CHAPTER 8

Orientation, Socialization and Placement

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

1. List the objectives of an orientation programme
2. Enumerate the requisites of an effective orientation programme
3. Understand the process of an orientation programme
4. Differentiate between the different types of orientation
5. List the problems faced by employee orientation
6. Enumerate the steps for an effective orientation programme
7. List the process of socialization
8. Differentiate between the various types of socialization strategies
9. Understand the problems faced by placement

Abbott India Limited, a subsidiary of Abbott Laboratories, has its head office in Mumbai. It is engaged in the production of healthcare products and is well known for its quality. The Abbott Group has employed nearly 65,000 people all over the world with Abbott India accounting for over 1,000 employees. The core values of this company are Pioneering, Achieving, Caring and Enduring (PACE).

The HR philosophy of this company is “respect people” and it aims to achieve this through value-based management. It emphasizes developing teams work and creating an affable and professional work environment for its employees. The uniqueness of its HR approach is that it accepts experiential learning by employees and views mistakes as part of the learning process.

The company appreciates cultural differences and permits its employees to bring their best value and cultures to the organizations and accepts alternative views on any matter. Every two years, the company conducts a performance-culture survey on a global scale to evaluate the cultural attitude of its employees. Based on the results of the survey, it establishes new and broad cultural benchmarks for all its employees. This process of reassessing the culture and realigning it with the corporate values is known as the cultural health metric. The company utilizes the culture survey to develop action plans in the form of culture and diversity management programmes, and training and orientation programmes in order to achieve the core business objectives. As part of its Abbott “Promise for Life” programme, the Abbott group conducts a series of values’ workshops to align the employees’ behaviour with the corporate core values and culture. Given this example about the importance of orientation and socialization for an organization, this chapter looks at the various aspects of orientation and socialization programmes.

Introduction

Employee orientation or induction is a crucial stage in the hiring process of an organization. The newly joining employees get the first impression of the organization through the orientation programmes. It is thus necessary for any organization to have a meticulously planned and well-executed orientation programme to educate the employees about the various aspects of the organization. Orientation programmes are useful in making the new employees feel assured, happy and at ease with the new environment. They can also ensure a smooth transition and integration for the employees without any initial shock and unpleasant surprises. The duration of employee orientation may vary from a few hours to several months, depending upon the job requirements and the policy and philosophy of the organization. In orientation programmes, employees are usually briefed about the history of the organization, its culture, values and attitude, the expectations of the management, the job and department details, and the product or service information.

While orienting employees to their job and organization, the organizations normally provide details of all their HR practices that concern them. For instance, the employees are given information about pay scales and incentive schemes, probationary period, the nature and duration of training, working hours, overtime rules, safety rules and procedures, promotion policies and opportunities, and leave facilities. In many organizations, new employees are usually taken around the office or factory premises and shown the different facilities available within the campus. A well-planned orientation usually reduces the likelihood of committing initial mistakes and achieves better understanding between the employer and the employees. As a result, it helps the organization in gaining substantial improvement in productivity, quality, cooperation, and industrial relations.¹ In contrast, the lack of orientation programmes might lead to employee alienation and dissatisfaction, a higher rate of attrition, and an increased cost of recruitment and selection.

Informing new employees about what they should do, how they should do it, and who they should report to are some of the issues that constitute the essence of orientation. Box 8.1 lists some of the definitions of orientations.

We may define employee orientation as the systematic process of offering the essential information to new employees to make them feel comfortable in the organization and also in the job.

Purpose of Employee Orientation

Earlier, organizations depended merely on the printed materials and other impersonal methods to orient their employees. In fact, organizations were not too concerned about orienting the employees. However, the changing characteristics of the labour market, the increasing demand for skilled labour, the availability of simple and appropriate technology for storing and presenting information, and the employees’ explicit demand for information about the organization have all forced organizations to pay serious attention to employee orientation. There is also a growing realization among the organizations that the process of orientation can sustain and improve the new employees’ initial enthusiasm. We shall now see the important purposes served by employee orientation.

Formally Welcoming Employees

Many organizations view orientation programmes as an occasion for the management to welcome new employees formally and procedurally.

Overcoming Initial Uneasiness and Hesitation

The new employees normally suffer from initial anxiety about the organization. When this anxiety is not properly handled, it might lead to the formation of negative perception and eventually cause dissatisfaction and alienation. Orientation could help in quickly overcoming the initial nervousness and hesitation.

Exchanging Information

Orientation provides a platform for the organization to transfer knowledge about the job, department, organization and people to the new employees. For instance, the organization can provide information about the growth prospects available to the employees and also the training and development programmes undertaken by it for improving their career prospects. The organization, too, gets to know about the employees, their background and individual career plans.

