Employee orientation, also commonly referred to as onboarding or organizational socialization, is the process by which an employee acquires the necessary skills, knowledge, behaviors, and contacts to effectively transition into a new organization (or role within the organization).
Orientation is a reasonably broad process, generally carried out by the human resources department, that may incorporate lectures, videos, meetings, computer-based programs, team-building exercises, and mentoring. The underlying goal of incorporating these varying onboarding tactics is to provide the employee enough information to adjust, ultimately resulting in satisfaction and effectiveness as a new employee (or an existing employee in a new role).
Organizational Socialization Model
A good way to envision this process is through understanding the organizational socialization model. This chart highlights the process of moving the employee through the adjustment stage to the desired outcome:
Organizational socialization model
A model of onboarding (adapted from Bauer & Erdogan, 2011).
- New Employee Characteristics—Though this segment of the model overlaps with other human resource initiatives (such as recruitment and talent management), the characteristics of a new employee are central to the strategies used as the employee moves through the orientation process. Characteristics that are particularly useful in this process are extroversion, curiosity, experience, proactiveness, and openness.
- New Employee Tactics—The goal for the employee is to acquire knowledge and build relationships. Relationships in particular are central to understanding company culture.
- Organizational Tactics—The organization should similarly seek to emphasize relationship building and the communication of knowledge, particularly organizational knowledge that will be useful for the employee when navigating the company. The company should also use many of the resources mentioned above (videos, lectures, team-building exercises) to complement the process.
- Adjustment—With a combination of the above three inputs, employees should move through the adjustment phase as they acclimate to the new professional environment. This should focus primarily on knowledge of the company culture and co-workers, along with increased clarity as to how they fit within the organizational framework (i.e., their role).
- Outcomes—The goal of effectively orienting the employee for success is twofold: minimize turnover while maximizing satisfaction. The cost of bringing new employees into the mix is substantial, and as a result, high turnover rates are a significant threat to most companies. Ensuring that the onboarding process is effective significantly reduces this risk. Additionally, achieving high levels of employee satisfaction is a substantial competitive advantage, as satisfied employees are motivated and efficient.
Criticisms
The desired outcome of an onboarding process is fairly straightforward—ensuring that new employees are well-equipped to succeed in their new professional environment. However, some critics of orientation processes claim that sometimes extensive onboarding can confuse new employees with regard to their role, as most of their time is spent in company-wide learning, as opposed to role-centric learning. While this criticism may be true in some contexts, it can be offset through a more role-specific onboarding process. It is generally acknowledged that orientation strategies generate positive outcomes and returns on investment.