High-Level Design Document
For the
Global New Employee Orientation Process
Prepared by
A Training Vendor Company
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction......
Purpose and Goals......
Target Audience......
The Phases of Orientation......
The Orientation Process......
Orientation Process Overview......
Phases of Orientation......
Orientation Events......
Recruiting......
Interviewing......
Induction......
Welcome Packet......
Event One......
Socialization......
Event Two......
Event Three......
Ongoing Socials and Networking......
Orientation Roles......
Human Resources......
Administrator......
Supervisor/SPOC......
Buddy......
Event Facilitator......
Senior Management......
Others......
Orientation Materials......
Administrator’s Handbook......
Supervisor’s Handbook......
Buddy Handbook/Checklist......
Employee Checklist......
Welcome Packet Checklist......
Event-specific Materials......
New Employee Web Page/Home Page......
Conclusion......
1
Introduction
This document, prepared by A Training Vendor Company for ABC Pharmaceutical (ABC), presents A Training Vendor's high-level design for a global new employee orientation process for ABC. The design is based on the findings and recommendations included in the Situation Analysis and Needs Assessment Report concluded during the research phase of this project. This high-level design provides the foundation for the development of a more detailed design and the development of the orientation materials.
This high-level design document includes:
- The purpose and goals of the orientation process
- A description of the target audience for the process
- The orientation process flow showing components and their sequence
- Descriptions of each component of the process
- The roles and responsibilities of personnel in the orientation process
- A description of proposed orientation materials and supporting materials
- A high-level description of the content
Purpose and Goals
The purpose of the orientation process is to enable new employees to make the transition from “outsider” to “insider” as smoothly as possible. The goals of the process are to:
- Locate and hire high-quality employees
- Retain those high-quality employees
- Increase productivity of new employees as they start work
- Decrease the time it takes new employees to become fully integrated and fully productive
This design document focuses on the last three bullets listed above.
Target Audience
The audience for this global new employee orientation process is all new employees throughout ABC worldwide, except for sales representatives and senior management.
1
The Phases of Orientation
The Orientation Process
1
Orientation Process Overview
Phases of Orientation
As shown on the previous pages, orientation is a process, not an event. The process includes four phases, each a process itself. Those phases are recruiting, interviewing, induction and socialization.
- Recruiting is the process of identifying and contacting possible employees. For example, universities are excellent places to find possible employees.
- Interviewing is the process of determining whether a candidate’s qualifications meet ABC’s standards for employment and the job requirements.
- Induction is the process of providing the new employee with information and having the employee complete the documents necessary to start work.
- Socialization is the process of becoming fully a part of the company. It involves acquiring skills and knowledge and aligning attitudes and feelings.
The process begins with recruiting and extends past Event Three into the future.
The process begins with recruiting because potential employees start to develop their expectations of the company and their role in the company at this time. If the expectations they develop during recruiting and interviewing are not aligned with the reality of the company and their jobs, then the employees’ morale will suffer and the company’s ability to retain them will be diminished.
The formal part of the orientation process ends at Event Three. The goal of this design is to provide new employees with the right information at the right time so that, at the end of Event Three, they will be able to function independently. They will know where to find information they need, whom they need to contact, and what they need to do to be successful.
However, an informal orientation process extends indefinitely for two reasons:
- ABC is a large company. Gaining complete knowledge of the whole company will take a long time.
- Employee development never ends; it is an ongoing process.
Induction and Socialization are not chronologically distinct. For example, the first activity of an employee’s first day could be a welcoming event, which is a Socialization activity. This could be followed by a benefits presentation, which is an Induction activity.
Orientation Events
Particular events that occur during the process are:
- Receipt of a Welcome Packet
- Event One, which focuses on welcoming new employees and providing them with the resources they need to start work.
- Event Two, which is aimed at providing new employees with information about ABC and showing how they fit into the organization.
- Event Three, which is aimed at answering questions and addressing concerns that new employees have after they have worked for several weeks.
- Ongoing social events and networking opportunities that allow the employees to meet their colleagues, build relationships, and expand their knowledge of the company. An example of a social event could be a “family day” event. Other events could involve mealtime meetings and presentations from other departments in ABC.
