Welcome to the Team! Formal Programs That Orient New Employees to the Workplace Pay Dividends in Productivity and Retention

A recent study of human resources professionals showed that while employers generally use structured selection processes to help them avoid hiring mistakes, nearly half of them don't have an existing infrastructure for orienting employees once they're part of the team. Considering that, in 2006, the employee turnover rate for businesses hovered around 15 percent and the cost of that turnover was estimated to be 25 percent of an employee's annual salary, failing to develop and implement an employee orientation program is shortsighted.

The employee should receive the company's EEO policy stating that the company doesn't discriminate, explaining the company's zero-tolerance stance regarding harassment and providing the complaint procedure for the employee to utilize if he or she ever believes such conduct has taken place. Orientation programs have three key benefits - employee comfort, long-term retention and defending against litigation. Every organization should have a formal orientation process, whether it requires a few hours or a week.

This article appeared in the March 2008 issue of Kansas City Small Business Monthly.