703: Leading Orientation Efforts Participant Guide The … · 2017-01-06 · The Pennsylvania Child...

The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work 403 East

Winding Hill Road Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Phone (717) 795-9048 Fax (717) 795-8013 www.pacwrc.pitt.edu

703: Leading Orientation Efforts

Participant Guide

The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center

University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work

March 2016

http://www.pacwrc.pitt.edu/

Copyright 2016, The University of Pittsburgh

This material is copyrighted by The University of Pittsburgh. It may be used freely for training and other educational purposes by public child welfare agencies and other not- for-profit child

welfare agencies that properly attribute all material use to The University of Pittsburgh. No sale, use for training for fees, or any other commercial use of this material in whole or in part is

permitted without the express written permission of The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center of the School of Social Work at The University of Pittsburgh. Please contact the

Resource Center at (717) 795-9048 for further information or permissions.

Project Lead

Maryann Marchi

Instructional Design Team

Jennifer Caruso

Acknowledgements

The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center would like to thank the following people for their assistance in the creation of this curriculum:

Brian Bornman Pennsylvania Children and Youth Administrators

Stacy Gill Monroe County Children and Youth Services

Adelaide Grace Monroe County Children and Youth Services

Lisa Kessler The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center

Trudi Krick Chester County Children and Youth Services

Stephanie Mannering Statewide Adoptions and Permanency Network

Tammy McCullough Pike County Children and Youth Services

Deb Mock The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center

Brandie Neider Berks County Children and Youth Services

Craig Patterson Montour County Children and Youth Services

Natalie Perrin The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare

Roseann Perry Office of Children, Youth, and Families

Michelle Rager Cambria County Children and Youth Services

Dayna Revay Beaver County Children and Youth Services

Kay Rupert Clarion County Children and Youth Services

Jeanne Edwards The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center

Mackenzie Seiler Mifflin County Children and Youth Services

Patty Skrynski Wyoming County Children and Youth Services

Joan Wirick The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center

Betzi White Cambria County Children and Youth Services

Table of Contents Section I: Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1

Agenda & Learning Objectives .................................................................................................................. 2

Notes Page: Section I ................................................................................................................................ 3

Section II: The Importance of Staff Orientation ............................................................................................ 4

PA Practice Model Outcome: .................................................................................................................... 5

Connection to Staff Retention: ................................................................................................................. 5

Orientation or Onboarding? ..................................................................................................................... 5

Two main functions of orientation programs: .......................................................................................... 5

Seven Visible Results of Thorough Employee Orientation Programs: ...................................................... 6

Reflective Thinking Activity ....................................................................................................................... 7

Why Take the Time? ................................................................................................................................. 8

Notes Page: Section II ............................................................................................................................... 9

Section III: Orientation Strategies Grounded in Best Practice .................................................................... 10

Characteristics of an effective orientation program according to the literature. .................................. 11

What have we learned that makes our orientation programs successful? ............................................ 12

Model Orientation Program.................................................................................................................... 13

Comparing and Prioritizing: .................................................................................................................... 14

Notes Page: Section III ............................................................................................................................ 15

Section IV: Assessing the Strengths and Gaps ............................................................................................ 16

Assessing the Strengths and Needs of My Agency ................................................................................. 17

Notes Page: Section IV ............................................................................................................................ 19

Section V: Action Planning .......................................................................................................................... 20

Action Plan .............................................................................................................................................. 21

Section VI: Summary and Evaluation .......................................................................................................... 22

References .............................................................................................................................................. 23

The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center 703: Leading Orientation Efforts

Participant Guide, Page 1 of 13

Section I: Introduction



Agenda & Learning Objectives

Agenda

1. Introduction

2. The importance of staff orientation

3. Orientation strategies grounded in best practice

4. Assessing the strengths and gaps

5. Action planning

6. Summary and workshop closure

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to: Identify the relationship between staff orientation and other organizational

factors

Identify components of an effective orientation program

Assess the strengths and gaps in agency’s current orientation process

Identify three quick wins to support the orientation of new workers



Notes Page: Section I

Want to remember it? Jot it down.



Section II: The Importance of Staff Orientation



PA Practice Model Outcome: Skilled and responsive child welfare professionals who perform with a shared sense of accountability for assuring child-centered, family-focused policy, best practice, and positive outcomes.

Connection to Staff Retention:

Children with one caseworker had a 74.5% chance of permanency compared to 17.5% for children with two workers, and 5.3% for children with three workers. (Flower et al., 2005).

Many workers admit to not having been provided the resources and opportunities to develop the needed skills to perform successfully in child welfare. They attribute their own lack of competence and that of their co-workers and supervisors to negatively affecting job satisfaction. This has been identified as a major cause of casework turnover. (Hewitt, Larson, & Lakin, 2000; Larson, Lakin, & Bruininks, 1998).