Assessing Employees

Although the selection process has already evaluated the training requirements of the employees, the orientation provides one more opportunity to do so.

Acclimatizing Employees

Orientation programmes enable the organization to teach the employees the basics of the job and the safety measures to be adopted, and acquaint them with the other facilities available in the premises.

Controlling the HR Cost

In the absence of orientation programmes, employees are normally left to learn everything on their own, and this might push up their learning cost to the organization in the form of resource wastage and work disturbances. Similarly, when the employees fail to match their expectation with the reality, they might leave the organization eventually. This could also increase the HR cost associated with recruitment and selection.

Developing the Team Spirit

When the orientation programme is conducted for a group of new employees, it helps in promoting team spirit among the peers. Besides, the ability of each member to work in a group can also be assessed through mock teamworks in orientation programmes.

Socializing Employees

Socialization refers to inculcating suitable values, standards and beliefs among the employees so that they integrate themselves not only with the formal organization but also with the informal groups. Orientation programmes help in developing the necessary beliefs, values and attitudes among the employees which should help the organization in achieving its core business objectives.

Types of Orientation

Based on the number and nature of the new employees and its policy towards orientation, an organization may decide on a specific method of orientation. Some organizations may complete the orientation quickly by providing just a gist of the job and the organization to the new employees. Others may use it as an important occasion to create a positive perception about the organization. They may also utilize the orientation programmes to boost up the chances of retention of these employees not only in the short term but also in the long term. Thus, the perception about the organization regarding the relevance of the orientation programme can also count a lot in choosing its specific type. We shall now see the important types of orientation programme.

General-idea Orientation

This may also be called overview or summary orientation. In this type, some general information about the organization is provided to the employees. For instance, information about the common policies and procedures, rules and regulations like the timings, attendance and discipline is provided. Similarly, details of safety provisions like emergency exits, fire extinguishers and first aid are also provided. The organization may also provide information about emoluments like pay particulars, incentive schemes and benefits to the new employees. Usually, specific information pertaining to the job and the department are avoided here. The organization may entrust the orientation programme to the HR department, which would conduct it for all new entrants, irrespective of their departments. Box 8.2 outlines the essence of the general-idea orientation programmes for Indian companies.

Job-specific Orientation

The purpose of this orientation is to inform the employees about the various aspects of the job and other things related to it. For instance, the details of the duties, responsibilities and accountabilities associated with the job, and the specific safety and other measures required in the performance of the job are provided. Similarly, employees are also briefed about department-specific matters, relevant rules and regulations, organizational structure and plant layout details. The HR department normally organizes these orientations for the new employees by involving the supervisors or managers of the concerned department. Box 8.3 shows the relevance of job-specific orientation programmes for an organization.

Traditional and Modern Orientation

Based on its purposes and content, orientation may also be classified into traditional orientation and modern orientation. When the organizations employ the general and oft-repeated materials to orient employees, it may be called traditional orientation. In this method, orientation is viewed as a ritual and one-time exercise by the organization. It primarily aims at engaging the employees on the first day and helps them overcome the initial nervousness. In the case of modern orientation, the organization views it as the beginning of a continuous process to convert an employee into a precious asset. Besides attending to the first-day concerns of the employees, it takes care of their training and career needs on a sustained basis. The modern orientation programmes aim at increasing the team spirit, enhancing productivity and achieving better employee satisfaction and retention. Organizations are now including even mentoring and on-the-job training as part of the orientation process to enhance its effectiveness.⁵

Process of Orientation Programme Development

With increasing globalization and the resultant labour mobility, organizations are determined to make the optimum use of the orientation programmes to get closer to the employees and establish a permanent bond with its workforce. This calls for systematic and scientific development of the orientation programmes. Though an organization can follow any process for designing its orientation programme, the one in Figure 8.1 is suitable for any kind of organization with necessary modifications. As illustrated in the figure, the steps involved in the orientation programme development process are (i) ascertaining the organization’s policy, mission, and expectations relating to the orientation programme; (ii) determining the objectives of the orientation programme; (iii) determining the type of orientation programme; (iv) deciding the mode of delivery; and (v) gathering the participants’ feedback. We shall now see these steps in detail.

Step 1: Ascertaining the Organization’s Policy and Expectations Relating to the Orientation Programme

In the first stage, the HR department should analyse the policy, mission and vision statements of the organization to determine what it expects from the employees and also what qualities and characteristics it wishes to emphasize among them. The HR department should also ascertain what information different departments like those of accounts, welfare, computer and security require about the new recruits. Similarly, if these departments want to provide information to the new employees, the HR department should find out this information from these departments.

