Orientation

The second Tuesday of each month, we host orientation. 

Orientation is an opportunity for new hires to get acquainted with our culture—we introduce them to our mission and values, the communication tools we use, and we share stories.

Our orientation has been through many evolutions, it’s currently in its most simplistic form and we’re in the process of expanding it, but my advice to business owners who are thinking about doing an orientation is to not overthink it. Something is better than nothing.

A three-part template for creating a simple but effective orientation might include:

• Your history - how did your company come to be?

• Your mission and values - why do you do the work you do?

• How people can contribute to the mission and values through the work they do? 

(Bonus point for putting together a goodie bag - ours has coffee and a gift card)

Orientation also helps relieve some of the tension of being the new person—when you’re thrown into an established team with no cultural context, it’s easy to feel like an outsider. Having an idea of what True North is, even if you don’t know how to get there, points everyone in the same direction and creates an immediate sense of shared purpose and camaraderie. 

Work feels more meaningful when you understand why you do what you do, and an orientation helps lay the cultural groundwork for that understanding.