The F&A orientation process is designed to ensure all new departmental employees are effectively acclimated to their work environment and to ensure that they are provided with the equipment and knowledge they need to do their job as quickly as possible. In order to achieve this, the orientation process begins before the employee appears for work.

1. During the interview process, the supervisor is expected to communicate to the applicant key information regarding the culture of F&A. This includes information on the F&A mission, vision, values, our management philosophy of continuous improvement, and the F&A strategic plan - especially how the strategic plan would impact the applicant’s job.
2. Once making the final selection, the supervisor is expected to arrange for the following services to be available to the new employee as is deemed appropriate and, if possible, prior to the employee’s first day:
   
   
   • Establishment of telephone service for the employee, including voice mail service; and the voice mail “zero-out” phone number. An instruction manual for the use of voice mail should be provided at the employee’s work station.
   • Pager for use of staff who are on call or outside the office on business but must remain in contact.
   • Credit cards should be issued to employees who travel on behalf of the state.
   • Telephone calling cards are issued on an as-needed basis to staff who travel and have need to contact their office.
   • Set-up of computer and access to state computer systems as appropriate.
     
     
3. The supervisor can also make the employee’s first day an enjoyable one by providing the following information,preferably in the form of a “Welcome to F&A” letter:
   
   
   • Names and phone numbers of fellow co-workers.
   • Break room and rest room locations.
   • A review of the section, group, or division’s major responsibilities and how the employee relates to the department as a whole (big picture conversation); and the employee’s job duties/responsibilities and expectations (job plan). Finance and Administration’s expectation is that the “big picture conversation” takes place within four weeks of the employee’s first day at work.
   • Any internal polices and procedures (breaks, dress code, etc.)
   • Process in case of illness, absence, tardiness, etc.
   • Who to contact for information or help with problems.
     
     
4. All new Finance and Administration employees (including transfers into the department) are expected to report to the Human Resource Office on their first work day for their initial orientation session (Usually a new employee’s first day corresponds to the first day of a pay period - on or about the 1st or 16th day of the month). In this orientation session (usually about 2½ hours for new hires; less than 1 hour for transfers), the employee will complete all appropriate paperwork as required by the Department of Personnel. The employee will also receive a copy of the F&A employee handbook with information on department/state benefits, their state identification card, parking tag, computer access code, and the following issues will be discussed:
   
   
   • Information on insurance options and associated deadline dates.
   • Further information as needed on state benefits.
   • Letter scheduling the employee to the next Introduction to Continuous Improvement class (held on the last working Thursday and Friday of each month) with class materials.
     
     
5. The employee is asked to complete a survey on the effectiveness/value of their initial orientation session.
6. Within four weeks of the employee’s start date, the supervisor meets with the employee for a strategic plan review conversation. In this conversation, the employee is introduced in depth to the department and division mission, vision, values, and strategic goals and objectives and their role in carrying out the department and division goals and objectives. At this point, the employee is given their job plan to be used for their probation period.
7. Within sixty days of the employee’s start date, the employee will attend the Introduction to Continuous Improvement class, in which the employee will have an opportunity to meet with the Chief Operating Officer and receive detailed information on the Finance and Administration values and the Continuous Improvement principles. The employee is asked to complete a survey to evaluation the effectiveness of this training session.