Online Custom «Employee Orientation» Essay Sample

Introduction

New employee orientation refers to introducing new employees to the workplace and its environment. It entails equipping the new employee with knowledge of his or her new physical working environment as well as the company’s cultural and social environment. The human resource department is the one tasked with new employee orientation. However, many companies carry it in the wrong way. They focus entirely on what is expected of the employee in the workplace instead of making the employee comfortable and creating good first impression to the employee (Papa, Daniels, and Spiker 18). The importance of creating good first impression is that a good relationship can be established and solidified right at the onset of orientation and that will motivate the employee to work to his or her fullest capacity.

My Freshman Orientation

Talking about my experience in freshman year, the orientation experience was good even though not the best. On the day of orientation, the culture of the campus was very well articulated through face-to-face sessions and in the written form. The instructor talked about the history of the campus since its foundation along with the traditions and myths that existed about the university. Work relationships in the campus, both formal and informal, were mentioned while touching on the power structures that existed. Jargons that were unique to the campus students and alumni were discussed at length and also the slang meaning of commonly used words.

Technology Used

Among the processes of orientation were around-the-campus tour, written brochures and a sit-in orientation meeting with some of the campus’s principles. Presentations at the sit-in were done using a projector with several short clips being shown. The only type of notable technology that freshmen were encouraged to use was the internet so as to get the latest campus news and announcements via the campus website. I was oriented on this via word of mouth from the presentations given by the university’s heads.

Formal/Informal Mentoring

There was definitely both formal and informal mentoring for the new group of students that joined the institution each year. Among the formal mentorship programs, there was the strategic pairing up of students, as mentees, with mentors. This is a very good orientation plan as it may enable strong positive relationships to be formed from the very start of a student’s campus life. The other advantage with this early pairing is that the mentorship program can run for several months and may also grow to accommodate more students in future years. Students were also made aware of on the positive outcomes that good behavior and participation would yield.  Informal mentoring included the freedom of students to select their mentors based on their ambitions in life.

Addressing Diversity during Orientation

Gender was a key topic during my first days in orientation. Any form of gender violence or discrimination was highly discouraged and penalties were set. Any lady that was treated unfairly had a right to complain at the principal’s office and was assured that due action would be taken. It was stated clearly that racial discrimination was not tolerated at the university, and cases of racial discrimination were rarely reported since the campus absorbed students from a wide range of racial backgrounds. This bringing together of students from all walks of life greatly fostered multicultural interactions amongst students from their early life in campus. Disabled students were also considered when came to social activities, such as sports and they had an office to cater to their needs or complaints if they had any.

An Interview with Melvin Hart

Luckily I got a chance to interview my friend, Melvin Hart, about his experience with orientation programs. He described to me his most notable encounter, while he was being recruited for RN/LPN Position for Home Health at Maxim Healthcare Services Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky on 12^th September 2013. He found the experience not that pleasant since from the start he was always worried about expectations that he was supposed to fulfill at his workplace. The only thing about the culture of the workplace mentioned was that hard work and fulltime commitment was expected at the workplace. Melvin also stated that nothing has been mentioned to him about the institution’s history. His instructor only mentioned jargon that was used at the workplace, which was crucial for all new employees to understand so as not to miss any important information passed down.

The common form of technology that was used during Melvin’s orientation was a pager. Mobile phones were not really encouraged at Maxim Healthcare Services Inc. for common communication amongst the practitioners. Melvin was thus oriented on the use of a pager and was instructed to have it with him all the time. During my interview with him, I also learnt that he was oriented on the existence of a miniature public address system the institution had. This was necessary for calling out the patients waiting at the reception whenever he was left on duty.

From the interview, Melvin mentioned both formal and informal mentoring. Formal mentoring was achieved when he has been placed under an instructor for the first few days, so that he could accustom himself to the working environment. He was also educated on the benefits of providing quality health care services at the institution, and with good service he was sure to get a bonus on his pay check, especially if he managed his overtime hours well.

Another form of formal mentoring that Melvin experienced was the instructing on the institution’s goals. This is common in any firm, where mission statement and vision are clearly stated to the employees. One form of informal mentoring of new employees at Maxim Healthcare Services Inc. was the unavailability of expert training. The new employees were expected to have had a background of at least one year of working experience in the nursing profession. Their working experience would therefore overrule the need for expert training.

During orientation, the instructor was quick to mention to Melvin that Maxim Healthcare Services Inc. employed both male and female nurses fairly with no preference for either. The institution was therefore keen on maintaining gender equity and that no form of gender harassment was expected from employees. Any case reported would be strictly dealt with.