EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION: Developing and Implementing an Effective Orientation Plan by Yolanda Y. Loper

A Paper Presented in Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements of
OM5004 People at Work
October, 2003

Abstract

This paper will discuss the process for developing an effective plan to orient new employees to the Lancaster School District’s Early Childhood Education Division. The author will guide the reader through the steps for developing and implementing an effective orientation process for new employees. The paper will review existing district policies and procedures as they relate to the training of new employees. In particular, the paper will focus on three areas: 1) the steps for developing an orientation, (2) the roles of each department/division/unit in orienting new employees, and (3) the content of the orientation for classified, certificated and administrative staff.

Introduction

A school district is a complex structure. It is an organization of many policies and procedures, covering everything from employee absences to payroll; however, the one procedure that is lacking in the Lancaster School District is an orientation process for new employees. New employees are expected to “hit the ground running.” As a result, the district loses thousands of dollars each month for overtime spent correcting new employee’s mistakes (Soliz, Chris. Telephone interview. August, 2003). In some cases, a new employee receives a policies and procedures manual; however, far too often an employee is directed to a workstation, without an introduction to the job duties he/she is expected to perform. An orientation is not something an employee teaches himself; rather, it is a process (Lindo, 1995). The orientation process is a key factor in ensuring an employees success in an organization. The first month on the job is the most critical time for new employees (Mahaffey, 1999). Studies show that a well planned orientation contributes to: 1) Length of employment 2) Fewer mistakes 3) Improved client relations 4) Better work attitude 5) More effective communication between management and line staff (Belaiche,1999).
Even with current research that proves how advantageous a well planned new employee orientation is, some companies would still argue that the cost of developing and implementing such a process are too high. Let’s examine this point through the following example.

Example: The Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) Head Start-State Preschool (HS-SPS) Grantee is developing a new student information system (SIS) database. This database will be the means for delegate agencies to report monthly attendance and enrollment data to the Grantee. The SIS is designed to detect errors as the staff input data, forcing agencies to correct the data before it can be submitted. This will save the Grantee approximately 320 work hours per month, or two weeks (40 hrs/wk x 4 staff) of time spent correcting reporting errors. This new system will require training staff from 30 delegate agencies, approximately 200 people. The training costs are estimated at $20,000 ($100/person x 200 people). While the costs may seem significantly large, it is less than one percent of the total awarded Head Start-State Preschool grants, and only ten percent (10%) of the saved costs.
Implementing a well-planned new employee orientation (NEO) is a must have for