Step 2: Determining the Objectives of the Orientation Programme

Once the information requirements of different departments have been ascertained, the next step is the determination of objectives for the orientation programme. An organization can have multiple objectives for its orientation programme. For instance, removing employee fear and anxiety, conveying what the management expects about employee behaviour and performance, introducing the employees to their supervisors, peers and subordinates, providing them information about the duties, responsibilities and accountabilities involved in the job and orienting them with the rules, regulations and policies are a few objectives.

Step 3: Determining the Type of Orientation Programme

On the basis of its policy or past practices, an organization may decide to conduct one general programme or several job-specific programmes. While deciding the type of programme, it is necessary for the organization to consider factors like the objectives of the programme, the nature of information required, and the financial support available for the programme. If the organization decides to conduct different orientations for different categories of employees, then a need to collect information will arise about the participants, including their positions and departments. In the case of job-specific programmes, the organization may conduct separate programmes for managerial and non-managerial personnel and also for technical and non-technical personnel. In such a scenario, the organization must get ready with the required number and variety of orientation programmes to cater to the needs of the assorted categories of participants.

Step 4: Deciding the Mode of Delivery

At this stage, the organization should finalize its plan regarding the method to be adopted for information delivery. Usually, factors like the number of participants, the nature of information to be shared, infrastructure availability, and the category of participants are considered for deciding the manner of delivery of the requisite information. The method of delivery may include, among others, classroom-based orientation, multimedia-based orientation and on-the-job orientation. Besides determining the mode of delivery, an organization should also develop the necessary brochures and instruction manuals to be given to the participants.

Step 5: Collecting the Participants’ Feedback

Since orientation programmes are conducted continuously in an organization, it is essential to review the relevance and efficacy of these programmes periodically. The organization should take the feedback from the participants about their level of satisfaction with the various aspects of the programmes. In the feedback process, an organization may find out from the participants whether they have received satisfactory responses for their questions. For instance, they may have questions like

• What are my duties, responsibilities and accountabilities in the job?
• Who should I contact for getting things like the stationery?
• What are my office/factory hours, including breaks and overtime?
• Who are my immediate authorities and subordinates?
• How would my performance be evaluated in the organization?
• When and how would I get my pay and other benefits?
• Where are the facilities like canteen, parking lot, restrooms, first-aid room and toilets located in the premises?

Depending on the participants’ level of satisfaction at the end of the orientation programme in obtaining the information needed, the efficacy of the programme may be determined. Based on the feedback, future orientation programmes should be adequately modified and improved to make them more appropriate for the time and situation and also for accomplishing the programme objectives.

An Effective Orientation Programme

Since the orientation programme is crucial to the management from the employee motivation and retention perspective, every effort must be made to make it effective and successful. The following measures might help the organization achieve the desired effectiveness:

Framing Clear-cut Objectives

The organization should frame the objectives of its orientation in unambiguous terms. It should decide clearly whether the orientation has a single objective or multiple ones. Similarly, it should make proper need assessments of the different departments to ensure that all their information expectations would be fulfilled through the identified objectives. The participants’ status and information requirements should also be considered for determining the objectives. In any case, the objectives are capable of providing a clear direction to the whole orientation programme.

Determining the Roles of Departments and Personnel

The organization should determine clearly the department and persons responsible for conducting the orientation programme. It must have strong reasons for choosing a specific department for organizing the programme. The responsibility for orientation is assigned to the HR department normally. In some organizations, however, the training departments are assigned the task of conducting orientation programmes. This is because they are continuously involved in the training of the new employees at various stages of their employment. The services of the training department can also be used for educating the supervisors and managers about the methods of and need for the orientation programmes.⁶

Assessing the New Employees’ Information Requirements Accurately

An effective orientation programme must be able to fully address the first-day concerns and general information requirements of the new employees. Its success lies in making the new employees feel assured and positive about their new organization and the job. Normally, the new employees would be saddled with questions like “Have I joined the right organization?”, “Could I do this work?” and “Would I be accepted by my boss, colleagues and subordinates?”. It thus becomes imperative for the orientation programme to identify and clarify all the likely doubts and questions of the participants, whether they have been expressed or not. Certainly, the greater the new employees’ satisfaction with the outcome of the orientation process, the faster his integration into the job and the organization.

Selecting Appropriate Methodology, Techniques and Programme Content

The organization should also be judicious in designing the content (curriculum) of the orientation programme. It should not attempt to include everything in the programme content. It should decide exactly what the employee should know initially and what information can wait for future presentations. It should never overburden the new employees with information. Thus, it is essential to ensure that the programme content flows from the objectives and also works towards their attainment.

