PART A
Wal-Mart is the largest retail company in America in terms of both revenues and number of employees. Due to the impressive success and growth of the firm that is spread across 28 countries it requires more employees to work in those branches. They acquire new employees through advertisements and the job seekers have to apply online. Upon acceptance the new employees are given a three day orientation. The main objective of the firm is to ensure that people live better by saving money as envisioned in their slogan, “save money, live better” (Meeks & Chen, 2011).
On the first two days of the orientation, the new employees are taught about the basics of Wal-Mart through paper work and videos that show how Wal-Mart achieves their objectives. The third day is usually spent doing modules which they call CBL, the modules teaches one what they need to know about a particular subject for better understanding. Afterwards, the new employees are given work schedules that outline to them when they are supposed to report to work, their shifts and how to dress up while on duty.
McDonald’s corporation’s main aim is to be a favorite eating place for people; it therefore focuses on the people, place, price, promotion and product. It not only focuses on its customers but also the employees who are a part of their success. To maintain high customer services the firm upon employing new workers they give them an orientation that may last about 2-3 hours considering the ones post. On the day of the orientation, the employees are required to show up on time, they should also carry with them their ID and social security card for paper work.
McDonald’s orientations includes a series of videos that shows the history of the firm while the other videos are training videos that show what is expected of one while taking their specific duty. A sample video can show what McDonald’s stands for and how much they value their customers and care for the environment. After the training videos, one is given a work schedule illustrating what is required of them and a uniform to start working right away.
The orientation program at Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems is fun and engaging. There are the usual paperwork and passing of information about work rules, salary and security. Apart from that there are fun activities, connections to the top leadership, that is the CEO and other managers and a long term approach to how new employees will be involved and developed.
The fun activities involve, folding a kite and being taught how to fly it, scavenger hunting, flying in a domed F/A-18 simulator among others. During the one on one connection with top leadership, the new employees are given a chance to network with each other and have lunch with the executives where they are welcomed officially. During the first 2-3 year there are rotation assignments, the new employees are coached and mentored. They are also given social activities after work which makes them most welcomed and ready to work without fear. There are also functional organizations that design a type of growth program for the new employees. Among the objectives of the firm is to provide employees with personalized opportunities to identify a career and pursue it in addition to developing the goals of the company.
Walt Disney World Resort has a week-long orientation with different activities on each day. On check in day which is the first day, new employees receive their housing assignment and a photo of them is taken for the ID. They are given the Disney look guidelines that show them how their hair, jewelry and makeup should be. A house- welcoming session is also scheduled on the same day and a background check is also done on the new employees to determine their criminal background. A finger print of the new employee is taken and the sent to FBI for analysis. This is done for the objective of the company which is to keep their customers safe. A drug test is also done on the new employee so as to ensure a healthy environment for the guest that visit the place. The company is mandated to ensure that the working environment is drug free and healthy.
The new employees are given representatives from the exact location that they are supposed to work in. These representatives are given the responsibility of giving information and the role to be played by the new employees. A life guard swim test is also given so that one meets the required standards of the role he or she is supposed to play. The second day is a free day for the new employees where they can unpack and meet people, familiarize with the place and maybe attend a social activity in the evening.
Disney tradition is a program attended on the third and fourth day. The program involves a formal introduction of the new cast member to the rest, the heritage and culture of the organization. The fourth, fifth and sixth day are work location training days.
The orientation program at IBM is a 2 year learning process. The program provides the new employees with vital information about the values, tools and strategies of the firm. The program contains activities that aim at becoming and ‘IBMer’, understanding what IBM is all about and developing ones career (IBM, 2016). The orientation program basically is to answer one’s questions about the products and services offered at IBM. A variety of learning activities are also offered along with the program. They include videos, work based practices and suites.
The practices that have impressed me include the fun activities at Boeing that aim at making the new employees feel comfortable at their new places. Employees feel welcome to the organization once they are engaged in such fun activities. Location training is also another good practice that makes a new employer feel comfortable while working in the specific location they are positioned. Training videos are also essential in the orientations as they provide guidelines that can be followed by any employees once they become part of that organization. They offer straightforward guidelines for which the employee can relate with as much as possible.
PART B
An orientation program is an integral part of any company (Arthur, 1998). The program should help the employees understand their duties and the ethics required of them. A standard program should contain the following information (Lawson, 2006).
Bluebell company orientation programme
Day 1 -Introduction and orientation to business
Day 1 -Tour facility
Day 1 -Policies and division
Day 2 -Location training
Day 3-5 Social program
Give an overview of the companies goals in their own words
Attend to customer
Remember at least 10 of their colleagues
Suggest a better method of doing something around here
Apply what you have learnt about the organization on given work
The best delivery method would be the conduction of a one on one training process with each new employee. The delivery method would create a conducive working environment for everyone including the old and new employees as well as having a daily evaluation of what has been learnt (Sandler, 2008).
References
Arthur, D. (1998). Recruiting, interviewing, selecting & orienting new employees. New York: AMACOM.
IBM (2016), IBM Day. Retrieved 18 August 2016, from https://www-03.ibm.com/employment/ca/en/newhire/regular_day.html
Lawson, K. (2006). New employee orientation training. Oxford: Pergamon Flexible Learning.
Meeks, M., & Chen, R. J. (2011). Can Walmart integrate values with value? Journal of Sustainable Development, 4(5), 62.
Sandler, L. (2008). Becoming an extraordinary manager: the 5 essentials for success. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn.
