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Our Herd Orientation Program
Disaster struck the Inclusion by IBEX team this week. We did not have a computer ready for a new employee.

There was a time when we would not have flinched at not having a computer, or anything else, ready for a new employee. Typically, a new employee would spend their first few days watching us as we kicked into action to prepare for them. It was their physical presence and sheer necessity that caused us to take any action at all. In fact, I distinctly remember being relieved when I could give the newcomer some forms to fill out in order to allow me some time to do my own work.

Now, just writing about this approach makes me shudder. What was I thinking?! The first day is when a new employee is most enthusiastic, most eager to prove themselves, most wanting to learn about their new company and most impressionable as to the culture of an organization. The old approach was totally wrong and if I could, I’d go back in time and slap myself!

I needed to consider that on the first day of employment, we 'make good' or we 'make bad'
on the promises we made to the employee in the job interview.

Today, we have a process designed to send the right message:

Thank-you for joining us. I am keeping my promise to you.

Our thinking and approach to employee orientation has changed. Here’s a look at the new and improved employee orientation process at IBEX. As you read this list you might think you don’t have time for this. I thought the same thing at one time, and I will explain why I was wrong in a second.

The IBEX Employee Orientation Process

Before the New Employee Arrives at IBEX

Checklist of items to be completed before a new Herd* member’s first day at IBEX:
  • Work area setup
  • Computer setup
  • Log-ins created and tested
  • Email setup and tested
  • Phone setup and tested
  • Mentor chosen
  • Buddy chosen (if mentor is not their buddy also)
  • Welcome email sent to the new Herd member to explain what they need to bring and what to expect on their first day
  • Welcome message written on the whiteboard in our lobby and a “Welcome to the Herd” sign put up in their work area
  • Reminder email that the person is starting sent to all Herd members, along with some background details on the new Herd member
  • Reminder sent to all Herd members to forward the new Herd member a welcome email with some background details about themselves

First day at IBEX

Everyone, regardless of what area he or she has been hired to work in (sales, accounting, IT, etc.), starts in Alpine Crew to work on the front lines and learn the basics of our business - payroll processing. During this time they are known as a Wild Kid Goat. On their first day, they are:
  • Welcomed by buddy/mentor and shown to work area
  • Taken around the office and introduced to other staff members by buddy/mentor
  • Given an orientation session on IBEX culture and history by a Super Grumpy Goat (company leader) and the basics of payroll by an Alpine Crew Payroll Specialist
  • Shown how to log in to personal email and basic company systems
  • Introduced to the whole company at the daily Herddle
  • Oriented to payroll processing by Alpine Crew through “partner payrolling” and sitting beside different Alpine Crew Payroll Specialists to watch and learn payroll processing
  • Taken out for lunch by buddy or mentor

First Week at IBEX

As the days progress, the new employee is given more and more independence. As early as the second day they are...
  • Moving to the “iDesk,” a special area for orienting new employees in the heart of Alpine Crew where help is always close by
  • Reading the welcome emails from all the other Herd members
  • Working on customer payrolls on their own with close supervision by the Alpine Crew
  • Getting details and specific orientation regarding their specific job

Would you feel appreciated and feel like you made the right choice in a new employer after all this?
I know I would! And that’s why we do it. Increased productivity and retention are beside the point.

Oddly enough, there was some resistance by the Herd to becoming more serious about employee orientation. We all felt a bit funny about it. After a little soul searching, we realized we were all a little jealous of what the experience would be like for new hires! They would be treated how we all wished we had been treated when we started at IBEX, or anywhere else for that matter. Once we understood where that funny feeling was coming from, we knew we were on the right path.

This process did take some time to figure out and refine. But now that we have well defined tasks assigned to different Herd members, it’s easy and fun to tackle as a team. For the new Herd member, however, it feels like a lot of time, effort and attention has gone into welcoming them aboard.
  • They don’t know until they see someone else go through it, that it’s a fine tuned process that we do all the time
  • They don’t know that our welcome emails are waiting to be cut and copied
  • They don’t know that we all know exactly what to do and say on a Wild Kid Goat’s first day
  • And, they don’t know how much more we like doing it this way!

For those of us delivering the orientation, it’s much more fun and stress free to use this process than to run around like mad when someone new suddenly shows up.

The Herd advice on employee orientation is to try it in your own way. Get serious about employee orientation. It is a huge part of an engaged workplace culture. As they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression.

*At IBEX, we use metaphors inspired by the ibex, a spry mountain goat, to create funny names for ourselves. We refer to ourselves collectively as the Herd and our individual titles range from Pasture Manager to Sherpini to Wild Kid Goat. Our great service team, the Alpine Crew, will be happy to answer any questions you have about our silly names or about our great payroll service.