The Differences Between Employee Orientation and the Onboarding Process

Employee orientation is normally a one-time event that is used to welcome new employees and to help them get familiar with their environment, mission, colleagues and workplace culture. One of the ways to include orientation in the onboarding process is by hosting an informal orientation event.

The differences between employee orientation and onboarding

• Employee orientation is a one-time event, while onboarding is an ongoing process.
• Employee orientation is known to be a one-way process that has been presided over by the company’s executives, who are to provide the basics of the company. In comparison, employee onboarding is known to be a two-way communication which will cover multiple sessions by various department heads, whereby experiences and questions of the incumbent over time are welcomed.
• In orientation, Employees will get to know about the rules, policies, procedures, guidelines and any other important information which all employees must know about the company. In employee onboarding, the employee is familiarized with the information about the position from the supervisor, manager, subordinates and colleagues.
• Orientations are done to guide and introduce the new employees to help them adjust to their new environment, activity, workplace and others, while employee onboarding is a strategic process which will help the employees gather the knowledge, skills, attitude, expertise and behavior to become competent and committed in the firm.
• Orientation can go on for days, while onboarding can go on for months.