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What Do You Do for New User Orientation?
An anonymous reader asks: "What do you do for new user orientation? I started at a company as part of a very small help desk / MIS department. Part of my job is to give orientation to all new computer users for the entire company (no more than 10 new users a week). Right now I have to sit with each user, go over logging in, passwords, email, outlook, Microsoft Office, and so on. This takes between 30-45 minutes. What do other IT departments do? I was thinking of a Flash presentation or website, and maybe even a short orientation movie. What ideas have you tried and how well did they work?"
But it takes some time to
- prepare (scenario and stuff)
and more importantly
- keep up to date
I know, I've done that for a product presentation. After one year, new version, throw away the presentation, start over again...
Mark
Maybe you are swaming them with stuff they don't need.
Large numbers of new users every week can mean immense expansion or they are really put of by your new user orientation meetings.
If its turnover, perhaps it would be easier to skip the email/office stuff until they need it.
liqbase
The Company I work for try to bunch together new joiners and run a full 1 day computer introduction training session in one of our dedicated training rooms, on their second day (with first day being the usual this is your team, this is the fire regs etc). New Joiners get the benefit of meeting other people starting at the same time as them - and then get the run through on how our systems work - with more structured training for specific applications they may have to use carried out later that week. Its fairly informal but also gives us the chance to go properly through our computer use policy etc. we are finding that fewer people need these intro's as time progresses, however you still get the odd person who is mystified by the whole thing.
It involves duct tape, Vaseline, five rolls of toilet paper and the trunk of a mini-cooper.
But we don't call it "orientation", we call it "hazing".
See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
I sit them in front of a computer, don't tell them anything and I poke them with a stick if they do something wrong.
Task Mangler
Unless you want to spend a lot of money putting together a professional and engaging presentation, don't bother with that route. I am not a manager, but I have been to enough new employee orientations that I feel I have a good understanding of what works (at least for me). Sitting a new employee down in a room and making them watch some presentation, be it on DVD or online is pretty much a waste of time. The thing that a new employee needs is face time. Sit with them and show them what they will be doing. Sit them with their co-workers and let them show him what, exactly, the job entails. Orientation is about gettin gto know your peers, learning about the company you will be working for, and finding out what the job is that you have been hired for. There is always the obligatory legal issues (dress code, no bad language in the workplace, no molestation of the opposite sex, and whatnot). But the important thing is to get a feel for the new environment and find out what you are being hired to do in a more specific way than the interview process would have lead you to believe.
Ceci n'est pas une sig.
:wq!
A wiki is probably the most flexible way to set up something like this. It can serve both as an introduction (think pages linked one after another) and as a general documentation tool.
And unlike a flash presentation it's searchable and less of a pain in the rear end to update.
PS. Wikis can be read only for regular users too...
.: Max Romantschuk
We give our new guys a laptop and tell them to install it. If it's not running Debian smoothly by the next day, we fire them. What they use for office, mail, web, chat - whatever, is their own business.
Once a new employee's PC is imaged and installed we give them their default passwords and our job is done.
"Buddy" programs can be effective. Have the newbie work with another employee to teach them the basics such as how to access the important intranet sites, where to rent projectors, good eating spots, how to change/reset passwords, etc.. Presentations don't seem too useful, and are probably driven more by HR's CYA policy than anything (i.e., an ethics class is mandatory so people know what they can't do).
That's closer to ideal.. In reality most people get an email. I've heard that a near one-on-one instructor/student training class is optimal.... I've also heard that there's a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow. I'm still waiting for both.
Why not gather all new users and have one presentation for all of them (once a week or something), instead of sitting down with each one?
If you make them watch the 6 episodes of The IT Crowd, they may get an idea of how and what kind of support they would get. So they will learn for themselves and avoid mistakes. Or just run and leave the position for someone with more... aptitudes :-)
about how he "lost his lifes work and will probably get fired because he didn't listen to the IT guy."
Monstar L
I don't give any training in office applications or on the OS that they are using. I do have a ~ 20 page booklet that I give each new hire for intructions on using our rather antiquated ERM software, but that's the only real training they get. If they need help on more basic practices, I help them when they need it and when I feel like it.
tinfoilmedia
We sit them on a chair and spin it fast for about 30 seconds... no wait that's dis-orientation.
Seriously we have a one sheet document with all the basics like logging in, email, internet and so on. We go through this with them at their PC to make sure they understand. They receive one-to-one training for any specialist software and we are always happy to talk them through the basics of Office.
My 2 cents for what it is worth is not to over-complicate things, keep it short, give them some basic quick reference material and to train at their desk if feasible to help them get familiar with their surroundings (this may not be possible with complex training but should be fine for the basics).
