Comprose

Starting a new job ranks high on the Life Stress meter. That fact is very important to remember when planning new employee orientation and employee training programs.

The first day at a new job people are nervous. They want to make a good impression. Everything–and we mean EVERYTHING–is new. Where to park? How to navigate the building? Where are the bathrooms? How to navigate security? How does the phone work? Who ARE all these new people?  These are just a few of the thousands of questions racing through the minds of every new employee–from the summer intern to the newly recruited CEO.  Most new employees are too nervous or embarrassed to ask questions for fear of seeming incompetent.

Why is this so important to remember?

New job nerves and anxiety drastically lower everyone's ability to process and remember new information. New employees hit "information overload" much sooner than normal.  If you want your new employee orientation programs to "stick" and really help new employees get productive as soon as possible, you can't forget this reality. 

Most new employee orientation methods run the gamut from "Here's your desk. See ya!" to intense weeks long seminars covering every detail and nuance of corporate policy and detailed work instructions. Both of these extremes are costly and counter-productive.

The "Go figure it out yourself" orientation method might seem like a good way to eliminate a line item from the training budget, but it costs a lot more in the long run by lengthening the learning curve, increasing errors and liability, and even hurting morale.

The opposite extreme–intensive instructor led training sessions covering every aspect of the position–can be just as ineffective and costly. New employees become overwhelmed and fail to retain all the details. Even after training, they can still need significant "on the job" coaching from supervisors and co-workers before they can be fully productive. Some training programs are so detailed and intense that new employees are intimidated and quit shortly after, or even during, training. 

So what's the answer? If you want new employee orientation to "stick," write it down. A clear, easy to understand company procedures manual provides a solid foundation for all new employee orientation and training programs. New employees can read and review key policies and procedures before and after face-to-face orientation and training. They don't have to rely on their memories or whatever notes they can jot down. 

This one simple tactic can dramatically increase comprehension and decrease training time and employee anxiety. An even better way to make new employee orientation stick, is to provide customized  "Position Guides" containing the specific policies, procedures, job aids and work instructions each position requires that any employee can reference when they have questions both during and after training.

COMPROSE Zavanta software makes it easy to create, maintain and publish individual Position Guides to supplement your corporate training and new employee orientation programs. Click here to learn more about Zavanta or request a demo.