NEO and On-Boarding Employee Orientation Programs

Introduction

Employee environment is critical to a business’s success. Business is a game of minimizing costs and maximizing profits. Employee turnover plays an important role in achieving business objectives. With higher employee retention comes the benefits of a well-experienced staff, consistency, and predictability, as well as a healthy overall work environment. With this, comes the field of human resources; the management of human capital of a business. Effective coordination of the manpower or personnel of the business can only contribute to its success. This paper explores information about the practices of New Employee Orientation (NEO) and On-boarding employee orientation programs. The study utilizes readings and search engine research to explore the topic through a series of questions. Finally, a journal review using scholarly research on the topic will be used to assess the practical effectiveness of the programs. It is probable that a well-coordinated employee orientation program will lead to greater productivity of human capital, decrease turnover rates and promote overall business growth through measurable standards.

NEO and On-Boarding Employee Orientation Programs

This paper explores the NEO and On-Boarding Employee Orientation Programs and their effects on measurable business standards. It is the responsibility of the HR department of an organization to manage human resources at optimal efficiency to achieve goals and perspectives. New Employee Orientation (NEO) programs are programs designed to integrate employees. Onboarding is a further extension of NEO programs in that it involves real-time job training. By providing these programs, employees can feel comfortable as they begin their experience. Employee turnover is expensive, and by minimizing that human resource factor a business is better positioned to achieve its objectives. New strategies for NEO and On-boarding programs are continuously being developed as this branch of HR expands. This section explores some of the generalities of these employee orientation programs such as; effective and ineffective practices, expected outcomes, approaches to develop and implement programs and barriers that may need to be overcome during the process. Employee orientation varies with the time, place and objectives of the business and therefore should be applied accordingly.

What Are NEO and On-Boarding Programs

It was noted by an HR Generalist for the Midwest facility of an Electronics Manufacturer that employee turnover was higher during the first 60 days of working. He then found the units with the lowest turnovers were implementing employee orientation programs. It is the job of the HR Generalist to maintain a high rate of retention to operate at maximum efficiency. The process of orienting an individual to their role in an organization is known as socialization. The smoother the process of socialization, the higher the probability the employee will stay with the organization for an extended period of time. There are many explicit, as well as implicit, rules and practices in each company that may or may not exist in others. Employee orientation programs can eliminate conflict and problems by clearly stating generalities such as what is expected on the job. 

New Employee Orientation (NEO) programs are designed to integrate a new employee to an organization. During the NEO program, logistical questions are answered such as parking, break times, log in and supervisor information, as well as other information applicable to the position. The NEO programs typically cover Organization-specific information, such as vision, mission and values, as well as job-specific information such as procedures, policies and performance expectations. NEO programs also implement introductions with co-workers and other employees. On-boarding is an extension of NEO in that it continues the training with monitored live experience for a period of time. The process typically involves training under a mentor in order to see how the job is performed in real-time. This process can take anywhere between three to twelve months, depending on job specifics.

The advantages of investing are numerous. Employee orientation programs increase the probability of employee retention, positive employee morale, and greater performance. Each of these contributes towards cost minimization, an objective of every business looking to maximize profit. A healthy work environment helps keep employees connected with the organization and willing to perform their best. 

Effective and Ineffective Employee Orientation Practices

There are several effective and ineffective practices for orienting and socializing new employees. Common criticisms of employee orientation programs include too much paperwork is involved, too much information is presented at once and too much one-way presentation. By keeping these ineffective traits in mind, effective strategies for employee orientation can be implemented. Instead of paperwork, electronic information and data entry methods can eliminate the hassle of keeping paperwork. Also, the information can be made available to the employees at an instant in an organized manner. This also solved the problem of too much information being presented at once, as the employee at his or her own convenience can easily retrieve the information. The problem of one-sided presentation of the information can be solved by implementing interactive electronic data entry during the NEO program. This ensures attention is paid during the process and the objectives of the program are met. It appears that simply designing the NEO process electronically solves the major criticisms of NEO programs.

