Beyond Orientation: Creating a New Employee Engagement Plan

Marcianne Kuethen

Updated June 23, 2026

Finally, your talent search is over, but is creating a new employee engagement plan on your radar? At substantial cost to your company, you ran the ad, carefully combed through resumes, prescreened and interviewed applicants, and made the hires.  Now your employees are ready to work—or are they?

New Employees Need More Than You Think

Research and experience have shown that to start off right, people need more than just to be shown their desks and given a few company forms to fill out. Without a tangible roadmap for where they’re expected to go, or concrete guidance on how to get there, new employees will take longer to reach the point at which they effectively contribute to your team. Even worse, some may soon fall by the wayside and quietly quit, costing your company time and money, and lowering employee morale. What can you do to avoid this negative cycle?

“Welcoming employees needs to go beyond surface introductions and compliance issues,” said Scott Kuethen, the former CEO of Amtec, a staffing agency based in Southern California. Over his 40+ years in the staffing world, Kuethen repeatedly saw employees crash and burn due to the lack of a performance and productivity tool. “Managers need to intentionally strategize for how to engage employees in their work and in the company culture. They need to think beyond an orientation program to creating a new employee engagement plan that encompasses socialization and integration into a work group, department, or team.”

A Tool to Ensure New Employees’ Success

One of the easiest ways for you to launch a New Employee Engagement Plan is to gather relevant information and create a tool to enhance a new employee’s performance and productivity. A new employee who has clarity of performance expectations, key priorities, resources, and company information can be more productive, sooner. Since the first 90 days of new employees’ experience with the company can make or break their success, Kuethen recommended that a manager meet with employees on their starting day to review goals previously agreed upon during the hiring process. The goals should be written in SMART format–specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

“Having a roadmap and signposts along the way can help both new employees and their manager to see if things are moving in the right direction,” said Kuethen, who used Michael Watkins’ The First 90 Days to develop the Great Start Tool, a performance and productivity tool for Amtec’s customers to use with each new hire. So how can you create your own effective performance and productivity tool?

Elements of a New Employee Engagement Plan

Here are several elements you might want to include when creating a a tool for your new hires’ success:

1. 1. 1. The mission of the position. Specifically define the central task or outcome that the new employee’s position is dedicated to accomplishing. Keep in mind that a person can only have one #1 priority. Their central task might include up to three areas or outcomes. However, you’ll need to choose one central focus so your new employee has a framework within which to operate day-to-day.
      2. Key responsibilities. Now that you’ve outlined the mission, you’ll need to fill in the details of how you expect the new employee to accomplish it. There’s a saying, “Shoot at nothing and you’ll hit it every time!” Be specific about the key responsibilities expected of your new worker so they can focus their energy on performing those tasks.
      3. SMART goals and outcomes. Many managers have difficulty defining goals in this way. Yet, if you have a problem defining the mile-markers, imagine how hard it will be for your new employee to reach them! To get the most out of your new employee, try setting a SMART goal. “In three weeks (time-bound), your training will be complete (achievable). At that time, I’ll listen in to see how you’re doing (measurable). I’ll expect you to be familiar with all the products we offer (relevant) and be able to offer them to our customers on the phone (specific, outcome). ” For help understanding and setting goals for success, read this.
      4. Expected behaviors. Every company’s culture grows out of the beliefs and behaviors of top management. Your new employee may already have heard the company’s slogans or mottos during the employee orientation, but how those beliefs are lived out may be a different story. Culture gets communicated by what’s demonstrated and observed. It’s important for you to help new employees understand the actual lived-out norms regarding work hours, work intensity or pace, break times, teamwork, and so on.  Spelling these out up front gives them a head start on both fitting in and putting their best foot forward.
      5. A list of priority focuses and current projects. Even though you’ve given your new employees their mission and specific direction, it’s easy for them to become overwhelmed with the learning curve. You can help ease their stress! Clarify the most important action items to focus on, and prioritize projects in which your new employee will be involved.
      6. A mentor. One of the best ways to encourage new employees is to give them a mentor. Choose someone who knows the ropes and has been around the company for a while. This more experienced person should be able to represent the company well but also identify with the employee. Connecting your new employees with an employee mentor, and calendaring their first appointment, lets them know they don’t have to go it alone.
      7. An outline of expected training and employee development. Since no candidate is perfect, your recent interview process may have identified specific areas that your new employee will need to strengthen. What specific training will you give this employee? How does this fit with any training you plan to give all your employees? How do you intend to improve their ability to contribute to the company? Most employees are excited about enhancing their career path by growing and improving their skills. Outline your plans for their future growth. This will give them something to strive toward, and let them know you believe in their future with the company. As a bonus, according to Harvard Business School, training employees will save you time and interruptions too.
      8. Company products and services. Include a list of all the products and services your company offers. Equipping them with this information will enable your new employees to operate at their fullest potential.
      9. A list of key people with whom the new employee will interact. This is an easy way for you to give new employees a leg up. Write down the name and title of each key person the new employee is likely to interact with, plus that person’s role and how he or she fits into the larger picture. Are there people who need special attention? Having this information will equip the new employee with the assurance to interact knowledgeably.
      10. An organizational chart of the company structure. This will help your new professional understand how his or her position fits within the organization as a whole. It will also show how his or her department relates to or interacts with ancillary departments.
      11. A typical weekly or monthly schedule. Does the department have a weekly meeting that will require the new employee’s participation? Do you celebrate monthly birthdays at an all-office potluck? Let new employees know about regularly scheduled activities in advance to remove anxiety and help them be prepared.
      12. Clarification of in-house communication preferences. Does Walter in Sales refuse to answer his email? Or maybe Gina in HR never gets around to listening to her voicemail messages. Boost your new employees’ communication with key people by giving them the inside track on the best way to do so!
      13. A list of key clients. The only way for new employees to best serve key clients is to know who they are right away. Do certain clients require special treatment? You can help new employees avoid potentially painful or embarrassing initial interactions. Tell them who their key clients are and how to successfully address these clients’ needs.

Following Up

Compiling this information into a performance and productivity tool will give your new employees the roadmap they need to start off right. But just as a newly planted seed needs water and light, you can’t just deliver the information and stop there. In order for the tool to be effective, you’ll need to establish follow-up procedures for each element. This will ensure your employees’ success and their increasing engagement as they reach one signpost after another. Over the next few months, you’ll need to give them specific feedback to keep them pointed in the right direction. Your input should encourage them in areas where they’re excelling. It can also redirect them in areas where they may have wandered off course.

The Benefits of Building Confidence and Trust

As a caring manager, your effort to take the guesswork out of the workplace will improve your new employees’ chances for success. Clarifying what new employees can expect and how they are to perform will help them move forward with confidence. Besides encouraging communication, your New Employee Engagement Plan will engender a sense of trust and teamwork. What a great start to give your new team members! And you, in return, will reap the coveted rewards of employee engagement, increased productivity, and company loyalty.

Click here for an Employee Onboarding Tool that will help you from preboarding all the way through the first 90 days of your new hire’s journey!

Marcianne Kuethen

Marcianne Kuethen is a Senior Writer at Amtec, where she has written over 700 blog posts in the past 18 years. Her family has led the company across three generations, from her father who founded Amtec in 1959 to her son Barrett who serves as President and CEO today. Outside of writing, she makes art, music, and gardens.