Having decided the content, the organization should choose the most appropriate delivery technique for information presentation. The nature and size of the content, the length of the programme, and the number and nature of the participants normally influence the selection of the delivery tools. The delivery techniques may include instructor-led teaching, learning by doing the job, one-to-one conversation with the supervisor, and allowing participants to raise questions. The technique that matches the learning and perceptual abilities of the participants should be selected. For instance, some categories of employees may be good in quickly grasping the information presented while others may be slow in understanding such information. An organization may use one or more of delivery techniques like visual (video), print (written form), aural (classroom teaching), interactive (group discussion), tactile (demonstrative form like model-building) and kinesthetic (role plays, games),⁷ depending upon the situation and the participants. Thus, the delivery system should be developed properly to meet the requirements of each participant. In any case, it is important to ensure that the interest and enthusiasm of the employees are sustained by these programmes and not destroyed.

Creating a Positive Environment for New Employees

The organization should strive to create a positive environment for its new employees. Even before the beginning of the orientation sessions, arrangements must be made to receive these employees and guide them to their predetermined places. They should never suffer from the feelings of haplessness and alienation. The organization should make every possible effort to make their first day the most memorable in their career. The whole orientation programme should be designed in such a way that the participants completely enjoy their participation in it.

Providing Continuous Review and Effective Feedback

As employee orientation is a continuous process in an organization, it is necessary to develop appropriate instruments to evaluate the effectiveness of such programmes. Evaluation techniques should measure the extent of learning achieved though orientation programmes. They should specifically measure the different learning aspects like cognitive learning (knowledge development), affective learning (attitude development) and behavioural learning (skill development).⁸ On the basis of the results of the feedback, the organization should carry out necessary improvements in the objectives, content, delivery techniques and evaluation process.

Problems in Orientation

Normally, organizations entrust the development of the orientation programme to the HR department and its execution to the supervisors and managers. When the organizations fail to plan and execute the orientation properly, it may not fulfil the desired objectives. Consequently, the time and resource spent on programme development and execution might go waste. We shall now see the problems affecting the efficiency of the orientation programmes.

Data Overload

The purpose of an orientation programme is to orient the employees with the basic information sufficient for initial survival in the organization. New employees should not be overloaded with a large amount of information as they may not be able to absorb it all at once. It is, therefore, necessary to spread out the information so that the employees have time to receive, analyse and assimilate it. Unfortunately, overenthusiastic organizations and HR people in particular dump a huge chunk of information on the very first day of an employee’s arrival. This may frighten the panic-gripped employees further.

Problems of Boredom and Rigidity

When an organization conducts the orientation programme in a formal and rigid manner, just like a ritual, it may not achieve the purpose of making the employees feel at ease. It is necessary to conduct the programme in as lively and interactive a manner as possible. The employees should be encouraged to participate in the orientation programme voluntarily and actively. This may call for good interpersonal skills among the facilitators who conduct the programme. Many organizations lack facilitators with the requisite interpersonal skills and expertise. Moreover, the orientation programmes should be interspersed with games and stories to kindle the participants’ interest. In a nutshell, organizations should make the orientation an enjoyable exercise and not a punishment for the employees who have just arrived.

Lack of Adequate Time and Training for Facilitators

When an organization entrusts the role of facilitators of an orientation programme to the supervisors and line managers, they may not have adequate experience and training to handle the orientation programmes effectively. Besides, they may also be too busy to prepare for the programme in advance and this may eventually affect its efficacy. They might also attempt to undermine the importance of the participants’ position in the organization and overemphasize their own authority on the participants’ job. As a result, the participants may feel threatened by the attitude and behaviour of the existing employees.

Risk of Failure and Counter-effects

A well-planned orientation programme is capable of enhancing the retention rate of the employees and, thus, reducing the attrition, especially in the initial years. However, a poorly planned and hastily executed orientation programme could be counterproductive for the organization. It may unintentionally force the new employees to develop negative perception about the efficiency of the organization and also about its attitude towards them. This may eventually force employees to leave the job abruptly out of fear and anxiety about the future.

Lack of Diversity in the Orientation Programmes

People have different levels of learning abilities and perceptual skills. Some people may have better grasping abilities than others. Similarly, merely listening to the presenter may be sufficient for some people to comprehend the subject matter, while others may require video presentation and demos for a clearer comprehension of information. However, many organizations often adopt a common method and identical delivery system in orientation programmes for all new employees, irrespective of their skill levels and educational backgrounds. This may impact the efficacy of the orientation process.

Absence of Evaluation and Follow-up

Orientation programmes are definitely an important HR function and a recurring activity for any organization. It is thus essential for the organizations to evaluate the efficiency of the orientation programmes by collecting their feedback from the participants. They should also promptly follow up the feedback process by incorporating the necessary improvements in the programme to make it up to date. However, many organizations hardly undertake a serious evaluation of their orientation process and even when they do this, they do not follow up the evaluation with necessary actions.

