My partner and I attended and presented at a conference in January dedicated to the topic of onboarding talent. The interesting take-away for us was the lack of distinction between orientation and onboarding. Most of the organizations presented their orientation programs as "onboarding processes" even though each have distinctly different purposes, activities and, in some cases, different audiences.
So, we thought it would be helpful to clearly define each process and build context for when and how they can be used effectively in any organization.
The purpose of orientation is to manage the "new hire paperwork" in a way that represents the organization’s brand and confirms the individual's decision to join the organization. It also provides a "captured audience" to which the organization can communicate general information that is needed by all new hires, regardless of position.
By contrast, the purpose of onboarding is to provide a supported process that provides new employees with the opportunity to gain knowledge; build relationships; and act on feedback for the purpose of successfully and quickly integrating into the organization, taking into account thier unique positions and job functions.
Timing:
Orientation is a single event that usually takes place in the first week or so on the job and lasts for a few hours up to a few days.
Onboarding usually begins when the new hire accepts the job and continues for between 3 and 6 months, and sometimes up to a full year. During this time, the new associate is not exclusively "onboarding" but learning and delivering work according to a structured plan that was prepared by the hiring manager, the HR partner and the new hire.
Delivery:
Orientation delivers information to a group that is common to all new hires. This allows for efficient use of the HR facilitator's time and organizational resources. It is usually in a classroom-style setting and more of a "one-size-fits-all" format. Organizational culture information can be presented in this format, but it doesn't allow for any real-world application for the new associate.
An onboarding process allows for information to flow through several channels, including to and from the new hire. It also provides a scalable method to deliver consistent organizational information, while delivering customized content by function and by role. So instead of an "information dump", onboarding gives the new associate what he/she needs to know and "just in time" so that it can be used on the job as needed. A more blended learning approach is used to deliver the information, so that the new associate also gets feedback as to how he/she is doing in the new culture and can make appropriate adjustments.
Results:
Orientation programs' results are rather limited to the processing of new-hire paperwork and the exposure of new hires to general organizational and cultural data. The associates are still considered "new" after their orientation experience and usually need quite a bit more assistance from their hiring manager and functional peers to be able to start being productive in their new roles.
Onboarding takes a longer view and allows the new hires to "learn and do" during their first weeks and months on the job. The process builds a plan that provides resources and tools that the new associates can draw on to support their transitions. When onboarding is complete, the new associate is fully integrated into the organization and has begun to contribute and "payback" the investment that the organization has made in him/her.
These associates are usually more highly engaged in their roles and the organization and have a higher likelihood of staying after 6 months, according to the most recent study by The Aberdeen Group.*
So, the question isn't really orientation or onboarding, it's how can organizations do both effectively? One is not a substitute for the other. In the world of the shrinking talent pool, no organization can afford slow productivity and/or high turnover of their new associates. A relatively small investment of time and money in the first few months of a new hire's tenure will provide high impact to the organization through an engaged and productive work force.
If you would like more information about orientation and onboarding, contact us at info@connectthedotsconsulting.com
*All Aboard: Effective Onboarding Techniques and Strategies, January 2008
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