What is the difference between informal orientation and formal orientation?
Induction and orientation in HRM from Rajath Kashyap Show
This means the faster they acclimatize to the new job and environment, the quicker they can begin contributing to the firm’s mission. However, this largely depends on how well the new employee is received in the company. The orientation and onboarding concepts play a critical role. Many people use these terms interchangeably, but they have different objectives. Onboarding primarily focuses on improving employee engagement, while orientation helps new employees familiarize themselves with their colleagues, understand organizational policies, and navigate the office space. Here’s more about their differences. What is Onboarding?Employee onboarding is an ongoing process of building engagement after making the first contact until the employee is established within the organization. It has a broader, more extensive reach than orientation. Its primary objective is to reduce the time a new hire needs to reach the maximum expected productivity level. Onboarding also aligns new employee’s needs and expectations to those of the organization. It is more strategic and begins the minute an employee verbally accepts a company’s offer. It means getting them up to speed on the tools they can use to do their job effectively by:
Benefits of Employee OnboardingIncreased Employees EngagementEmployee onboarding helps employees understand the company’s point of view, which increases engagement. Engaged employees are committed to their organization’s operations because they know their role. They give 100% in their work and genuinely care about the company. A study performed by Gallup found a strong correlation between the number of employees and outcomes. Companies that had more engaged employees enjoyed better results than those with less engaged employees. Examples of positive outcomes include:
Once the new employee is acclimated and engaged in the company’s operations, they are more likely to stick around. Employee retention is important because it reduces hiring costs and enhances productivity. A study by the Center for American Progress found that it costs 16% of a low-wage worker’s annual salary to hire a new employee. New Hires Get Acclimated to a Company’s OperationsAn employee onboarding program also helps the new employees become acclimated to the company. This is a critical role even for a new remote worker. Acclimation goes above and beyond pointing out where the offices, bathrooms, and cafes are. It involves providing the new employee with a detailed overview of the company’s goals. More specifically, the employee is informed about what the company can do for them. For example, the supervisor explains if the company has a mentorship program, career development opportunities, monthly dinners, and more. Facilitates TransitionSome companies barely perform employee onboarding on new employees. Instead, they are assigned complex tasks as soon as they report to work which can be demoralizing for the new employee. Employee onboarding prepares the new employee for the new role. What is Orientation?Employee Orientation is the induction process designed to furnish new employees with the information they need to function effectively. It is a planned introduction to their jobs, colleagues, and the company. Orientation conveys three types of information:
When employers spend time to provide an effective orientation, they convey the message that they are committed to employee development. Other benefits of employee orientation include:
More recently, employee orientation has extended beyond the traditional first few days after an employee starts to as long as six months. This long process is what is called onboarding, and more companies are adopting it. Stretching out the orientation process ensures the new employees aren’t overwhelmed with information in one session and that frustrations and questions arising after the start date are addressed. Differences between Employee Onboarding and OrientationTheir differences are pretty slim, but none can substitute the other. Say Company X has spent weeks looking for new employees for the role of an accountant. The HR Manager has successfully negotiated offers, and the leadership is excited about the new employees. If your orientation process is a one-day event consisting of completing government forms and perusing benefits brochures, the positive momentum may come at a screeching halt. Many such companies experience high employee turnover rates within the first 18 months. Statistics show 50% of new employees leave the companies within this period, and a poor onboarding experience is one of the contributors to high turnover rates. The company needs to extend the orientation process for weeks or months hence the need for employee onboarding. Here are the main differences between the two terms: 1- ObjectiveThe primary goal of onboarding is to define and align new employees’ needs with the company’s culture and reinforcing its vision and strategic priorities. It is a proactive process that improves the new employee’s ability to contribute to the team, understand leadership, and develop meaningful relationships causing them to perform at their best. Onboarding enables the new employees to assess the company’s strategy and culture and identify gaps or conflicts when done right. Orientation, on the other hand, helps employees feel at home in the new environment. Any new employee can attest to feeling anxious in a new company. They worry about how they’ll perform in their new roles and feel inadequate when comparing themselves to experienced folks. An effective employee orientation program reduces anxiety by providing information about the job environment and their supervisors. The program also introduces them to co-workers and encourages them to ask questions. The ease with which employees adjust to the new role and the work environment is a function of their expectations about the job. Realistic expectations make it easy for the employee to adapt to the environment, but if they’re unreasonable, vice versa is true. In the latter scenario, employee orientation is pivotal to identifying employee expectations and helping them adjust. It also exposes them to all the company areas, preventing them from overspecializing in one area. 2- The ProcessAn employee orientation process is pretty short consisting of:
Employee onboarding is more detailed but is easier to implement. It entails:
3- MethodologySince onboarding is more comprehensive, it spans between three and six months, but it could be longer depending on the new employee’s needs and progress. It involves meeting with the supervisor on one on one scheduled meeting to discuss:
The employee orientation process, on the other hand, can be informal or formal. New employees must report to the HR department to get insight into the company policies before getting referred to their immediate supervisor during informal orientation. They often last an hour or less. Formal orientation is more elaborate and spreads over a couple of weeks or months. It consists of three stages:
The choice between formal and informal orientation depends on the management’s goals. Companies use formal orientation when they want the new employee to acquire a known set of standards. However, informal orientation is more desirable when you want to maintain individual differences. 4- Tools UsedThe tools used in both types of training are somewhat similar, but HR managers must use long-term and continuous solutions for employee onboarding. Here are examples of some the tools: Employee Onboarding Tools
Employee Orientation ToolsSince employee orientation is a relatively short procedure, HR managers may opt for solutions that make the entire process easier. They include:
Why Both are ImportantEmployee orientation is a subset of employee onboarding. However, a company can’t choose one approach and ignore the other. You don’t want to waste a month’s efforts to avoid spending a few more bucks on employee onboarding. Keep in mind the first 90 days of employment are critical for a new employee. As such, you should spend this time ‘selling’ your company especially when hunting for top-notch talent. ConclusionEmployee orientation and employee onboarding are critical processes in the recruitment process. However, the difference between the two concepts redefines how recruitment is performed in any organization. While the orientation process lasts a day, or two or at most a week, onboarding takes months to complete. What is formal and informal orientation?Formal organizations are oriented toward reaching specific goals. Informal organizations are more oriented toward human psychological needs. Often, formal organizations are more publicly visible than informal organizations. Informal organizations can form within formal organizations and also become formal over time.
What are the types of orientation?There are several types of sexual orientation; for example:. Heterosexual. People who are heterosexual are romantically and physically attracted to members of the opposite sex: Heterosexual males are attracted to females, and heterosexual females are attracted to males. ... . Homosexual. ... . Bisexual. ... . Asexual.. What are the components of a formal orientation?Explain what the employee can expect from the organization.. Introduction to company and management.. Values, mission, goals, objectives.. Company history and culture.. Organizational structure (reporting hierarchy). Product and service descriptions.. Employee and employer expectations.. What are the different types of orientation and training?Types of training. Orientation training. Firstly, orientation training mainly consists of welcoming and introducing your new employees to the company. ... . Onboarding training. ... . Technical skills training. ... . Soft skills training. ... . Product or service training. ... . Compliance training. ... . Franchise training. ... . Managerial and leadership training.. |