Socialization

Socialization is the process of introducing or integrating the new employees into the organizational culture. In simpler terms, it is the process by which the new employees learn the organizational culture. While orientation and placement are concerned with the smooth integration of the employees into the job, socialization aims at inculcating suitable values, culture and behavioural standards in them. Generally, employees who attend socialization programmes are found to be performing better in their jobs than those who don’t; they also record low attrition rate.⁹ However, socialization is a much longer process than orientation. In spite of the comparatively long period of socialization required for achieving the results desired, some organizations have developed an excellent socialization process for improving the performance and loyalty of the employees. For instance, firms like Procter & Gamble and IBM have achieved excellence in the socialization process.¹⁰

Facilitating the employees to share the organizational values and culture is the core of socialization programmes. The definitions in Box 8.4 highlight the different interpretations of socialization.

We may define socialization as the process of exposing the new employees to the organizational culture systematically and integrating them into it eventually.

Differences Between Orientation and Socialization

Though orientation and socialization are often seen as the two sides of the same coin and as interchangeable terms, there are a few definite differences existing between the two terms. These differences have been listed in Table 8.1.

The Socialization Process

The process of socialization of employees takes place in two phases. These are socialization by organization and personalization by individuals.¹⁴ In the first phase, the organization makes efforts for the socialization of the new employees. This is done through orientation and training programmes. In the second phase, new employees do their best to personalize their relationship with the organization. The employees assume responsibility for changing their attitudes, behaviour and values and conform to the prevailing organizational culture.

 

The organizational socialization process usually comprises three stages (see Figure 8.2). These are (i) anticipatory socialization, (ii) organizational socialization and (iii) socialization outcomes. However, these stages are interdependent because the result of one stage acts as the input for next stage. We shall now see these three stages of the socialization process.

Anticipatory Socialization

This is the first stage in the socialization process but is normally completed even before the actual entry of the employees into the organization. It refers to the values, attitudes and other behaviours already acquired by the new employees before their entry into the organization. They have acquired these behaviours through their experiences in earlier jobs and educational institutions. The organization attempts to find out these behaviours of the employees through the selection process. It normally selects those who exhibit appropriate behaviour.

Organizational Socialization

In this stage, the organization undertakes the necessary efforts to gradually expose the new employees to the prevailing organizational culture. This is done by facilitating the employees to learn the relevant values, beliefs and attitudes. When the pre-acquired values of the employees and the organizational culture are similar, the socialization process becomes simple as it can easily help the employees assimilate the organizational culture and values. In contrast, the socialization programme becomes critical when there are divergences in the new employees’ values and the organizational culture. Organizations may employ a formal or an informal socialization process or both to educate the employees about the organizational culture. In the case of a formal socialization process, employees are taught about the new values and the required behaviour through orientation programmes, training and development programmes and work assignments.¹⁵ In an informal socialization process, the superiors, subordinates and peer group members are made responsible for the socialization of the new employees in an informal environment by adopting a casual approach. Organizations may combine both formal and informal socialization methods for achieving effective and faster results.

Socialization Outcomes

The final stage of the socialization process is the achieving of the objectives of the socialization efforts. Since it is difficult to measure attitude, behaviour, commitment, motivation and values, as these are abstract terms, the organization may keep its objectives in terms of productivity, performance and other measurable terms. When the outcomes are positive, the socialization process is normally viewed as effective.

Dimensions of Organizational Socialization Strategies

The socialization plans of organizations can be classified into seven categories. These are formal or informal, individual or collective, fixed or variable, sequential or non sequential, serial or disjunctive; tournament- or contest-oriented, investiture or divestiture.¹⁶ We shall discuss these strategies briefly.

Formal or Informal Strategy

When the organizations use formal training programmes for the socialization of the new employees, it is a formal strategy in socialization practice. Normally, the infrastructure available for training programmes is used for organizing formal socialization programmes. In case of informal socialization programmes, the new employees are left to learn everything by themselves and that too in an informal environment. For instance, the colleagues and other employees would help the new employees learn the culture of the organization.

Individual or Collective Strategy

When socialization programmes are conducted collectively for a group of new employees, it is a collective strategy. In contrast, socialization programmes are conducted on a one-to-one basis in an individual strategy. For instance, a supervisor may be assigned the task of educating a new subordinate about the values and culture of the organization.

Fixed or Variable Strategy

In the case of a fixed strategy, organizations predetermine the time and duration for each activity to be undertaken as part of the socialization programmes. A clear-cut schedule is developed for carrying out socialization programmes. On the contrary, no such precise time-table is prepared for socialization in a variable strategy. The convenience of the facilitator and the participators is more important.