Although it should be their manager/supervisor's job make sure they are introduced to colleagues in their department doing a similar job as they are usually happy to help a new starter if they get a little lost. This will also take some support pressure off you.
There is also all the legal stuff they have to read and sign - terms of use, non-disclosure, conflicts of interest, etc, but HR usually handle that.
Make them learn Chinese?
"Here's your computer, login details. No porn. You can game or blog at lunchtimes. Have fun."
:)
I wish
ilovegeorgebush
A mod point, a mod point! My kingdom for a mod point!
Seriously, that's the funniest thing all morning.
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
After they've signed all the legal junk (you know the 50 pages of small type that says you won't use the company's IT resources for anything but work), give them just a single page showing how to login and who to call if there is a problem. The rest should be left up to their supervisor. There should be no need for a 30min session on how to log in.
I happen to know of an IT department at a big company that does nothing for new user orientation. That's right - nothing. Oh, and there seems to be an unwritten department rule that new hires aren't allowed to touch a computer for the first two weeks.
I'll leave as an exercise for the reader to explain why someone who has been working there for 6 weeks still cannot check their voice mail...
The society for a thought-free internet welcomes you.
You pretend something they did caused the main production server to crash, and see how they handle it (so you know what to expect in case that really does happen)!
stuff |
I work at a college, and I'm looking into using our Course Management Software (we use Blackboard, but there are Free alternatives) for some of our training. That allows for interactive lessons, testing, etc. and the person can go back and reread what they like later on.
Check out moodle.
--saint
There are some good suggestions here. I think I'll replace my current procedure (First stupid question is free, second question is $20, third question and you'll have to face the Rancor.)
People who I have to explain the location of their asscrack shouldn't make it through the 1st interview at all.
...EXCEPT you work for a consulting company... then "incompetence" spells like "client-lock-in"...
Maybe your job interviewers need some orientation.
We give them a copy of the appropriate policies, go over a brief overview of those policies, show them how to access the extensive CBT library we've created, and explain why security has tazers, extendable batons, pepper spray, and guns. Then, we send them on their merry way with a firm reminder what happens to people do things they are suppost to with data they have access to.
God, I love IT in the Healthcare setting.
In God we trust, all others require data.
Geeks and businessmen... You can always rely on them to walk 9 seas and mountains but find a replacement for good ol' human contact.
New hires at my old company were given a cheapo desks and chairs that required assembly. This applied to everyone from the receptionist to my most senior hires.
.com type investors loved it, too :)
They were shown to their new spot, given the tools, and told that this was their first order of business. That was all.
Nearby employees were told to offer any and all assistance, but only if asked.
This worked on many levels. It was symbolic of the philosophy at the company. For some, it ended up being a "team-building" exercise, or a social ice-breaker. For others, it showed that they were clever and self reliant. Some folks couldn't get it done, and refused to ask for help. This almost always signified termination at their first opportunity. And the
With Hand Puppets!
-- www.globaltics.net
Political discussion for a new world
We have a ritual: We get out the trucks and let the new folks run down the almost-ready-to-retirees. Makes the day go a whole lot better, and we save money!
Good times... good times...
I usually have them executed;P. Actually, I have never handled new user orientation, but I have worked at Universities for a long time. The support group for the appropriate consituency (faculty/staff, students) has a booklet, several forms, and a CD they hand out. The users are supposed to read the booklet, sign the forms that they have read the booklet and will abide by University computer usage guidelines, and watch the animation on the CD. Then they are supposed to install the antivirus and email clients on the CD if they don't have one of each of their own.
We get a new user every couple of weeks so it's a low priority for us. I usually try to give them a single page facts sheet containing their login, important file server paths, how to access webmail offsite, and IT's contact information. We then spend a very little time doing things like opening up Outlook, talking about any special programs they'll be needing and what they'll need to do to get access to them. We've been looking at putting some of the generic information online, but unfortunately, different groups have different needs/ways of doing things, so this complicates things.
One thing good about this procedure is that it affords me some face time with new users. This gives them an opportunity to get to know me and hopefully lets them feel comfortable shooting questions my way. At the same time, spending a few minutes working with them gives me the opportunity to find out if this person is going to be an easy user or if they are some sort of demon spawn sent from hell to twist and snap the tattered remains of my soul by finding strange and spectacular new ways to fail their "use email" proficiency check.
If I had to do this 7-8 times a week, I might try to combine the sessions. That's just too much time and too many people. And my experience is that if you do the new user meeting, you get the new user questions for weeks or forever or until you repeatedly turf them.
"Thats a good idea if they all start on Monday morning but HR seems to avoid logical decisions like this. "
HR is going to start you on a paycycle boundary.
