EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION FOR ACTIVITY AND RECREATION DIRECTORS

An orientation program is a systematic approach that is used to welcome new employees and provide necessary information for the employee to become familiar with the department and organization. Providing a thorough and informative employee orientation program is an important responsibility of the Activity Director. Orientation truly sets the standards and lets the new employee know what is expected, what the policies are and how to perform their new position. Many times, activity personnel are scheduled to facilitate programs on their first day without proper training and orientation. In this article, I discuss the importance of an orientation program, along with some tips on how to facilitate an educational, complete, and even fun program.

An orientation program is important for many reasons. First off, it is proven that providing orientation can actually reduce the turnover rate of your employees. Many Activity Directors have stated that their department turnover rate is so high that they just don’t have the time to provide the orientation. If employees are informed of the policies, receive hands on training and are aware of their job description prior to actually working independently on the unit, you can actually lower the turnover rate. In fact, employee orientation is a time saver for managers and trainers. By taking the time to train early on, the employees will be better prepared for their job and will be more receptive to future training sessions as well.

Employee orientation programs also lower risk management for the facility. Activity professionals must be educated on the many precautions associated within the facility such as fall prevention, special diets, resident rights, infection control, abuse prevention, restraints, fire and safety and so on. In many states these are required orientation topics as well as annual in-services.  Without this training, the facility can be held accountable.  It is the role of the Activity Director to lower the risks associated with working in the facility and the department through orientation and training.

Employee orientation is also known to increase staff effectiveness. Employees will provide higher quality services and have a better understanding of their role as an activity professional.  This also increases the employee’s motivation and can even reduce the employee’s anxiety, while increasing job satisfaction.

When developing and facilitating your employee orientation program there are some important things to keep in mind. Your orientation program sets the stage for the employee so you need to be certain that it is a positive experience for the employee, rather than an overwhelming, chaotic, or unorganized one.

CLICK HERE for some Do’s and Don’ts of employee orientation