Employees will gain on-the-job experience between each event. They may also receive job-specific classroom training and/or formal on-the-job training, depending on their function and job title.
The remainder of this design document will review each phase and its associated components in more detail, with particular emphasis on the Induction and Socialization phases of the process, since those phases are the focus of this project. Descriptions of roles and the materials to be developed for each phase are also included.
Recruiting
Recruiting is the process of identifying and contacting groups of possible employees. Groups that may have possible employees include the following:
- Recent university graduates
- Professors and researchers employed by universities
- Employees of other pharmaceutical companies
- Candidates identified by recruiters
The possible employees begin to develop impressions and to form expectations based on information they receive during recruiting. Accuracy of the information is critical and it should be presented in small chunks.
The initial goal during recruiting is to identify and contact many candidates. The end goal is to narrow the number by determining which of those candidates will be invited to participate in the Interviewing phase.
Interviewing
During interviewing, the potential employees will learn more about ABC and the jobs they will be doing, and the company will learn more about the skills, knowledge and attitudes of the potential employees.
Again, potential employees develop expectations during interviewing. It is important that all people who have a role in hiring also play a role in interviewing. If hiring is a team decision, then interviewing needs to be a team process.
In the orientation process flow shown, the Interviewing Phase ends when the candidate accepts an offer to become an employee. Then, the process moves to the Induction and Socialization phases.
Induction
The Induction and Socialization phases begin when the new employee receives the Welcome Packet.
Welcome Packet
The contents of the Welcome Packet may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Welcome messages from appropriate senior management
- A welcome message from the employee’s supervisor
- Dates, times and locations of all Day One events
- Maps and directions for parking and locating the proper facilities
- Documents that may be completed prior to the employee’s start date
While the packet is intended for the new employee, it may include a document or media presentation for the employee's family, such as a video or CD-ROM presentation on the ABC culture and any family-related policies and events.
The specific contents of this packet will be determined during the detailed design phase of this project.
Event One
Event One occurs on the employees’ first day at work. Some, but not all, of the events that may occur during Event One include:
- A start of day “Welcome to ABC” celebration
- A meeting with the employee’s supervisor
- An induction session covering necessary documents and company policies
- An assigned dining partner for each new employee
- One significant work assignment, unless impossible (as in the case of a research scientist)
- A tour of the facilities
- An end of day “What Are Your Questions?” session
One of the primary purposes of Event One is to make new employees feel truly welcome at ABC and to assure them that they have made the correct choice by accepting ABC's offer of employment. In regions or functions where hiring is a constant, ongoing process with many new employees starting on the same day, care will need to be taken to ensure that welcoming events are aimed at individuals rather than the group of employees.
While much of the broad, organization-focused information is to be presented in Event Two, a presentation that emphasizes ABC's vision, mission and values needs to be included in the Day One activities. Ideally, this will include both a media-driven presentation (such as a video) that is introduced and expanded by a personal presentation. This approach combines the consistency of video with the enthusiasm and personal touch of the presenter.
Socialization
Socialization actually begins with Event One and continues throughout the process. However, Event Two is the first activity that is strictly part of the Socialization phase.
Event Two
Event Two is scheduled to occur one week after the employees’ start date. Some, but not all, of the information to be presented in Event Two includes:
- ABC history
- The drug discovery process
- A brief overview of competitors
- ABC's organizational structure
- Overviews of functional groups
- Overviews of performance management and career development opportunities
The primary purpose of Event Two is to provide new employees with information about ABC and how they fit into the organization. Event Two is scheduled one week after the employees' start date so that they will have had time to learn about their jobs and will have some context for the organizational information.
Some information that was presented during Event One will be repeated during Event Two. For example, Event Two might include an activity to reinforce ABC’s vision, mission and values and show the linkage to other relevant information.
Part of the purpose of both Event One and Event Two is to provide the new employees with information about available resources they can use to continue learning about the company on their own.
Event Three
Event Three occurs three months after the employees’ start date. The primary purpose of Event Three is to answer any questions that new employees have after their first three months on the job. This event will consist of:
- A Question and Answer Session
- Small Group Discussions
Event Three will open with a question and answer session with a representative of senior management. This senior manager should be the highest level manager involved with the new employees. For example, a department head may be the proper choice for a research team, while a plant manager may be the proper choice for both equipment operators and quality control scientists. If several groups are attending the session, then each group should meet with an appropriate senior manager. These sessions can run simultaneously.
