When you started work at your company what was your first impression? Was it good? What was good about it? What do your employees think? Was safety a part of that first impression? Was it positive?

When we think of new hire orientations, the perception is often that it’s a necessary formality of completing required paperwork and getting the employee through the required safety training so that they can get to the job they were hired to do. That perception is often supported by the level of effort put into the orientations. What do you remember about your orientation? Was it positive?

Studies have identified that the more engaging a new hire orientation is, the more influential and effective they are at preventing injuries to workers in their first 6 months of work. Companies like Toyota, Nissan, and BMW have recognized the value in more engaging programs as their workers are better prepared, both mentally and physically, for the tasks at hand. They are also better able to properly recognize workplace hazards associated with their job duties, are more inclined to report unsafe conditions, and are less likely to take risks and shortcuts which could lead to injury.

But what makes for an engaging orientation? People. Your skilled, knowledgeable, and positive communicating supervisors and line employees, to be specific. These are employees who can be enlisted to be actively engaged in the process of getting a new hire up to speed on the operations and positive attitudes towards safety at your organization. Establishing programs such as peer-mentor relationships and regular employee to supervisor feedback help to ensure that your new hire is progressing on the right track, is aware of and has regular reinforcement of safety policies and procedures, and has the opportunity to provide feedback on their progress.

For more information on this topic, MEMIC will be providing a free webinar to customers on February 26 from 10-11 am. The webinar is entitled “Improving Your New Hire Orientations” and will discuss the advantages of various new hire orientation programs and the effect they can have in reducing the frequency or potential of injuries to your employees in the first 6 months of their employment.

To register for this free webinar or to find further information, refer to MEMIC's Workshops & Webinars page.