Effective inductions pay dividends

All businesses have a formal and legal requirement to carry out a certain amount of induction training for employees and contractors. In particular, employers are obliged to highlight any unique workplace hazards and the safe systems of work.

However, successful induction goes a great deal further than the essentials that relate to safety.

The quality of your staff induction plans says more about your managerial style and company culture than you think.

At its simplest, employees work harder for companies that care for them, and hard working employees keep customers happy, bringing money into the company. You put loads of effort into attracting and retaining customers – can you say the same about your new employees?

In the first few hours, first few days, even the first few minutes you create a relationship that a new employee will remember. The bad news is that this is going to happen whether you plan it or not!

Staff induction plans set the tone of the relationship between employee and employer. With thought and a small amount of prior organisation, you can get the relationship off to a flying start by using an effective staff induction plan.

Employee induction and orientation is as much about creating an impression as it is about providing information. The impressions that you create become information that employees act on.

And before they can become a productive member of the workforce they do need a lot of information.

From the company’s point of view, basic inductions obviously need to comply with all legal requirements and be recorded in some way so that the company has a record that the induction has been completed. This can be important at a later date if there is a problem of some sort and an accusation made that the induction did not take place.

From the individual’s perspective a systematic induction will:

• Introduce new employees to work colleagues in a positive way in line with good employment practice;
• Begin the process of engendering a corporate culture and commitment within the organisation;
• Support new employees so that they can effectively and competently carry out their job as soon as possible;
• Form the basis for further individual development.

As a line manager, if all you remember is that your new person is a human being, with all the associated wants and needs, you will do well. No matter how senior, a new person will have concerns about fitting in and their ability to do the job. Many will worry about getting lost or looking stupid.

Starting with very fundamental requirements, a professional induction should include:

• Indicating the location of food, drink and bathrooms as a top priority.
• Advising existing employees about the new person, and encouraging them to stop by and say hello. 
• Providing an organisation chart and office seating plan, to help make sense of the blur of people, names and departments.
• Having all security and passes ready and waiting.
• Advance booking the first one, three or six monthly review, as well as other regular meetings.

If there is not an induction process or plan in place, it is a good idea for the manager to simply think about what information the recruit may need. Some obvious things include:

• Where they will be working;
• What equipment they will be operating;
• Who they will be working with;
• Who will be responsible for them; and
• The terms of employment.

If new staff members are required to use machinery or equipment that they do not know in detail, a training session needs to be organised.

Staff cannot be held responsibly for mistakes as a result of ineffective or sub-standard training. It is the manager or employer’s responsibility to provide adequate training.