Ayla Tugade
MPA 212 Human Resources Development and
Management

Employees on a new job are usually anxious and feel
insecure. The first problem is how to adjust to an
unfamiliar environment. To address this situation, many
organizations offer an orientation to the newly-hired
employees.

As defined by Martires, ORIENTATION refers to “the
assistance given to the newly hired employee in
adjusting to the new work environment which
encompasses the people around him, the facilities of the
organization, the programs, and services, and
technology used in the production of goods and delivery
of service”.

Orientation usually comes in two forms. These are
Informal Orientation and Formal Orientation.
In small organizations
or agencies, the informal
type of orientation is
usually conducted. The
new employee goes
directly to the supervisor
and in turn, the supervisor
does the introduction and
explains the new
assignment.

Bigger
organizations,
however, conduct a
more formal kind of
orientation. A
program is designed
to assist them to get
acquainted with the
whole organization
and to make a
productive beginning
on the job.

OBJECTIVES OF ORIENTATION:
 Gain employee commitment
 Reduce his or her anxiety
 Help him or her understand
organization’s expectations
 Convey what he or she can expect
from the job and the organization

BENEFITS OF ORIENTATION:
 Welcome new employees
 Provides essential information
 Helps you get to know the employee
and assess training needs
 Create a positive first impression
 Reduce turnover

The orientation procedures contained in
the program vary in terms of their
usefulness to the employee. Such usefulness
depends on whether the program is
systematically designed. A poorly planned
program may have a negative impact on the
expected adjustment of the new employee
to the work environment. Dysfunctional
behaviours may occur from a poorly
planned or non-existent orientation
program.

POTENTIAL ISSUES OR PROBLEMS
An orientation program
usually includes
introduction to co-
employees and a tour of the
building and facilities. It
also includes information
about employee benefits
and privileges, services
provided, work rules,
training and promotion,
activities, the
organizational structure,
functions, objectives,
operations and services.

According to Mondy and Noe, orientation
program for new employees is important
because new employees characteristically have
enthusiasm, creativity and commitment. Much
of this can be lost through an inept orientation
program that fails to integrate new hires into
the work group. On the other hand, an
effective program enhances the employment
relationship and provides the foundation for
employee motivation, commitment and
productivity.

Essentially, there are 3 levels/stages in an
effective orientation program. The first
stage/level usually involves the members of
the Human Resources Department in giving
out general information about the
organization or agency. The given
information includes an overview of the
whole organization, review of existing
policies, practices and procedures, and
salary structure/scale.

It is important at this stage that the
new employee gets to know the location of
the department or unit to which he/she is
assigned in the overall scheme of
operations of the agency/organization.
Information may be given through
brochures, manuals, handbooks, interviews,
group meetings and discussions or through
a combination of these and other
approaches.

The second level usually
involves the immediate
supervisor in orienting the
new employee to his/her
department/section, job
requirements,
performance expectations
and specific work rules. It
is emphasized at this stage
that the supervisor should
see to it that the new hire
should be socially
accepted by the work
group.

The third level includes evaluation and follow-
up which are usually conducted by the HR
department in conjunction with the
immediate supervisor. It is expected that the
immediate supervisor works closely with the
new hire in order to clarify information and to
see to it that the new employee is integrated
into the work group. Some orientation
programs include the conduct of follow-up
interviews at the end of three to six weeks to
see how well the employee is adjusting to the
work environment.

A number of problems or issues might result
from the kind of procedures used in
conducting the orientation of new employees.
For example, giving out too much information
in an orientation session can become a
problem in the sense that the employee may
not be able to absorb everything. Giving out
too little information may also become
dysfunctional in the sense that the new
employee may not get the information which
is vital to completely understanding the new
job.

The role of the immediate supervisor of the
new employee is critical in the orientation
process. Being the immediate supervisor,
this person is responsible for orienting the
new employee. If the immediate supervisor
does not perform this task well, the
adjustment of the new employee to the
work environment may take longer than
expected. This may prove costly to both the
agency and the employee.

PROVISION OF GOOD WORKING CONDITIONS
Another way to reduce anxiety of a new employee is
the provision of good working conditions. Working
conditions refer to the space allocation in the office,
physical layout, temperature of the work place, and
safety of the surroundings.
Space allocation and physical layout will help in the
adjustment period of the new employee. Enough
space to work in can make the employee comfortable.
An office lay-out which isolates the person from many
of the employees will not be helpful.

A cool temperature
on a work place
may also be a good
beginning for the
employee to be
productive on the
job. A hot and
stuffy place could
reduce worker
efficiency.

Safe surroundings
will be reassuring to
a new employee.
Anxiety and feelings
of insecurity will be
reduced if the new
employee feels safe
in the work
environment.

REFERENCES:
Concepcion Martires (1988), Human Resources
Management Principles and Practices, Chapter 8, pp.
147-152
Wendell French (1990), Human Resources
Management, Chapter 10, pp. 286-293
Richard Peterson and Lane Tracy, Systematic
Management of Human Resources, pp. 114-127
R. Wayne Mondy and Robert Noe, Human Resource
Management, Chapter 8, pp. 238-242