A key factor in effective employee orientation is the role of the trainer or mentor during the process. It is important that the individual responsible for employee orientation is carefully selected. If the individual selected to train new employees is not effective in their position, this practice becomes more of a detriment to the organization than a gain. Therefore, considerations need to be made when designing the orientation process to ensure a smooth transition. Choosing who to orient new employees varies with the size and field of an organization. Smaller business owners may choose to orient their employees themselves, whereas bigger orientations may implement standardized processes. It is important to be careful when using standardized processes as they may come off as dry for both the trainer and trainee and reduce the incentive to perform effectively. The company can design employee orientation programs or hire a specialized company to design and facilitate the process. It is up to the HR Generalists of the organization to allocate the resources of the organization to coordinate an effective employee orientation program

Intended Outcomes of NEO and On-boarding Programs

The intended outcomes of NEO and On-boarding programs are derived from the organization’s root objectives. Generally, businesses seek to profit from their operations and therefore, the intended outcomes of NEO and On-boarding programs is to further the organization towards its goal.  There are several ways NEO and On-boarding programs can help a business move closer to its goals. First, it helps clear all explicit and implicit expectations prior the beginning the work experience. Some organizations are loose with their time in and time out whereas other organizations operate under strict times. A problem that may arise from not explicitly setting behavior standards among employees is workplace drama and politics that ultimately distracts everyone from focusing on the tasks at hand. NEO and On-boarding programs help promote consistency, predictability, and stability in the workplace environment. Having these characteristics in the workplace environment helps reduce the chance of error and uncertainty in the workplace. A reduction of error and uncertainty helps the business stays on its projected track towards growth and expansion. Also, the programs help reduce the probability of employee turnover, a costly organizational expense. The intent of employee orientation programs is to further the business towards its objectives and its proper implementation does just that.

Development and Implementing NEO and On-boarding Programs

The first part of developing any employee orientation program is to clearly identify the needs and objectives of the organization. By identifying what is required, the purpose of the employee orientation program can be met. The next step is surveying current employees on their experience in the organization. After all, there is no better source for employee experience than the employees themselves. With the supervisors' objectives in mind, measurable standards are set to asses the success or failure of the program. Research is helpful in identifying effective and non-effective practices and can be found in the form of journals, websites, and books. A survey of competing companies in the industry is also a great source of information. When a comprehensive analysis of objectives and desired methods to reach these objectives, content and delivery method is selected. Before the program is implemented, it should be tested on a few subjects for feedback and results. After proper revisions are identified and made, full-scale production of materials can be invested in with expected results. The program is reviewed by all supervisors and implemented to the whole organization. These are the proper steps to developing and implementing employee orientation programs.

Potential Barriers to NEO and On-boarding Programs

There are several potential barriers to the development and implementation of employee orientation programs. First, it must be determined whether or not there is a need for an employee orientation program or if there are other ways to achieve the same objectives. As an article titled New-Employee Orientation Programs Plentiful, But Lack A ‘Wow’ Factor finds through a survey that NEO programs tend to lack effectiveness (Survey, 2007). Some programs are dry in content while others can be burdensome. Employee orientation programs can quickly become a cost rather than a benefit if implemented improperly. Another barrier to employing NEO programs is tracking the results of the program. This involves finding measurements to assess the effectiveness of the program, which depends on the type of business and work involved. Despite these barriers, there are still many reasons for the use of orientation programs.

The study of employee orientation programs is constantly evolving. There are many articles being published continuously on the subject. Enough time has passed allowing for a wide variety of case studies and examples to assess effective and non-effective strategies. As the number of sources available on the topic grows, a proper strategy can be implemented to overcome the barriers of orientation programs.

Journal Article Review

The Internet is a great source of instant information on any subject at any time. Initially, the Internet was not treated as a reliable source. However, today the Internet contains many sources directly from the written published source itself. It also makes it possible to verify these sources through other sources. With this, comes a review of scholarly research on the topic of employee orientation. A great resource for scholarly information is Google Scholar. GS is a search engine designed specifically for researching scholarly articles. The search engine contains a long list of scholarly articles published in journals and cited accordingly. This journal article review utilizes these resources in finding articles relevant to the successful development and implementation of employee orientation programs.