In this session, new employees may ask any questions they have. The manager, as well, may ask questions of the group, but should not direct questions to individuals.
The remainder of Event Three will consist of small-group discussions open to interested new employees. Several discussion sessions will be scheduled concurrently and employees will choose the sessions they wished to attend, based on their needs and interests. Someone knowledgeable in the topic will lead the discussion. Each discussion will last for about 55 minutes and then the employees move to a new discussion group. All employees will be able to attend each topic that they want. If there are five discussion topics, then Event Three will last five hours — approximately 55 minutes for each topic with 5 minutes between each session.
Discussion topics will be determined by surveying the new employees in advance of the event. Top choices in whatever survey format is selected will become the small-group topics. These small-group topics might include benefits, performance management, career development, and other such topics.
In addition to providing information to new employees, the Event Three format can provide feedback on the orientation process. For example, if many new employees request and attend a discussion on benefits, that may indicate that the benefits information provided earlier in the process is not sufficient.
Ongoing Socials and Networking
Ongoing social events and networking will be scheduled to occur once each quarter. At least once a year, one of these events should be a session for the new employees’ families.
The format for the other events could vary. Some could be purely social events, such as providing the new employees with tickets to a concert or sporting event. Others could be presentations from other departments during a mealtime meeting.
Like the discussion topics in Event Three, the types of events and presentation topics could be determined by surveying employees.
These social events could be opened to all ABC employees at the facility.
The primary purpose of the social events is to continue to build the bond between employees and the organization. They also allow employees to develop new relationships and acquire new information about ABC.
1
Orientation Roles
1
Orientation Roles
People have a significant role in ensuring a successful orientation for new employees. The graphic on the previous page shows the roles that need to be filled at each stage of the process. Some of the roles, such as the supervisor and buddy, are ongoing. Others, such as the administrator, have recurring roles. Below is an explanation of each role shown on the graphic.
Human Resources
This role is filled by personnel in the Human Resources Department. The role is recurring, rather than ongoing, and can be filled by more than one person.
Responsibilities of the role include:
- Identifying and contacting groups of candidates
- Selecting candidates who will be interviewed
- Coordinating the logistics involved in scheduling interviews
Administrator
Support personnel available to the supervisor fill the Administrator’s role. This, too, is a recurring role that can be filled by more than one person.
Responsibilities of the role include:
- Coordinating the logistics involved in scheduling interviews
- Ensuring that each employee’s workspace is ready on their first day
- Coordinating the logistics involved in scheduling each event
- Assisting new employees with administrative tasks, such as obtaining identification badges or name tags
Supervisor
Supervisors have a critical role in the orientation of new employees. Their goal is to help new employees succeed. Their role is to provide information regarding procedures, policies and tools that the new employees use.
The supervisor's role is ongoing and he or she should meet with new employees regularly. The supervisor's responsibilities include:
- Welcoming new employees to the company in a face-to-face meeting on their first day
- Setting expectations for job performance
- Providing feedback on job performance
- Coordinating with the administrators regarding first day logistics
- Showing new employees where they can get information
Buddy
Each new employee will have an assigned buddy. The role of the buddy in the orientation process is to help the new employee learn about ABC's culture and to integrate into the organization. Buddies provide support and friendship and help prevent the new employees from feeling isolated and lonely.
The buddies’ role is ongoing. Buddies and new employees may or may not decide to meet regularly. That is their choice, but buddies need to be available and easily accessible to new employees.
Responsibilities of the role include:
- Dining with new employees on their first day
- Introducing new employees to co-workers
- Helping new employees locate restrooms, dining facilities and other such places
- Providing insight into the ABC culture
Event Facilitator
The role of the event facilitator is to ensure the event adheres to the agenda and stays on schedule. The facilitator may also introduce presentations or presenters or make presentations themselves.
The role of event facilitator is recurring and may be filled by more than one person. Responsibilities of the role include:
- Making opening and closing remarks at presentations
- Explaining event agendas
- Keeping events on schedule
- Introducing presenters and presentations
- Making presentations as needed
- Distributing and collecting event evaluation surveys
Senior Management