What’s the Difference Between Onboarding & Orientation?
Having a concise hiring and onboarding process is key to obtaining and retaining the best employees for your business. However, many businesses make the mistake of confusing orientation and onboarding. No, they are not the same thing, and your business should have a different process for each. Here is why.
Orientation vs. Onboarding
Orientation and onboarding are very different. Confusing the two can hurt the success rate of new-hires on your team. The main difference is the follow-up. Orientation is typically a one-time event where a new hire is introduced to company policies, given access to necessary information and any tools needed to succeed in the workplace.
Onboarding, on the other hand, is a series of events, not just one meeting. It usually includes the orientation as well as a number of other tasks you need to get through before being handed off to a supervisor or put directly into project work. This is where the employee learns about the company, their job, and how they fit into the business as a whole.
The Benefits of a Proper Orientation
Employee orientation typically includes a brief overview of the company and its mission. This is also the point in time many companies take care of new employee paperwork, introduction to benefits plans, and review company policies. Orientation also provides a set time to discuss administrative policies and procedures.
When you take the time to truly set up a good orientation process, it can be beneficial to the employee’s overall success on the team. This is because by setting up a good orientation process, you give them all the information they need about the company’s policies, mission, and how they interact with one another. With this information, the new employee can move forward with your business’ bottom line in mind.
How Effective Onboarding Impacts Your Company
The onboarding process may include orientation, but they are certainly not the same. Instead of having just one meeting to discuss company policy, onboarding is a set of tasks that will be tracked over your first week, or several weeks, on the job. During this time, the new employee will get a feel for the company’s overall culture.
Managers should schedule regular daily check-ins with the new employees on their team. It is also a good idea to have a set plan of introduction tasks to integrate them into the existing staff.
Onboarding will also give the new hire an idea about how their job fits into the business as a whole. They can become educated about the goals of each department and how they drive the business’ bottom line. After the first 90 days, onboarding activities should be completed. You can then assess the new hire’s feelings towards the company and their daily tasks.
We Can Help You With Your Hiring Process
If you are thinking about how you might be able to fine-tune your hiring process, working with a staffing agency can help. Contact us to see how we can assist your hiring needs.