I assumes that phrase includes showing them how to do the 'ol Ctrl-Alt-Del, right? And where the Big Red Switch is (in case that doesn't help)?
I'm (mostly) kidding of course. They should already know that. On the other hand, I still recall the time when I had to sit down and show a person (at the small company that I was working for at the time as a VMS and UNIX admin) how to use Word headings and automatically create a table of contents of a document. (It was sort of like showing fire to a caveman.) She was doing page numbering by hand as well. Her job? She was hired as a documentation specialist. Supposedly with extensive experience with Word. So your biggest mistake might actually be leaving out of your orientation spiel such basic things that one would assume the new employees would already know. You know, that prior experience that they were supposed to have before getting an offer.
CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
New Employees need:
To know things (rules, passwords, techniques, etc.)
To feel things (comfort with the people around them, a small sense of 'at home')
If you get the second one, the first will take care of itself. Spend time with the person. Actual "Face" time. Teach them something (anything) about the company, so they get in the learning mode -- they'll pick up a lot in between the lines of any topic you pick. Make the rules of the company (dress codes and crap like that) as small a part of the conversation as possible, but provide them with a document on it. Play the rules down. You want them to feel free, so that they'll talk and learn and grow on their own.
Take 'em to lunch. Do it as a small group -- not necessarily the whole team, but more than just Boss and hire. Get them to be social and see people around them as lunch partners.
Then GIVE THEM A TASK WHICH WILL REQUIRE COMMUNICATION WITH THE GROUP. After they've got plugged in, the assimilation process will take care of itself.
The idea that you'd want to give them a movie or something suggests that you're not interested in spending time talking with people. I don't want to work at your company.
First, I show them how to use Outlook. Then I email them a picture of my ass, and tell them to get used to kissing it.
Game... blouses.
At my company I had to beg to be notified of new hires before their first day. Sometimes they still show up on the first day and I have no idea who they are, and no one even knows where they are supposed to sit.
:)
I made a PDF full of nice big screenshots and labels as a reference for using remote access and webmail. I print it out for each new employee and offer to review it with them. No one wants the review, most people throw out the reference.
This would be fine except they're not doing it because they are skilled. They are doing it because they do not give a shit. After all, they can always just phone me at home on a Sunday night because they don't know how to use remote access.
I've discussed it with the General Manager and the HR Manager and tried to explain that it saves the company money when employees are more self sufficient, and that the investment in time spent training (15-20 minutes) is worth it in productivity. They also do not give a shit.
So I still print out the "welcome" docs and ask if people want to review it but... I also no longer give a shit. At least not until I work somewhere more sensible about productivity and the new hire process.
a blind fold and a mary-go-round .. weee..
Only 'flamers' flame!
Does slashdot hate my posts?
If experience is any indication at the sites I've worked at recently, IT does very little orientation (and then gets to pay for it later).
Avoid anything computerized. New users may not be able to view wikis or movies, etc. especially if they don't yet have an account or have not been told how to access it.
I use a plain paper employee guide which describes everything and provides sufficient information to use all services (email, Unix, Windows, voice mail). I print a copy and give it to new hires. (Alternatively, if the new hire has a personal email address that they already have access to and it is clear that they know how to use it, as evidenced by receipt of email from that address, then I can email the document to them.) If you dare, the guide should include simple troubleshooting procedures/common problems so that the new hires can determine that perhaps the reason that something doesn't work is that the account hasn't been created yet and time will solve the problem.
Your goal is to be sufficiently complete that in the normal case, a new hire never has to call the helpdesk. The amount of time you spend fielding help calls for common questions will exceed any time spent training, esp. if no training is required because all procedures are documented in the employee guide.
I work as a helpdesk/support technician in an IT-based company. The majority of our employees are contracted by Nortel for either customer support or documentation services. Most of them have a basic understanding of a computer and various common applications such as MS Word, Excel and so on, so during their training sessions, we take a very short amount of time to orient them to local company policies and procedures. This mostly entails an overview of the intranet, some specialized software (such as an Oracle front-end), and a tour of where to find help when needed. That last part usually involved my pager number ;)
All-in-all, it's quite effective for us, and usually only takes about 20 minutes. No videos, no flash, just hands-on "Follow the link" activity.
Our department has a security video that we use before we allow new employees to access our system. It covers basic computer security, and provides information on different level of protected information. After that, we give them their username and password on a memo that also contains a bunch of useful information for new users, such as how to access e-mail, and what the various network drives are for. Also on this memo are more security reminders. After that, we send them on their way. Anything else they need to know from this point would be application specific, and my assumption is that if the company has hired them, then they have already demonstrated that they have the required skills for the position, so I won't bother teaching them what they should already know.