Reducing stress and providing realistic information about job stresses to new employees after hire can reduce turnover. (Larson, S., Hewitt, A., 2012).

Orientation or Onboarding?

According to the literature, orientation typically occurs in a new employee’s first day or week on the job. The socialization process takes much longer (Wanous & Reichers, 2000).

Rushing new employees into their work roles without attending to the socialization process is ineffective practice and leads to staff feeling “unprepared, unsupported, overwhelmed, and underappreciated.” (Hewitt, A. S., Larson S. A., O’Nell, S.N., and Sauer, J.K., 2012).

Onboarding is a longer-term process whereby new employees gradually learn the agency culture and how to function in their job role within that larger culture.

The onboarding or orientation process helps you to develop a committed, confident, and competent professional.

Two main functions of orientation programs:

To introduce new employees to the culture of the organization and provide opportunities to

acculturate.

To foster understanding of how a new employee’s job functions, connect to the larger agency.



Seven Visible Results of Thorough Employee Orientation Programs:

1. Reduced Startup Costs

Proper orientation can help the new employee get “up to speed” more quickly. If the employee learns to do things correctly in the beginning, it could save time and money later. An example of this could be teaching them the appropriate use and care of expensive agency equipment.

2. Reduced New Employee Anxiety

New staff wants to feel a sense of acceptance and belonging to the organization. They should be provided with ample opportunities to meet and interact with all staff. New employees who are welcomed and properly trained at the beginning of their careers become team players quicker and feel better about their jobs.

3. Reduced Employee Turnover

Inadequate orientation and training may result in new employees feeling lost in the child welfare work wilderness!! They often turn to their peer group for guidance on how to survive, but depending on who they talk to may receive advice that’s out of line with the way the agency wants business done! Staff who don’t start out right may not stick around long, which means the agency must recruit, hire, and train all over again.

4. Time Saved for Supervisors and Co-Workers

Child Welfare is a very complex business. There are many topics to be addressed during orientation and initial training. A structured process that involves all key staff will distribute the work and give everyone an investment in orientating new employees. Front-line supervisors may get overwhelmed if they are solely responsible to teach the new employee everything. The better the initial orientation, the less time supervisors and co-workers will have to spend on training later

5. Realistic Job Expectations

Expectations must be clarified from the beginning. New employees should have the opportunity to review job descriptions, performance appraisal forms, and policies and procedures explaining how things are done and how their work will be evaluated. They should also be assigned role models or mentors who demonstrate best practice.

6. Positive Attitudes

A structured orientation process that devotes adequate time to proper training of new employees may help to embed a positive attitude about the agency. The employee needs to understand the valuable role they play in serving their communities’ most vulnerable populations.

7. Job Satisfaction

New employees should experience some early accomplishments and feelings of success in order to plant the seed of future job satisfaction. The structure for this phenomenon to occur is present through the CORE trainings and the recognition that the employee is able to transfer what they are learning in the classroom to their job.

Adapted from Bacal, R, 2016



Reflective Thinking Activity

Discuss these reflective thinking questions with those in your small group.

1. When a newly hired employee starts working at your organization, what steps does your organization take to make him or her feel welcomed and supported?

2. What stressors do caseworkers experience when they start new positions in your organization? What is your organization doing to support new staff in coping with these stressors?

3. How do you communicate your organization’s mission, vision, and values to new employees?

4. Does your organization have a specific socialization plan in place to assist new employees and employees who have recently been promoted to learn the roles and expectations of their new positions?

5. What is the focus of the first week on the job for new workers? Is the focus on HR administrative tasks, job training, or socialization?

6. What opportunities exist within your organization or community for caseworkers to network to share ideas, provide support, and learn from one another? (Hewitt, A. S., Larson S. A., O’Nell, S.N., and Sauer, J.K., 2012).

7. What organizational supports do new caseworkers receive to help them align the agency’s mission vision, and values with performance expectations?



Why Take the Time?

What is the main reason you would be interested in enhancing your orientation program?



Notes Page: Section II



Section III: Orientation Strategies Grounded in Best Practice



Characteristics of an effective orientation program according to the literature.

By the end of the first day, the employee should have a strong sense that he or she

has made the right choice in taking the job (Hewitt, A. S., Larson S. A., O’Nell, S.N., and Sauer, J.K., 2012).

By 30 days after hire, the employee should have a defined sense of commitment to the job and the organization; if not, he or she is unlikely to still be there a year after hire (Larson, Lakin, & Bruininks, 1998).

Reduces stress and provides realistic information about job stresses to new employees after hire can reduce turnover. (Harbert, A., and Tucker-Tatlow, J., 2015).

Improves how caseworkers are oriented to their organization and their role as caseworkers and trains them to develop needed skills are essential solutions to the challenge of keeping new employees in human services. (Harbert, A., and Tucker-Tatlow, J., 2015).