Sequential or Non-sequential Strategy

If the organization requires its employees to complete a specific stage in the socialization programme before moving on to the next position in the organization, it is called a sequential strategy. When the organization does not insist on the completion of such sequential stages in the socialization programme while allowing its employees to move to a position, it is called a non-sequential strategy.

Serial or Disjunctive Strategy

When the experienced superiors conduct the socialization programme for the new employees before they are placed in the organization, it is called a serial socialization strategy. In contrast, the employee can join the designated position without even attending the socialization programme in a disjunctive strategy.

Tournament- or Contest-oriented Strategy

In a tournament-oriented strategy, the new employees are grouped on the basis of their skill levels and educational backgrounds for the purpose of socialization. Separate socialization programmes are then conducted for each of these groups. In contrast, no such groups would be made for the new employees of the same cadre on any basis in the case of a contest-oriented strategy.

Investiture or Divestiture Strategy

When the socialization programme aims at reinforcing the values and beliefs brought in by the new employees, it is called an investiture strategy. This strategy is usually adopted when there is compatibility between the individual culture and the organizational culture. In contrast, the socialization programme attempts to modify or even annul the values and beliefs of the new employees in the case of a divestiture strategy. This strategy is employed when there is an incompatibility between the organizational culture and the individual’s values and beliefs.

Organizations can choose any combination of strategies for accomplishing the objectives associated with their socialization programmes.

Placement

Placement is the process of finding an appropriate fit between the people and the positions in an organization. It is actually the determination of the job which an accepted candidate is to be assigned to, and his assignment to that job.¹⁷ When the organization chooses an exact number of candidates for the specific vacancies available in the organization, placement is simple and easy. In contrast, placement becomes crucial when the organization selects the candidates in a general manner and then places them in the jobs at a later stage. This kind of situation arises when the organization recruits management trainees, graduate trainees and engineer trainees. Organizations have to devote a lot of time and energy in choosing the right jobs for the selected employees.

Once the employee completes the stipulated orientation and/or training successfully, the next step is his placement in the job. Based on the employees’ work performance and behaviour in the orientation programme, organizations choose not only the appropriate jobs but also the appropriate supervisors for placing the employees. In fact, the growing attitudinal problems and the high level of attrition arising out of incompatibility between the new employees and their supervisors compelled the organizations to adopt a careful approach in deciding the superior–subordinate pairs.¹⁸

On many occasions, organizations utilise the orientation programmes for identifying the behaviour, knowledge and attitude of the new employees. This information is then used to choose the appropriate placement for the employees. Similarly, organizations also use long and extensive training programmes for identifying the aptitude of the employees before placing them in suitable positions, especially in the case of managerial placements.

Placement is usually the last stage in the recruitment and selection process of an organization. The organization should find a proper balance between the job requirements and the employee’s qualifications. Understandably, job description and job specification greatly assist the organizations in successfully completing the process of placement. The process of job placement also involves reassigning the jobs among the existing employees.

Challenges in Placement

Though placement appears to be a simple function for an organization, it is not so in reality. Quite a few issues can cause the placement efforts to fail in the organization. The failed placement may lead to increased attrition, thus pushing up the cost of recruitment and selection. It is therefore essential for the organizations to identify and overcome these challenges to improve the efficiency of the placement process. A few of these challenges are:

Cultural and Behavioural Incompatibility In the case of placement, organizations generally consider the job requirements and the employee’s qualifications. They often overlook the behavioural requirements in the placement process. However, the organizations should consider the behavioural compatibility between the superiors and the freshly joining subordinates. They should ensure the fitness of the whole man for the job and not his skill alone. If they attempt to ensure an alignment between only a few aspects of the new employee and the job, it may become a piecemeal approach towards placement with significant chances of failure. Finally, cultural compatibility should also be considered in placement. This is because the culture differs within the organization and also from department to department.

Nature of Job The nature of job can also cause problems in placement. Jobs can be classified into independent and interdependent ones. Independent jobs are the ones that are performed by the employees with little help from others. Obviously, placement for these jobs is simple and straightforward.¹⁹ In the case of interdependent jobs like assembly-line jobs in the production department and pooled jobs involving teamwork, job placement is a difficult exercise. This is because the organization should consider many factors before placing an employee in these jobs. For instance, the skills of socialization and leadership should also be taken into consideration to determine the match between the job and the employees.

Level of Adaptability When the employees exhibit a high degree of flexibility and openness, it can facilitate the process of placement. In contrast, placements become difficult when the employees exhibit stiffness. In such cases, the organizations should be more careful in finding the placements for these employees.

