Page 160 - Retaining Top Employees

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148 Retaining Top Employees

Design Your Own
To design your own orientation program content to
achieve cultural integration,follow this process.
Speak to five employees in your organization who have been hired
recently (but more than three months ago). Ask them:
• In what situations did they feel left out during their first few weeks
with the organization?
• What made them feel left out? A lack of knowledge or understand-
ing? About what?
• How did they overcome this sense of exclusion? Did they find infor-
mation? Did they talk with someone? Did they learn a skill or a
vocabulary? Or did they just “tough it out”?
Speak to three managers,supervisors,team leaders,or shift leaders
responsible for new employees. Ask them:
• In what situations do they experience new employees failing to
appreciate the importance or impact of the organization’s cultural
or ethical standards?
• What do the employees fail to appreciate? Standards that are
required of them? Processes they’re expected to follow? Traditions
or techniques that are part of “how the organization ticks”?
Look at the responses to your questions. How can the design and
content of your orientation bridge these cultural integration issues
and prevent similar experiences for future new employees?

• Flowers or other gifts sent to the new employees’ signifi-
cant others at their home address, with a note express-
ing thanks for their support.

Developing Cohesive Retention-Focused
Orientation Program Content

The two “immediate impact” goals of a retention-focused orien-
tation program—getting past induction and helping your new
employees feel at home—are fairly universal to all circum-
stances. However, not all three medium-term goals of employee
retention—
• Begin the retention process immediately.
• Manage expectations.