New hire orientation ideas NYC

Bringing on a cohort of new hires is a big deal for any company, and for many this involves a formal orientation. The time allocated may vary, and I’ve seen it last anywhere from an hour to a full week. In addition to transferring vital knowledge about the company, culture and workflow processes, the orientation is an opportunity to make the new employees feel welcome, as well as comfortable with one another.

When your employee induction involves a formal activity, in order to ensure your staff get the most out of the experience, it is essential that it encompass the following 6 things:

• 1.     Social – Whatever you do, there MUST be a social component to it. When folks are just arriving as fresh faces to a company, it makes a big difference if their orientation involves some form of interactive experience with the other new staff

• 2.     Appropriate – To be the most effective, your activity must be suitable for your company, industry and/or the specific group present.

• 3.     Customized – Just as no two companies are the same, no two groups of new hires are the same. Make sure that whatever you are doing is tailored for the specific group in attendance, to ensure it has the most impact

• 4.     Bonding – Define this any way you will, however the group should be given an opportunity to bond in some way. If it’s a competitive team building game, then perhaps a healthy dose of good-natured competition will facilitate the bond. Sharing stories is also popular, as are a variety of other new hire icebreakers available online.

• 5.     Alcohol – My opinion here may be a bit controversial, however I am a firm believer that when used responsibly and in appropriate measure, alcohol can be an extremely effective social lubricant – especially when folks are just getting to know one another. Of course, one could argue that the last thing new hires should be doing is getting boozy – in which case, I would refer you the “Appropriate” and “Customized” bullets above

• 6.     Laughter – Another thing I’m a believer in: the key element of any successful group activity is a shared positive experience. Laughter can be incredibly disarming – if you make your group laugh (and by any means necessary), I guarantee you will go a long way towards making your group feel more comfortable with one another, and start their journey with your company on the right foot.