Formal and Informal orientation processes
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Formal and Informal Orientation Processes
Orientation can be defined as the process of introducing a new employee to an organization. The main aim is to give them all the relevant information required to increase their effectiveness and efficiency in their role and environment. So, we can call it an induction process to accustom and familiarize a new worker to the working environment. In this discussion, we will major in formal and informal orientation within our organization.
Formal and Informal orientation processes
Formal orientation involves intensive employee induction in the new environment done by managers or HR and supervisors. This makes it elaborative and takes a few weeks or even months, depending on the organization’s involvement (The Investor Book, 2020). It consists of the introduction part, induction to the specific department, and follow-up talk or meeting with the new employee to makes sure he has fully adapted to the new environment and that everything is going well. The complexity and seriousness of this process make it to be formal.
On the other hand, informal orientation is straightforward and does not last long. For instance, after an employee is hired, he receives a briefing from the company policies’ human resource manager. This briefing can only last for an hour or less than that (Becker & Bish, 2017). After that, employees are sent to the supervisors who give them briefings on their working procedures and start working immediately. In our organization, this type of orientation is prevalent, especially when dealing with the non-skilled employee. Therefore, each type of induction process applies to a particular situation depending on the organization’s preference.
Even though the organization induction procedures are quite okay, I would recommend few things. First, each employee expectation should be made clear, and this would reduce the possible confusion, which could lead to time wastage as workers seek clarifications (Raub, Perretten & Schmitt, 2021). Another thing is that I would recommend the organization integrate both formal and informal aspects during orientation. This can be achieved by creating a conducive environment even during the formal process to encourage the new employee to ask for clarification if something is not clear. This can help to reduce employee anxiety, which may make the process ineffective.
References
Becker, K., & Bish, A. (2017). Management development experiences and expectations: informal vs formal learning. Education+ Training.
Raub, S., Borzillo, S., Perretten, G., & Schmitt, A. (2021). New employee orientation, role-related stressors and conflict at work: Consequences for work attitudes and performance of hospitality employees. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 94, 102857.
The Investors Book. (2020, March 7). Employee orientation. https://theinvestorsbook.com/employee-orientation.html
Formal and Informal orientation processes
Question
What formal and informal orientation processes exist in your organization or an organization with which you are familiar? What changes do you recommend making to the current orientation process to improve the effectiveness of the orientation process?