aerial photo of the campus in the fall season

General Orientation Checklist

Thank you for helping orient our new employees to the VIU work environment. Ensuring our new colleagues are connected and aware of resources, services and the responsibilities of their role makes a large impact in creating a positive work environment. Download a General Orientation Checklist to guide the activity of the new employee's early days. 

Prior to Start

  • Advise department of the new employee’s name, position, and start date
  • Arrange for a workspace
  • Equip the workspace with the necessary furniture, supplies and equipment including computer, phone and other technology needed
  • Ensure all equipment is working
  • Confirm an e-mail address has been set up and request access to department share drives, shared mailboxes and distribution lists
  • Set-up a telephone extension
  • Assign a mail drop location with Facilities
  • Add the employee to organizational lists – telephone, email, website
  • Gather pertinent information, reports, etc. to give the person on the first day
  • Ensure the area handbook or reference information is up-to-date, if applicable
  • If the employee will need a key or programmed fob to access the office, arrange to have it ready for pick-up on the first day
  • Contact the new employee to confirm where and when they should report on their first day
  • Set up the orientation team – who will be doing what for the orientation?
  • Decide what meaningful tasks the new employee will start on and prepare the necessary background material
  • Set-up employee access to the centralized printing system (Find-Me) 
  • Share the New Employee Support website with your new colleague

First Day

  • Ensure you are accessible to the employee on their first day
  • Suggest the area get together to take the employee out to lunch or coffee, or plan something to ensure they feel comfortable and welcomed
  • Ensure employee is aware that VIU has implemented 2-Step Verification (2SV) and they will need to enrol their authentication methods in order to access certain VIU services, including email

Getting Started

  •  Welcome the new employee
  •  Outline the orientation process for the day
  •  Introduce the new employee to coworkers
  •  Confirm where the new employee should go to for questions or assistance
  •  Inform the new employee of the process to get employee photo ID
  •  Show employee how to access InVIU to register for on-campus development opportunities
  •  Give the employee a tour of the assigned workspace and the rest of the office/facility including:
    • Where to safely put belonging (if not in their office)
    • Where to hang coat, store lunch; location of the washrooms, lunch/break room
    • Location of the photocopier, fax machine, and office supplies, etc.

First Two Weeks

  •  Check to see if there are any problems with equipment or the workspace
  •  Ensure that the employee has met all the other staff members
  •  Order business cards, name tag if appropriate and door name plate, if necessary
  •  Tour other sites of the area or campus
  •  Explain the internal communication process, including staff meetings
  •  Have the employee review the policies website, highlighting the pertinent policies or guidelines
  •  Explain how absences are called in and covered, telephone and email protocol
  •  Explain the travel and reimbursement process
  •  Ask if the new employee has any question or if there is anything that needs to be addressed

Manager's Responsibility

Organizational Overview 

  •  Overview of the organization, in general
  •  Organization Chart for institution and area/department
  •  Explain how the job is related to the others in the organization

Job Duties and Responsibilities 

  •  Review the employee’s job description and expected outcomes
  •  Give specific outcomes for the first day such as a look at the organization’s website, review of a specific document, etc.
  •  Identify work that needs to be accomplished in the first week
  • Give the employee reference material and information that is needed for the job

Work Expectation 

  •  Start and finish times
  •  Lunch and break times, if appropriate
  •  Probationary period process
  •  Review health and safety procedures, including evacuation points
  •  Discuss training required for role

First Six Months

  • Review probation procedures and fill out any required paperwork, talk to HR if there are any questions
  • Have regular meetings scheduled between the employee and their supervisor to ensure that they are on track