Shawnee Love   •  
April 5, 2011

One of the most effective ways to conduct an orientation is to have Buddies who orient new employees on behalf of the company. I like involving Buddies, because not only does the new employee get connected with a colleague who can be a friendly face by the water cooler or a friend to go to lunch with, but that new employee also gets the skinny on how things work in the company.

The Buddy benefits too, because s/he gets props and recognition for being an experienced and influential player in the company not to mention the opportunity to hone communication and leadership skills by training another, both of which are important factors in retaining and motivating employees.

Before declaring someone a Buddy, make sure you train him or her in how to facilitate a new employee’s assimilation into your company’s Borg (for those of you non-Trekkies I am speaking of the interconnected collective that is your company’s culture and way of doing business).