An employee induction is the process of settling a new starter in and giving them all the right tools to attune to their new role and the working environment. The CIPD define induction as, “the process through which employees adjust or acclimatise to their new jobs and working environment. As part of this, ‘orientation’ can be used for a specific event that new starters attend, and ‘socialisation’ can describe the way in which new employees build working relationships within their new teams. Some people use the term ‘onboarding’ to cover the whole process from an individual’s contact with the organisation before they formally join, through to understanding the business’ ways of working and getting up to speed in their role”.
Employee induction will usually start on the first day and the length of the induction period will often depend on the complexity of the role and the size of the company.
The induction process will include a number of basic practicalities like the checking and issuing of key documents, the issuing of an ID badge or office keys, introductions to the new team and key external partners and stakeholders and an introduction to your new work surroundings.
Why is employee induction so important?
Effective employee inductions give a new hire a fantastic first impression and help the new starter to integrate into the company successfully. As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to create a first impression so make sure that your induction is engaging and helps your new colleague to fit in and feel comfortable. Employee inductions are mutually beneficial for both the new employee and the employer. The more effective the induction is, the more likely the employee will feel supported and part of a positive work culture and the quicker they will start to contribute to the success of the business.
Employee inductions should also ensure that a company’s legal obligations are met such as providing health and safety information, along with fire procedures, information on any relevant risk assessments, general housekeeping and any compulsory training that may need to be completed for the new starter to get up and running.
The induction should give the new employee the opportunity to learn about the organisation and the mission and values of the company. When an employee understands the purpose of the organisation and how their role fits into that purpose then engagement and motivation are built. Employee induction should also consider the culture of the business. Small family businesses have very different cultures to large corporate companies and depending on the work history of the new starter they may not have experienced a similar culture before. Whilst you can talk to a new hire about culture this often becomes more apparent to them through observing how people behave, how they interact with colleagues and clients and that builds an understanding of how things are done. With that in mind make sure that if you allocate a buddy to a new hire as part of their induction that the buddy is someone who models and demonstrates that culture in everything that they do so that it is simple for the new employee to pick up on.
If there is little or no induction, or it is not completed effectively then this will have a detrimental impact on the impression the new employee has of the company. There’s not much worse than arriving for your first day at work and nobody being there to greet you or not being able to log in because you haven’t been set up with an IT account. If your induction looks unprofessional or unwelcoming then you’re already on the back foot and that may well result in the new starter not becoming effective as quickly as you wanted or ultimately they could even decide that they don’t like what they see and leave and that then wastes the time and money spent on recruiting them and means that you have to do it all over again.
How to plan a successful induction
Starting in a new role is daunting for everyone and to make it easier a company needs to provide its new hires with all the necessary information, tools and equipment to make their first few days and weeks as seamless as possible. As an employer think about what you would like to know when you start a new job, what would make you feel at ease and how can you ensure they feel part of the team from the beginning? It is important to try and strike the right balance between providing sufficient information without overwhelming a new starter.
A successful induction process should include the following:
- A warm welcome from the manager and perhaps issuing a welcome gift
- Meeting new colleagues
- Workplace tour / housekeeping
- Getting to know the role
- Getting set up on systems and email (if not already completed)
- Health & Safety information
- Issuing of equipment & documentation
- Identifying training needs
- Information on culture, company mission and values
- Company benefits
- Getting to know company policies
Not all inductions will be the same, even in the same company, but there should be a core structure that can then be supplemented depending on the role. An induction checklist can be a really useful tool and ensures a consistent approach.
Reviewing your employee induction
Whilst you may think that your company’s induction covers all bases it is important to review it at regular intervals and who better to ask than your new starters? New employees bring fresh eyes and different ideas and perspectives which can be hugely beneficial. After you have gone through the induction period and process make time to sit down with your new hire to gather their feedback on what aspects of induction have worked well, what could be improved and what might be missing. You can then adapt your employee induction as needed and by talking to your new hire in this way you are also demonstrating to them that their ideas and opinions are valued and respected and again that builds a sense of engagement.
Do you have any questions about today’s blog, need help in becoming legally compliant with contracts/policies or can we support you in taking away any people pains to give you peace of mind?
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Why not also check out our blog on a similar topic Onboarding in the Digital Age.
We also have a YouTube channel with loads of handy videos outlining various HR related scenarios.
