Archived HRTMs - Orientation

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HRZone

Former ETL HR
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My ETL HR is taking a comp day and so I am running my first orientation this week. Any suggestions?

For those of you who haven't run an orientation. Anything you wish was covered or was better explained?
 
Having run all of the orientations at my store for the last year plus (my ETL just pops in to say hi and a few words) I would say that the best advice I can provide is as follows:

Have all new hire paperwork, new hire kits, name tags, and training schedules ready to go before the orientation starts. This will save you time from having to pause and do any of this while in progress. I gather all docs for I-9s and evaluate them before taking the class to the room. Later, you will have to do the I-9s and change them to hired in JAS to get their TM numbers, so I take the class with me to our room next door with a computer, where I have bottled water and a snack waiting to give them a break while i process their paperwork, then we're back on the orientation five minutes later, been having TM numbers generated very fast by operations lately. This makes it less awkward of leaving them in the room or having to get another TM to come by and facilitate while you are gone doing the paperwork. I do this between the videos and the handbook highlights. After the highlights, I have them do the rest of the paperwork and fill out their TM numbers on all of the docs before the guest activity and store tour.

Do you have a whiteboard in your orientation room? If so and it's not already there, write down the key points about attendance, eHR, lunch breaks, etc along with a who's who diagram of leadership and how LODs work. Define the terms STL, ETL, TL, and so on. This gives you a nice, organized list to go through.

ASANTS probably applies here as well, not sure if your store does any training during orientation, but mine does ladder safety and information security policy training at minimum so they're out of the way for day one. Sometimes we'll get the alcohol sales training done as well if there's time and the TMs are front end or sales floor.

Make sure they understand how bad a NCNS is in the first 90 days and best practice for day off requests.

Hope that helps you in some way!
 
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At my orientation I wish I was introduced to the GSTLs, GSAs, my ETL, and the STL. Besides the GSTLs and GSAs who I had to meet on my own during my shifts by calling them over for help, i never once talked to my ETL or even the STL. I only knew who they were because I saw a picture of them somewhere up in TMC.
 
Do you have a whiteboard in your orientation room? If so and it's not already there, write down the key points about attendance, eHR, lunch breaks, etc along with a who's who diagram of leadership and how LODs work. Define the terms STL, ETL, TL, and so on. This gives you a nice, organized list to go through.

Never thought of this. That's really good! Thank you
 
Having run all of the orientations at my store for the last year plus (my ETL just pops in to say hi and a few words) I would say that the best advice I can provide is as follows:

Have all new hire paperwork, new hire kits, name tags, and training schedules ready to go before the orientation starts. This will save you time from having to pause and do any of this while in progress. I gather all docs for I-9s and evaluate them before taking the class to the room. Later, you will have to do the I-9s and change them to hired in JAS to get their TM numbers, so I take the class with me to our room next door with a computer, where I have bottled water and a snack waiting to give them a break while i process their paperwork, then we're back on the orientation five minutes later, been having TM numbers generated very fast by operations lately. This makes it less awkward of leaving them in the room or having to get another TM to come by and facilitate while you are gone doing the paperwork. I do this between the videos and the handbook highlights. After the highlights, I have them do the rest of the paperwork and fill out their TM numbers on all of the docs before the guest activity and store tour.

Do you have a whiteboard in your orientation room? If so and it's not already there, write down the key points about attendance, eHR, lunch breaks, etc along with a who's who diagram of leadership and how LODs work. Define the terms STL, ETL, TL, and so on. This gives you a nice, organized list to go through.

ASANTS probably applies here as well, not sure if your store does any training during orientation, but mine does ladder safety and information security policy training at minimum so they're out of the way for day one. Sometimes we'll get the alcohol sales training done as well if there's time and the TMs are front end or sales floor.

Make sure they understand how bad a NCNS is in the first 90 days and best practice for day off requests.

Hope that helps you in some way!

I do my orientations almost identical!
 
At my orientation I wish I was introduced to the GSTLs, GSAs, my ETL, and the STL. Besides the GSTLs and GSAs who I had to meet on my own during my shifts by calling them over for help, i never once talked to my ETL or even the STL. I only knew who they were because I saw a picture of them somewhere up in TMC.
I didn't even know who my STL was until I saw him in TSC three weeks after my hire.
 
Don't forget you are throwing a lot of information at them. It is really easy for them to get glassy eyed. Try to keep it fun. I always had bottled water for everyone and some hard candy. I never used chocolate because hard candy takes longer to eat so not as much paper rustling. Remind them to ask for help when they need it. Most team members quit in the first few weeks because they don't feel like they know what they are doing. Make sure they all know where your office is! Again remember orientation can be really boring and overwhelming. Don't forget to tell them what to expect on their first day. Where to go, how to punch in and what they will be doing and with who.
 
Agreed, you have to keep it interesting and end with the new TMs being confident about what to do on their first day and to ask questions as much as they need.
 
I also like to clarify any questions about pay and payday. Most Team Members want to know when they can expect their first pay check and how many hours/days will be on their first paycheck. Once they have their training schedule I go over their schedules and explain how many shifts from the training schedule will be on their first paycheck (pay period cut off etc). It avoids confusion and Team Members thinking we didn't pay them all of their hours.
If their TL is working that day I will introduce them to their TL, ETL etc.
 
I also like to clarify any questions about pay and payday. Most Team Members want to know when they can expect their first pay check and how many hours/days will be on their first paycheck. Once they have their training schedule I go over their schedules and explain how many shifts from the training schedule will be on their first paycheck (pay period cut off etc). It avoids confusion and Team Members thinking we didn't pay them all of their hours.
If their TL is working that day I will introduce them to their TL, ETL etc.

Same here! I have a calendar drawn on the whiteboard that I just change the dates on for each orientation so that I can demonstrate when their first payday is.
 
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