According to the training firm Leadership IQ, “46% of rookies wash out in their first 18 months.” This was found by a study done over 3 years of 20,000 new hires. This could be due to the fact that those new hires are not clearly told what they were hired to do or what their goals should be for the first six months and the first year.[lede]
New Employee Orientation Ideas
Does the investment and effort put into a new employee orientation program outweigh the costs of losing new hires at your company? We think so! Recruiting itself takes a lot of time and money. Don’t drop the ball in the home stretch by losing your new employees.
5 reasons why your new employee orientation will fail:
1. Your activities are boring!
Trivia, Jeopardy, and “fun facts” about your employees…these games get old after a while. You need to spice them up! Besides, it’s much more satisfying (and productive) to see your new employees completely engaged in activities you’re providing.
2. There are no incentives for participating.
There’s no sentiment in taking part in activities or paying attention to the program. Who doesn’t like a free lunch? If you aren’t offering any snacks, lunches or prizes to reward your new hires, you’re not showing appreciation. Odds are they’ll be tuned out during your presentations.
3. Information overload!
It’s important for your employees to understand everything there is to know about your company and get to know every department. But, how many PowerPoint presentations can you go through in one day before they start snoring?
4. There is no follow up down the road.
You don’t want your orientation program to be instantly forgettable, do you? If you have no reunion with the new hires, it’s likely that most of the information you’ve provided to your employees during the program won’t be retained. Besides, you might learn something new, too.
5. The programs you choose are irrelevant.
The orientation sessions you put your groups through don’t speak to the foundations of the company. Of course, you’ll want your new employees to realize the importance of your company’s goals and mission. You can make these points more memorable by implementing them into activities for your orientation group…not just printing out the company’s mission statement on coffee mugs for everyone.
Use team building to boost your new employee orientation:
Team building programs can be customized however you’d like in order to fit into your company’s new employee orientation program, and relate directly to the culture at your office. Depending on the nature of your company, different programs may work for you better than others. Does your company thrive on competition, or do you focus on collaboration? Do you put a strong emphasis on charity? Maybe your employees just REALLY love food…(who doesn’t?).
For the competitors: Outrageous Games!
Teams compete head-to-head in ten wacky, wild, non-athletic relay races. All of the games are designed to build team strength, facilitate communication and develop problem-solving skills using a challenge by choice model.
For the collaborators: Chain Reaction!
An energetic and strategic event, Chain Reaction is full of mind-bending challenges that will result in a strong feeling of success and accomplishment for your teams.
For the philanthropists: Charitable Team Building
Our charitable team building events are the perfect way to bring your company together for a great cause, and have a blast while doing it!
For the foodies: Culinary Team Building
Bring your appetite and positive attitude to our variety of different culinary team building events. Our programs provide fun and effective ways to bring your teams closer through meal preparation, cooking and dining together.
