Orientation in the time of COVID
Chantel Wilson Chase - Science-based Insights Professional for the Human Experience, HX, CX, EX
Without dating myself too badly, who remembers the Head and Shoulders commercial with the two guys in 80s jackets with one of them hoping to talk to the woman walking by? The one super cool dude explains how his friend needs – simply NEEDS - to get dandruff shampoo before he even THINKS about talking to her. After all, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
And that brings me to picking the where and when to measure.
I’ll start with first impressions. Remember the Head and Shoulders commercial?? I kid. But, first impressions matter – a lot. They set the stage, good or bad, for the first employee experiences.
An employee’s orientation is one of those cases that overlaps both the Employee Lifecycle and Moments that Matter.
And now, with all the changes the pandemic has wrought in our business, orientation and onboarding are even more important than ever. And because much of it is virtual – a real change from the past – getting a solid understanding of how it’s going, what it looks like from the new hire’s perspective, and what needs to change can help positively shape this critical first impression.
Many employees are not only interviewing virtually but working remotely as well. And yes, their orientation class is virtual too. Organizations have been forced to revamp and deploy orientation in new ways.
Deploying in a new way requires agility and listening. And the adjustments must be made in real-time. Most importantly, we need to understand the employee perspective to make this happen.
From my work measuring virtual onboarding, one thing that has jumped to the forefront is how big a role the IT department plays in onboarding an employee. It’s a key takeaway and a shifting burden for employees.
IT help and support is a critical component to so many jobs. When all goes well, they are invisible to us. When all doesn’t go perfectly, big or small, like a system disruption, or not knowing how to install a necessary application respectively, we are stopped in our tracks. They remain critical and invisible – not an enviable position to be in. But, oftentimes, that’s the role of IT.
And now, in our virtual world, we are shifting some of that work to the new hire. We send the laptop out, with a note, phone number and some instructions. We hope our new employees get setup and are ready for Day 1. We do our best to cover all the bases, but inevitably, some of it will fall on the new employee. It’s not a game-changer, but it is a pain point to address.
Prior to COVID-19, our onboarding class was in person. Systems were in place for new employees and they had people to go to and friendly co-workers to ask when things did not go as planned. In some lucky offices, IT could come by and help in person if necessary.
Now, new hires need to do some of the IT support themselves.
And this can lead to frustration and challenges. It can color their feelings about the new role and the new company. I know how annoyed I am when my computer isn’t running perfectly, or something takes more than 2 seconds to load. Now, imagine that plus all the new stressors that come with a new job. It is important not only to recognize, but to build additional support into the company’s virtual onboarding experience.
Employee listening and insights at just the right time will help address the new and changing experiences and will position companies to have even greater employee experiences.
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