What have we learned that makes our orientation programs successful?

Planning

Orientation activities must be based in research and/or best practice

Must have buy-in of administration first, but also of other staff members such as

human resources and supervisors

There must be a staff position dedicated to orientation of staff or a piece of their

job description needs to be designated as orienteer and time needs to be

provided.

Implementing

Provide opportunities to discuss realistic job stressors to be expected and ways

to cope successfully

Group activities should be set up throughout the calendar year and allow for

rolling enrollment

If mentors are used, they are carefully selected and supported

Roles and responsibilities must be clear – staff, supervisors, content experts,

orienteer, mentors

Mandatory participation must be enforced by management

New worker training and scheduled orientation program take precedence over

other activities.

Monitoring

Establishment of benchmarks/success

Monitor, evaluate and adjust accordingly to determine if it is effective for staff

members and for agency (return on investment)

Ongoing communication between orienteer and supervisor about employee’s

progress

Rites of passage events/celebrations



Model Orientation Program

While listening to the county presentations, identify aspects of a model orientation program based on best practice that speak to the needs of your agency and that you had not previously considered as important to helping achieve the purposes of orientation. List below:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.



Comparing and Prioritizing:

1. Compare and contrast your list on page 13 of the Participant Guide. 2. Identify three aspects of the orientation programs that as a group, you think will have

the most impact if implemented.

a.

b.

c. 3. Describe the impact would they have? 4. Of the three, circle the aspect that you all agree will have the most impact on the

success of the orientation program/retention of staff.



Notes Page: Section III



Section IV: Assessing the Strengths and Gaps



Assessing the Strengths and Needs of My Agency

What are the strengths that will help your agency achieve the main outcome you identified?

What are the gaps/barriers that keep you from reaching your outcome?



What are the reasons for the gaps identified?

Which remedies are most easily addressed? Identify three main themes or areas for improvement.



Notes Page: Section IV



Section V: Action Planning



Action Plan

Identify at least three “quick wins” you can do immediately to support your agency’s identified orientation effort.

1.

2.

3.



Section VI: Summary and Evaluation



References

American Public Human Service Association. (2011). APHSA Organizational

Effectiveness Handbook. Washington, DC.

Bacal, Robert, “A Quick Guide to Employee Orientation – Help for Managers & HR,”

Work 911. Bacal & Associates Business & Management Supersite. Ontario.

Retrieved on December 18, 2015 from http://www.work911.com/articles/orient.htm.

Borman, W. C., & Motowidlo, S. J. (1993). Expanding the Criterion Domain to Include

Elements of Contextual Performance. In N. Schmidt, W. C. Borman, A. Howard, A.

Kraut, D. Ilgen, B. Schneider, & S. Zedeck (Eds.), Personnel Selection in

Organizations (pp 71-98). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Public Welfare, Office of Children

Youth and Families. (2015). Pennsylvania Quality Service Review (QSR) Protocol,

Version 4.0. Harrisburg, PA.

Harbert, A., and Tucker-Tatlow, J., (2015). Literature Review: Recruitment and

Retention in Health and Human Services. Southern Area Consortium of Human

Services, San Diego State University School of Social Work. San Diego, CA.

Hewitt, A. S., Larson S. A., O’Nell, S.N., and Sauer, J.K. (2012). Orientation,

Socialization, Networking, and Professionalization.

Larson, S., Lakin, K., Bruininks, R., and Braddock, D. (1998). Staff recruitment and

Retention: Study results and intervention strategies. Washington, D.C. American

Association on Mental Retardation.

National Child Welfare Workforce Institute. (n.d.). Leadership Academy for Middle

Managers. National Child Welfare Workforce Institute. Retrieved January 12, 2016,

http://www.work911.com/articles/orient.htm



from http://www.ncwwi.org/docs/LAMMInformation.

O’Nell, S., Hewitt, A., Sauer, J., & Larson, S. (2001). Removing the revolving door:

Strategies to address recruitment and retention challenges. Minneapolis: University

of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration, Research and Training Center on

Community Living; adapted by permission.

Ostroff & Kozlowski, (1992). Organizational Socialization as a Learning Process: The

Role of Information Acquisition. Minneapolis, MN. Personnel Psychology Inc.

The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center. (2014). 501: Foundations of

Leadership. The University of Pittsburgh, Mechanicsburg, PA.

Taylor, M., Sauer, J., Hewitt, A., O’Nell, S., & Larson, S. (2001). The peer

empowerment program (PEP): A complete toolkit for planning and implementing

mentoring programs within community based human service organizations.

(Program coordinator, facilitator, and learner guides). Minneapolis: University of

Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration, Research and Training Center on

Community Living.

Wanous, J. P. (1992). Organizational entry: Recruitment, selection, and socialization of

newcomers. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

http://www.ncwwi.org/docs/LAMMInformation

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