This orientation program might be somewhat more innovative. New employees, for instance, might be given an opportunity to meet informally over lunch, or at an intramural baseball game, with other employees in their department or there may be a departmental reception for the new employee. As in the case of the intensive/off-site programs, the employee might also be given the opportunity to participate in a simulated version of her new job. This might, for instance, include an in-basket exercise that exposes the new employee to a set of issues that she is likely to address when she begins to perform in her new job. The new employee is asked to offer her own response to each issue, which is described in an in-basket memo, invoice, or letter. She then receives feedback from the trainer and is given an opportunity to try it again. This type of exercise is particularly appropriate for a new employee who must make judgment calls, rather than relying on the company’s policy and procedure manual. In-basket exercises are very appropriate for new employees who must sell automobiles, field telephone questions from the field, or respond to customer complaints.
The intensive/on-site mode is commonly used not just for new employee orientation, but also for the ongoing training and education of lifelong learning employees. I work with a county government, for instance, that periodically offers full day management training programs to its mid managers. These managers are expected to concentrate fully on the training program during these full day meetings: “no appointments, no cell phones during the session and please stay away from your desk during breaks!” Another organization with which I consult provides a series of one and two daylong programs to all its employees on a wide range of topics. These programs range from new software programs and departmental budgeting to strategies for handling difficult customers and strategies for effective appraisal of subordinate performance. All these programs are offered at this organization’s training facility, which is located right in the middle of this organization’s complex of buildings.
