Would you believe me if I tell you that, the most important part of the hiring and retention process is employee orientation? This is the day that will primarily decide if your new hire will be a success or a drag in your company.

If employee orientation is that important, what then is the most important part of the orientation? Is it the introductions? The tour around the office? Stick around to find out.

In most cases, employee orientation is done to cover the following details:

• To help the new hire understand and appreciate the corporate culture of the company—the customs, norms, and traditions

• To explain the company’s rules and regulations. This also includes explaining to new hires the policies such as security procedures, employee behavior etc.

• To formally welcome the new hire. This is where he is introduced to the department and given his workstation and supplies.

While these are all beneficial to a staff, new research recommends that employee orientation be less about the company and more about the staff. Studies have shown that the first few minutes of the orientation procedure, when carried out properly, can create happier, more productive employees that are bound to stay longer with the organization. And this is really what hiring and retention is all about.

The sad thing is many organizations miss the value of employee orientation. Most human resources personnel spend so time talking about the corporate culture, the company logo, the organizational chart, and all about the workplace. Sometimes, they forget about the new hire and his self-expression, they forget to mention what the new hire has to bring to the table. In the process of all the blabbering, the staff tends to lose his personal identity and adapt that of the organization he is joining. So instead of bringing in new  blood and fresh ideas to the organization, he is unconsciously morphing into what the company wants him to be—just like all of them.

Experts recommend for human resource personnel to veer away from drowning the new hire with corporate information, instead, new employees need to be encouraged to display their own personality and uniqueness. To increase hiring and retention, employees must be allowed to be themselves while employed under the organization.

Most companies talk about hiring new people to bring in a breath of fresh air into the company only to find out that all of his fresh ideas are being shut off and ignored because people like to stick with old corporate culture. Soon enough, the new hire will absorb this culture.

Never underestimate the importance of employee orientation because this has the power to encourage staff to exercise their individuality and core competencies. This is the time to let new hires know that their fresh ideas are welcomed and their self-expression is a great new addition to the organization. Over time, human resource people have the responsibility of reminding staff to be themselves and express their own views—in this way hiring and retention increases.

® 2013 Incedo Group, LLC