Summary

1. Employee orientation is the systematic process of offering essential information to new employees to make them feel comfortable in the organization and also in the job.
2. The purposes of orientation are formally welcoming employees, overcoming initial uneasiness and hesitation, exchanging information, assessing the employees, acclimatizing the employees, controlling the HR cost, developing team spirit, and socialization.
3. The types of orientation are general-idea orientation and job-specific orientation. It can also be classified into traditional and modern orientation.
4. The steps in the process of orientation programme development are (i) ascertaining the organization’s policy, mission, and expectations relating to the orientation programmes; (ii) determining the objectives of the orientation programmes; (iii) determining the type of orientation programme; (iv) deciding the mode of delivery; and (v) gathering the participants’ feedback.
5. The strategies for making an effective orientation are framing clear-cut objectives for the orientation programme, determining exactly the role of different departments and personnel in the orientation programme, assessing accurately the new employees’ information requirements, selecting the appropriate methodology, techniques and programme content, creating a positive environment for the new employees, and continuous review and effective feedback.
6. The problems in orientation are data overload, boredom and rigidity, lack of adequate time and training for facilitators, the risk of failure and counter-effects, lack of diversity in orientation programmes and the absence of evaluation and follow-up.
7. The challenges in placement are cultural and behavioural incompatibility, the nature of job and the level of adaptability.
8. Socialization means the process of exposing the new employees to the organizational culture systematically and integrating them into it eventually.
9. The steps in the socialization process are (i) anticipatory socialization, (ii) organizational socialization and (iii) socialization outcomes.
10. The dimensions of organizational socialization strategies are formal or informal, individual or collective, fixed or variable, sequential or non-sequential, serial or disjunctive, tournament- or contest-oriented, and investiture or divestiture.

Review Questions

Essay-type questions

1. Discuss the purposes of employee orientation with relevant examples.
2. Elaborate the various kinds of employee orientation programmes with suitable examples.
3. Enumerate the steps involved in the orientation programme development process.
4. What strategies would be adopted by you in making the employee orientation effective?
5. Explain the challenges facing the employee orientation process. Also state your suggestions for tackling such challenges.
6. What do you mean by job placements? What are the challenges faced by organizations while placing employees in the organizations?
7. Describe the stages involved in the socialization process with live examples.
8. Illustrate the different dimensions of organizational socialization strategies using examples.

Skill-development Exercise

Objective – The objective of this exercise is to let you know how to develop orientation and socialization programmes in an effective manner through role-playing.

Procedure note – For this exercise, the class will be divided into small groups with each group having (1) a general manager, (2) an HR manager, (3) a union leader, (4) two HR team members and (5) two observers to monitor the performance.

Situation

Chintha Private Limited is one of the leading manufacturers of industrial processing machines. The company is engaged in the production of grinding and control panels, exhaust fans, conveyors and dust collectors. It has a sizeable share in the market for industrial processing products. The company has a 6800-strong workforce. It has well-designed HR policies for recruitment, selection, training, compensation, and performance evaluation. The company has been successful in attracting the bestemployees available in the labour market. Its general labour turnover rate is well within control and is on par with the industry average.

However, the company has a disturbing trend regarding the attrition rate among the new employees. Among the new recruits, it was well above the industry average. In fact, the largest attrition was reported among the employees within the first four months of their joining the job. Consequently, the company has incurred a high cost in recruitment and selection for frequent replacements. In this situation, the management decided to review its orientation and socialization programmes and carry out improvements, if necessary. It instructed the HR manager to redraft the objectives and procedures involved in the orientation and socialization programmes.

Steps in the exercise

There are three steps in the exercise:

Step 1: The HR manager meets the general manager to get instructions about how to proceed in the preparation of the revised orientation and socialization programmes.

Step 2: The HR manager meets the union leader to ascertain his views on the orientation programme.

Step 3: The HR manager conducts the departmental meeting to decide on the strategy for developing and conducting orientation programmes.

Step 4: The observers analyse the performance of all the members in the role-playing session and give their feedback.

Case Study

Mr Ravi Kumar was born and brought up in a tier-II city in Tamil Nadu. He completed all his studies from there. At the age of 21, he secured a placement as assistant administrative officer (AAO) in one of the leading general insurance companies of India. After selecting him through an exhaustive hiring process, the company sent him to Faridabad in Haryana for two years’ training at different organizational positions. His performance in the training was commendable and was appreciated by the competent authorities in the company. Once the training was over, the HR department graded the trainees on the basis of their overall performance during the training period and prepared a merit list accordingly. This list is normally used by the company to determine the posting for its trainees on an all-India basis. Since the recruitment and training are done at all-India levels, the AAO trainees must be prepared to be posted anywhere in the country.

