I've found that after getting hired, I could tell a lot about a company by how they handled New Hire paperwork, training and orientation. When I arrived on my first day I would be told to sit in one spot, then one of three things would happen.
- Someone would ask around, or look all over the office for various forms, and bring them to me to fill out. Invariably many things would be missing after the long process. (Sometimes I would be the one to "ask around")
- Someone who "normally handles these things" would go to a file cabinet and go through a lot of different folders, grabbing a form from each. This wouldn't take too much time, but usually a form or two would get left out.
- An HR manager or designated New Hire manager would sit down with me after bringing a folder - with my name on it - containing everything necessary. They would have grabbed the folder from a stack of already prepared New Hire packages. This was a very quick process… and complete too.
I'm sure you can surmise the organizational level, efficiency, and prospects of the company that fits each example. What kind of company do you have? Is organizing your New Hire packages on your To Do list? What happens after the paperwork? Do you have a training program or orientation process, or do you just wing it? If your hiring process is less than organized, a webinar can help.
The most obvious bonus to using webinars for orientation is that your HR manager doesn't have to be in the building. Designate an employee at each of your locations to be the New Hire Guide, then get HR, the guide, and the newbie on a conference call. HR can guide them through the welcome package and the guide can show them around.
Webinars can be even more useful for orientation. After you create ten to twenty identical New Hire packages - each in their own folder with a blank label on the tab - it's time to automate your orientation process. Create a PowerPoint slide that tells a New Hire everything they need to know about their new job, the company, even you. Start a conference call and record your presentation. You can have appropriate personnel dial-in to the conference at the right times to give their input. When they do, make sure to have a picture of them on the PowerPoint presentation at the correct spot. Don't forget to include audible cues on when to advance to the next PowerPoint slide, and make sure to include a picture of yourself at the beginning and end of the PowerPoint presentation.
The end result? After sitting down a New Hire and going through the welcome package with them, show them where they can download the PowerPoint presentation and how to do the dial-in playback. They get a warm greeting and good guidance for their new job, and you only have to give that speech once.