For my "new hire orientation" at my current job, we got sent to Israel, where the company is based, for a week.
We went through training and overview sessions with the CEO, CFO, and other such titles. We were taken out to extremely good food in Tel Aviv, Jaffa, and Jerusalem. And to top it off we went on a team-building scavenger hunt between Tel Aviv and old Jerusalem.
Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Here's your PC , here's your install disks
have fun
Type unto others as you would have them type unto you.
To wit, PC vs. Mac vs. Linux. Mac users are also asked about how long they've been using them.
Next is setting up their accounts; this involves warning them of the minimum acceptable complexity allowed for passwords, showing them how to change their passwords to something marginally more memorable than the automatic preassigned random gibberish, and reminding them of the minimum requirements after the first password change attempt is rejected. I then tell them that neither I nor anyone else will ever ask for their password — if I or anyone in IT need access, we will change it, and tell them the new password afterward (so the user may change it back); anyone who asks for their password should be reported to me and to the central IT security number immediately as an attempt to breach security.
After that, I point out the selection of web browsers available on their workstation (IE/Firefox/Opera, additional options for the Mac), advocate Firefox for regular use, and direct them to the central IT website's security training -- which is mostly dick-and-jane "don't share passwords, human!" common sense stuff; there's a quiz as part of it. I tell them to complete the security training, while I do something vaguely productive nearby (borrowing a mobile laptop if need be) and wait for questions. At the end, I point out the main IT policies page, note that most of it is common sense, but they should glance through the policies as soon as possible, because they may end up "nailed to the wall with rusty railroad spikes as a warning to others" if they fail to follow them. If they express doubt, I invite them to stop by my desk to see my rusty railroad spikes. (Bottom desk drawer; four of 'em, plus a 6kg sledge with a 40 cm handle. Just in case.)
Once that's done, I then introduce them to the most regularly used software applications: email, Office, calendaring app, the local quick-and-dirty non-Acrobat PDF maker, and so on. The VPN software usually requires a digression into a bad analogy to explain why it's important. ("If you use the dumb-as-a-senator idea that the internet is a series of tubes, the problem is that most of the tubes are transparent, and might let any evil passerby see what's inside. Unless you're willing to give me all of your credit cards now to go shopping with, this is a bad thing. A VPN uses cryptography to run an opaque garden hose over to one of our secure machines, so people can't spy on you until after your traffic leaves our network again.") An overview of the strengths and limitations of whatever POS machine they're stuck working at follows.
I then give them my mixed guru/BOFH lecture:
I have happy users; I am beloved, respected, and feared. Aside from an expresso machine for my office, what more could a geek want?
//Information does not want to be free; it wants to breed.
I think that if you're seeing good results from what you're doing, then keep doing it. I'm not saying don't tweak/optimize/refine it, but putting a personal face on IT is sometimes a big deal in a small company where your job security depends as much on how well you are perceived as how well you perform. Get to know your customers, it'll help you in the end. If you think of them as anonymous lusers, even if you don't think you're letting them know you do, _you are_.
I support the FairTax www.fairtax.org
(Or Keynote, or OO Impress.)
Better: Get yourself a small-ish room. Fill the room with 10 workstations and a projector. You work on a computer on the projector -- probably with RDP/VNC access to the other machines in the room, so that in most cases, if a user has a problem, you can take over their computer and demonstrate the solution to the entire room.
Basically, do what you would do in your video, but with one group, once a week, and actually be there for it. Should only take 30-45 mins, right? Figure it might take an hour or two, but basically, the reason you're doing this live (instead of a Flash video) is so that you get to demonstrate on a real machine (and they can try it on one as well), and you get to answer any questions that they have, immediately, in front of the group, without having to go one-on-one with every single one (and probably answer the same questions).
Also, talk to HR and see if you can get the authority to fire people for technical incompetence, or at least deny them access to your network. Basically, if you have to spend more than an hour or so educating them, they need to come back when they've learned how to click a mouse -- or they're too stupid to use a computer. Personally, I think I could tutor just about anyone to use a computer as well as I can, but there's only so much time you can invest in someone before it makes sense to hire someone else instead -- if someone requires more than an hour of training in basic stuff like logging on and MS Word, they should go find another way to educate themselves, then try again -- it shouldn't be your job, any more than it should be accounting's job to teach people basic addition.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
New employees appreciate some face time. If you have the luxury of a classroom setting in your building, consider running a 1-hour class that covers the same topics. This will save you time, because you get to handle all the employees in one hour. It will also help your new employees meet each other; and those who are more technically savy can help others.
No, I will not work for your startup