Start with the Interview

A successful retention strategy starts with the first interview and continues throughout the employee's career. The interview is an essential tool for both the prospective employee and the interviewer to gauge each other's needs, abilities, and future plans. An employee's career starts with interviewing, it is their first impression of the company and how they operate.

I recommend: Checking out the interviewing techniques for preparing, wording, conducting, and following up an interview at www.managementhehelp.org

Employee Orientation

The employee orientation provides a chance for the new hire to become familiar with their new surroundings. This should be a time of low stress for the employee, giving them the opportunity to meet co-workers, learn the layout of the office, and further their understanding of the vision and mission for that organization. Why do you need to do an orientation? It sets expectations for both parties at the beginning of the job and helps to develop positive attitudes, job expectations and job satisfaction.

I recommend: AccountingWeb has excellent advice on what an effective program can bring to the organization as a whole.

Designing Your Orientation Program

The first thing you want to do when creating an orientation program is to define what you want to accomplish with the program. In doing this, keep in mind what kind of impression you want to make on the employee, in other words what are the stories they will be bringing home to their families after their first day/week on the job.

I recommend: There are multiple resources that provide a good understanding of how to create an orientation program on the web.  ACEC has provided a good overview at their website.

Get Them up to Speed Quickly

Have their email address, phone number etc already set up prior to their arrival. Give them a glossary of common terms, all orgs have their own language. Pre-arrange a "buddy" who will be there if they have any questions or concerns. Prepare a quick "help" card listing contacts for different questions.

I recommend: Storing employee information is critical in todays technological savvy world.  While there are multiple free download services, I would recommend using a cheaper subscription service as they will provide more customization and support.  A good starter is the iEmployee system.

A Lasting Impact

A well thought out orientation program, whether it lasts one day or six months, will help not only in retention of employees, but also in productivity. Organizations that have good orientation programs get new people up to speed faster, have better alignment between what the employees do and what the organization needs them to do, and have lower turnover rates. Which translates into dollars.

I recommend: For a comprehensive online Human Resource Compliance service that provides support in areas including employee hiring and orientation, check out HRSentry.