion?
HR theory books which I have found have just one paragraph about the issue but not more than that. Could you please point me to right direction how to approach the subject?
The topic is so interesting and important to a company, don't you think. Thanks for your replies and thoughts!
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New Employee Orientation
David Wilson, Manager, Canada, Premium Member
Try the following: www.psc.gov.yk.ca/pdf/orientation__guide_2009_revised_march.pdf
www.employeeorientation.gov.ns.ca/employee-orientation-program-guidelines; and hrweb.berkeley.edu/guides/managing-hr/recruiting-staff/new-employee.
You will find that there is a lack of literature available, yet many organizations acknowledge there is a need to successfully orient new employees.
Some organizations I have worked for set up a 'buddy' program and have a year long orientation. Simply following a checklist and completing the orientation in 15 minutes will not work. Good luck on your masters. Please note, while 12manage is a great site, you may find many members expect graduate students to do their own research.
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Importance of New Employee Orientation not Recognized
tom hogglund, Student (Other), Sweden, Member
Cheers, David. I will take a look at the files you suggested.
What is interesting is that i.m.o. NEO is really important to any company and it can be used in many different ways (part of marketing, company image, straightening company strategy, employee retention etc) and yet even the terms vary in different literature (orientation, NEO, on boarding, training, induction etc) the subject is so important and yet many theory HR books dedicate only a chapter or two to it. I find it quite interesting.
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New Employee Orientation and Long Term Employee Engagement
David Wilson, Manager, Canada, Premium Member
Hi Tom, perhaps your masters thesis will morph into a book. I agree that NEO is really important, but I also believe that employee engagement for the longer term employees is just as important.
One organization I worked for focused on NEO, but then forgot to engage the employees (after several years in the workplace).
As a result, the employer faced an increased turnover after employees had been with the organization for 5 years. What the employer promises to the new employee must be delivered.
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New Employee Orientation and HR Strategy
tom hogglund, Student (Other), Sweden, Member
Hi David, NEO indeed is an interesting issue. I think the NEO should be tight with the HR strategy, which should be aligned with company strategy.
In conducting the NEO "old employees" should participate as well. But company culture plays a big role in NEO and "old employee engagement".
Does the company support training, is there knowledge & talent management, are all open positions announced openly, are open discussions appreciated and is there a room for debates (after all debates are extreamly fruitful and should be appreciated, its not a question of one being right or wrong, its a question of getting fresh ideas, looking ways to develop a product/service, having a broader view of things).
I would say, make no promises but support the growth of employees. Am I being idealistic? I just might but organizations consists of people and in case there is given room for development and personal growth people might become more engaged -> company benefits (motivated staff, employee retention etc). Or?
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New Employee Orientation and Lifelong Learning
David Wilson, Manager, Canada, Premium Member
Hi Tom: good comments. Peter Senge in his book 'The Fifth Discipline" describes the need for a systems thinking within the context of a learning organization. Learning organizations support personal mastery, team learning and life-long learning for both new employees and long-term employees. You just need the shared vision and the willingness to change how the organization's practices, principles, and essences (p.373). Please see the following 12manage page on learning organizations. Does the organization support training? I believe organizations need to support life-long learning and ongoing employee development. Ensuring the HR strategy is aligned with the business strategy is indeed critical.
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NEO/Employee Engagement
Clarise Morris, HR Consultant, United Arab Emirates, Member
Interesting topic and very timely!
I am just done with an Employee Engagement Initiative for my company and am in the process of developing or rather improving the existing NEO. Great insights Tom & David!
When we're students we find ideal situations and approaches and wonder how perfect those would be to put it into practise. However, when we are on the implementation side, we realize the hard truth. But yes, efforts don't go to waste and so does our knowledge. Good luck Tom with your thesis!
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Why New Employee Orientation is Important
Shruti Misra, Coach, India, Member
This is a very good topic for discussion. NEO is very important for any company regardless of its size, because:
- It gives a first impression to an outsider / new joiner with respect to the company's identity.
- It also enhances brand image and self respect of a company in its employee's eyes.
NEO is part of employee engangement, which is very important nowadays as there is a shortage of talent in the market and it is proving to be very tough to retain the employees.
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