Orientation Program for New and Existing Employees

" A well thought orientation program is essential for all new employees, whether they have experience or not".

Looking at the statement above, I would say that I agree with it. Why? Because nowadays orientation becoming important for new people that coming into the organization, they can know more deeply about the company.
In terms of experience of the new employee, there are two different thoughts.
I talked with my relative who had work in an motorcycle manufacturer for 3 years, and he said that orientation program is important and even when a person goes to a new company which having the same industry as the preceding company. From the conversation I might concluded that a full orientation program would be essential for experienced employees. In the other hand, I also chatted with my relative who had in a FMCG business for more than ten years, and he said that if a new person goes to a company in the position of middle low management, this person needs full orientation program, but if this person has more than ten years experience and about to fulfill upper management position, he/she shouldn't be given the full orientation program. The company can eliminate some topics inside the orientation program that might be the same between one company and another.

Orientation program is basically like a "hello" program that being organized by the company to the new-hired-employees. The purpose of a company in doing such orientation program is to help employees to feel bonded to the organization, learning about the company culture and also to understand the organization's basic workplace principle.

From the readings that I browsed over the internet, I try to rephrase the objectives of orientation program:
1. Make the person feel welcome
New person who just arrived to the company have to be pleased and made them think that they made the right choice of joining the organization. By making the person feel welcome, will also raise the optimism of the person itself to the company.
2. Develop positive perceptions about the organization
Involvement of the higher positioned employees are important, since they have also to show to the new-hired-employees that the company are putting concern to new person in the company. Furthermore
3. Confirm the employee's decision
It allows the employee to express their first experience feeling about their choice to join the organization.
4. Reduce training time
With a comprehensive and well-practiced orientation program, employee can understand the important information about the organization, so that the training program afterward will go more deep into more essential topics, and it makes the training time more efficient.
5. Make the new employee feel comfortable
The orientation program should help the employees feel comfortable with their new workplace and colleagues.

If I was given the chance to prepare orientation program, I will make the program into three stages.
1. Company issues
In this stage, employees will be explained about the company history, vision and mission, values, philosophy and company's goals. Organizational structure and culture also could be define in this stage.
2. Workgroup, division or unit issues
This second stage will let the employees knowing about the work place policies that related to equal opportunity among others, discrimination/harassment issues, health and safety, confidentiality, internet and computer usage, holidays and grievance procedures.
3. Job issues
In the last stage, the activity is more on explaining more deep into the specific job.