Employee orientation is the process of introducing the employee to the company, its mission and its strategy. It helps the employees develop a sound understanding of the processes within the organization. It also enables the employee to better understand his place in the organization and what is expected of him.

Orientation is accorded an important place in the process of hiring a new employee. The process of orientation can be broadly classified into two categories: general and specific.

General orientation involves describing the overall mission and the objectives of the organization. It involves issues such as the processes in the company and the departments, the system of compensation, union issues and safety policies. The general orientation is usually conducted by the HR department. General orientation usually lasts for one or two weeks.

Specific orientation, on the other hand, deals with issues relating the job specifically. The employee is introduced to his colleagues and his work environment. Specific orientation involves explaining the duties of the employee, his responsibilities and expectations. It also involves description of the processes that pertain to the daily functioning of the employee. Specific orientation is usually conducted by the employee’s immediate superior along with coworkers and supervisors. Unlike general orientation, specific orientation does not have a specific duration and is an ongoing process.

While orientation is part of the standard process dealing with new employees, there are a few things which can be done to ensure that the process is beneficial to the new employee and helps him fit well into the organization. 

1. Orientation should start with the most basic: The basic components of the job such as attending to customer calls, getting quotes from vendors, submitting offers for enquiries should be addressed first. This is essential to enable the new employee to be able to deliver in a short time. This prevents ‘pressure’ building up from building up on the employee leading to frustration and helplessness 

2. Teaming up the new employee with another experienced employee: This helps the new employee with a supporting person who can help with tips, instructions and critical information relating to the job. It is important that the experienced employee selected is willing to be part of this relationship and has good interpersonal skills. 

3. Introduction to colleagues: Since people are an inseparable part of any work process, it is important to give the employee to understand his coworkers and their styles of functioning. 

4. The orientation should be done in a systematic way: It is not possible for any employee to absorb all the information and instructions about processes in a short time. Give the employee time to familiarize himself with the processes associated with the job and with his work environment