The Problem of Employee Turnover

Employee turnover is a process in which an employee leaves their position in an organization. This is a significant action for both parties, as quick adjustments have to be made. A research article titled Is High Employee Turnover Really Harmful? Uses an empirical test using company records to explore that question. The study, utilizing performance data from 110 offices, found that there is a U relationship between employee turnover in that too much or too little employee turnover was harmful (Glebbeek, 2004). Employee turnover generates the cost of having to retrain employees to perform the same task as the employee prior to them. It also generates the cost of working up to the level of experience of the previous employee. The opportunity cost of employee turnover is great in that it is preventable. While too much turnover is harmful to business, so can too little turnover. New employees create an evolving trend for an organization. It is possible with a low turnover rate that persisting problems among the current staff will remain uncorrected. Therefore, there is a balance between too much and too little turnover that is optimal for business operation.

Effective Orientation Practices

Employee orientation programs are evolving tools used by human resource managers to bring their organizations closer to their objectives. Part of doing this is by researching effective methods and distinguishing them from non-effective ones. A scholarly article published in the Human Resource Management Review titled New Employee Orientation Programs discusses the distinction between orientation and socialization, contracts, training and job previews (Wanous, 2000). The study suggests stress-coping methods, attitude change methods, and realistic job previews provide an environment for effective employee integration. The study then creates an employee orientation program of its own called “Realistic Orientation Programs for new Employee Stress”, otherwise known as ROPES, and studies its effects using field study. The study concludes there are still more experiments that need to be done to see the true effectiveness of the program. This supports the idea that employee orientation programs are new to the field of HR and constantly evolving. But for now, stress management and attitude adjustment strategies are important in minimizing employee turnover. 

Employee Orientation Outcomes

The purpose of implementing an employee orientation program is to see a desired outcome take place. Most of the time, the expected outcome of an employee orientation program is to increase employee retention. An article published by the International Public Management Association for Human Resources titled Employee Orientation: Keeping New Employees On Board adequately describes the objectives and outcomes of an employee orientation program. The main purpose is stated in the title; to keep as many employees as possible. The article identifies the purposes of orientation as; to reduce startup costs, anxiety and stress, employee turnover, increase efficiency and develop expectations (Brown, 2007). The article suggests ways to simplify the process and make it more interactive. The outcomes are directed towards a work environment of stability, consistency and predictability to minimize risk and error. There are expectations for implementing an employee orientation program.

Influences on Employee Attitude and Behavior

The purpose of the employee orientation program is to reduce the anxiety associated with beginning a new job in an efficient manner. A scholarly article published in the Business Ethics Quarterly titled Compliance and Values Oriented Ethics Programs: Influences On Employees’ Attitudes and Behavior studies the effects of programs on the behavior of the employees. The behavior of the employees is what the program sets to manipulate to generate maximum productivity (Weaver, 1999). Different programs are needed with different business objectives based on the work that is being done. Banks and grocery stores are likely to incorporate detailed value-based content in their programming while other organizations may incorporate efficiency-based content in their programming. The content implemented in the programming is what the employee will likely focus on during their work. Based on the quality of the programming, the results will be seen in the performance. It is the objective of the program to raise awareness of the values of the company as they begin their work together.

Conclusion

Human resource management is important to the general success of any business pursuing a profit. There are many external factors that can affect employee performance, especially during the initial stages of employment. The initial stages of employment are important to employee retention. New Employee Orientation (NEO) programs are a response to the increasing costs associated with employee turnover. On-boarding programs are an extension of NEO programs in that they involve live job training with a guide or mentor. There many effective and ineffective practices, depending on the scope of the business they are being used in. the intended outcomes of these programs should match the business objectives as a whole. To prepare an effective strategy, research must be done from a variety of different sources. Once a strategy is prepared, it can be tested, revised and implemented in the company as a whole. Overall, this branch of human resource management should play an important role when considering business strategy. 

References

Brown, J. (2007). Employee Orientation: Keeping New Employees on Board. International Public Management Association for Human Resources, 1, 1-10.

Glebbeek, A. C., & Bax, E. H. (2004). Is High Employee Turnover Really Harmful? An Empirical Test Using Company Records. Academy of Management Journal, 47(2), 277-284.

Survey: New-Employee Orientation Programs Plentiful, But Lack a 'Wow' Factor. (n.d.). HR.Com. Retrieved August 5, 2013, from http://www.hr.com

Wanous, J. P. (2000). New Employee Orientation Programs. Human Resource Management Review, 10(4), 435-451.

Weaver, G. R., & Kiebe, L. (1999). Compliance and Values Oriented Ethics Programs: Influences On Employees' Attitudes and Behavior. Business Ethics Quarterly, 9(2), 315-335.