New Employee Orientation Gets Seasonals off to a Good Start

The Hoosier's annual New Employee Orientation, now in its third year, has become a popular tradition.

"I learned more than I ever knew I could learn" said one seasonal employee who at the end of the session thanked those who hosted it for taking the time to put the session together. Another said "This was amazingly useful! I think now I know all. It was awesome."

The enthusiastic group spent one day learning about the Hoosier National Forest, its history, highlights of each program area, played games to learn about southern Indiana and Forest Service policy, safety, customer service, and what the GATE group was all about. They were also treated to a barbeque pitch-in luncheon by all employees. The second day they were given first aid training.

The evaluations were positive with upbeat comments thanking the Forest for taking the time to host the training and provide them lunch. One participant noted, "Having each department leader come in and lay out all that their staff accomplished really helped us understand what the Hoosier does."

Eric Sandeno, Brownstown District Outdoor Recreation Planner, believes the orientation has been invaluable to his seasonal employees. "This is the first year we've included the Youth Conservation Corp enrollees for the entire time - regardless of what these kids do with the rest of their lives, if they have a solid understanding of what the Forest Service does, we've done our job." Sandeno said too often seasonals work in one narrow field and may never be aware of the other areas the Forest Service is involved with. "In some cases, they end up working pretty much alone and have limited contact with other employees, so I see this as an opportunity for us to show them what we're about - and what they learn should have a ripple effect with their circle of friends and family."

Les Wadzinski, Recreation Program Manager, agrees, adding that the customer service aspect is also important. "The public is likely to cross paths with most of our seasonal employees. For those people the seasonal employee is the face of the Forest Service and we need to have them make a good impression and it benefits all of us if they know something about what's going on in the Forest, or what the rules are and are able to answer basic questions."

For those who attended, it just is good information to have. Leslie Thaxton, Budget and Finance SCEP Student, back for her second summer, attended again. "I learned so much the first time, I thought I wanted to see how much more I could learn going through it again!" she said with a wide grin.