Avoiding New Employee Anxiety
We all know the difficulties related to being a new employee. It's your first week on the job and all you’re trying to do is figure out how you will be fitting in. At the beginning we all get overwhelmed by the new factors that have to be taken in and processed. It's all about meeting new people, trying to understand the new job and generally trying to adjust and feel comfortable within the new surroundings.
Even though some new employee anxiety is natural and can be reduced greatly within the first couple of weeks, sometimes it can get out of hand. Anxiety, if unattended to, could lead to an increase in training costs, turnover, absenteeism and even production costs. This is why it is very important for organizations to address anxiety problems using a suitable approach. For many companies this approach is translated into a new employee orientation program.
Proper orientation helps reduce anxiety that results from entering into an unknown situation, and helps provide guidelines for behavior and conduct, so that employees don't have to experience the stress of guessing.
A successful new employee orientation program can reduce turnover and save an organization a lot of money. The most important principle to convey during an orientation is the organization’s commitment to continuous improvement and continual learning. That way, new employees become comfortable with asking questions about information they need in order to learn, problem solve and make decisions. An orientation program should also give new employees an indication of the department culture; how to dress, how to handle requests for information, approvals and supplies as well as informal tips such as the best places to park or the location of the nearest supermarket.