After successfully completing his training, Mr Ravi Kumar was posted to one of the divisional offices of this company located at a tier-III city of Orissa. The company, as per its rules, allowed a week’s time for the newly posted officers to report for duty. Subsequently, he reported at the designated office after a week. However, he found to his dismay that the divisional manager had already left the office to accompany the regional manager, who was on an inspection visit to the different offices located in that region. To add to his woes, the other staff in the office were neither aware of his joining that day nor interested in knowing about it. So he had to idle away his time all through the day till the divisional manager returned to the office. As soon as the divisional manager returned to the office in the evening, he immediately called Ravi Kumar to his cabin. He spoke nicely to Ravi Kumar and apologized for making him wait for long on the first day of his office. He completed all the formalities and asked Ravi to join the duty on the following day.

Ravi was assigned the claims department and provided with ten subordinates. As days passed, he slowly realized that his lack of familiarity with the regional language was hampering his work. He also found his style of functioning was grossly incompatible with the prevailing work culture. His subordinates were mostly nonchalant and rather slow in their responses to his orders and requests. The divisional manager could not do much in his case and simply maintained that all was well in his office. He also advised Ravi to change himself suitably. Ravi began to feel alienated as all his efforts to reach out to his subordinates failed. Even the day-to-day functioning became tough and miserable for him. Sadly, the rules of the company did not permit him to get an immediate transfer to some other place. Bereft, he resigned from a promising job at 23 and, in the process, the company lost an able officer with a remarkable performance record in the orientation and training programmes.

Questions for Discussion

1. How do you assess the problems of Ravi Kumar? Do you agree with his decision?
2. What do you think about the efficacy of the HR policies of the company, especially the orientation, placement and socialization policies?
3. How would you have handled the situation if you were in Ravi Kumar’s position?

Notes

1. Charles M. Cadwell and Michael G. Crisp (eds.), New Employee Orientation: A Practical Guide for Supervisors (Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, 1988), p. 3.
2. Michael Armstrong, A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 8th ed. (London: Kogan Page, 2001), p. 443.
3. Robert L. Mathis and John H. Jackson, Personnel: Contemporary Perspectives and Applications (New York: West Publishing, 1982), p. 525.
4. Gary Dessler, Human Resource Management (Delhi: Pearson Education, 2005), pp. 291–293.
5. Doris M. Sims, Creative New Employee Orientation Programs: Best Practices, Creative Ideas, and Activities for Energizing Your Orientation Program (New York: McGraw–Hill Professional, 2001), p. 4.
6. Karen Lawson, New Employee Orientation Training (Oxford: Elsevier, 2006), pp. 16–18.
7. W. B. James and M. W. Galbraith, “Perceptual Learning Styles: Implications and Techniques for the Practitioner,” Lifelong Learning, 8 (1985): 20–23.
8. Karen Lawson, New Employee Orientation Training (Oxford: Elsevier, 2006), p. 19.
9. R. Wayne Mondy, Human Resource Management, (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2007), p. 216.
10. Randall S. Schuler and Ian C. Macmillan, “Gaining Competitive Advantage Through Human Resource Practices,” Human Resource Management, 23, no. 3 (Fall 1984): 247–248.
11. Randall S. Schuler and Ian C. Macmillan, “Gaining Competitive Advantage Through Human Resource Practices,” Human Resource Management, 23, no. 3 (Fall 1984): 247–248.
12. Gary Dessler, Human Resource Management (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999), p. 249.
13. Orville G. Brim, “Socialization Through the Life Cycle” in Orville G. Brim and Stanton Wheeler (eds.), Socialization after Childhood (New York, NY: Wiley, 1966), p. 3.
14. John P. Wanous, Organizational Entry: Recruitment, Selection, and Socialization of Newcomers (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1980), p. 168.
15. Georgia T. Chao, “The Socialization Process: Building Newcomer Commitment” in Manuel London and Edward M. Mone (eds.), Career Growth and Human Resource Strategies: The Role of the Human Resource Professional in Employee Development (New York: Quorum Books, 1988), p. 37.
16. John van Maanen, “People Processing: Strategies of Organizational Socialization,” Organizational Dynamics, 7 (1978): 23–36.
17. Paul Pigors and Charles A. Myers, Personnel Administration (New York: McGraw-Hill 1973), p. 285.
18. Arun Monappa and Mirza S. Saiyadain, Personnel Management, 2nd ed. (New Delhi: Tata McGraw–Hill, 1996), p. 157.
19. Wayne F. Cascio and Elios M. Awad, Human Resource Management (Virginia: Reston Publishing House, 1981), pp. 263–264.