So, you’ve made your hire. It’s your new starter’s first week on the job and you want to help them settle in.
But before you can hit the ground running, there are a few HR essentials you need to check off first…
1. Prepare their induction
Your new starter should have an induction in the first week of starting their new job. An induction involves telling your employee how your company works and providing activities for them to complete.
Your induction is an opportunity to show your new employee what a great company you are and the best things about working for you.
Talk about your vision, goals, and history. Fill them in on how their job role works and outline opportunities for training and development. When you create a motivated and well-adjusted worker from day one, you make it easier for them to settle into their role and progress.
You could also use this time to book them in for meetings with other members of the team. On their first day particularly, your new starter might be nervous when they don’t know anyone.
Introductions don’t have to be formal or take up much time – but they can really help make new staff feel welcome and part of the team.
2. Record their information
As soon as they start, you’ll need to record your new worker’s personal information. This allows you to create a file for them, which you can refer to and update when necessary.
Your new starter might need to provide their:
- date of birth
- bank account details
- address
- national insurance number
- emergency contact details
- P45
You need your worker’s personal details to:
- contact people if there’s an incident or injury
- comply with the law (you need to provide your employee’s salary details to HMRC for tax purposes)
- provide to a tribunal if they were to ever make a claim against you
Also, having a record of your employee’s information makes it easy for you to find details about them and their role, so you can keep track of their progress.
It’s more efficient to keep track of employee details when you use HR software. This keeps staff records online, which is far more secure and easier to manage than storing endless amounts of paperwork. Plus, your staff have the option to update their own records – which frees up your time to focus on making your business a success.
Discover BrightHR software
It’s the easiest way to manage your HR admin – allowing you to store important documents, approve staff holidays and share rotas all from your device.
3. Provide all the essential documents
Recording your worker’s information is just one part of the documentation process.
As you’d expect, there’s a lot of paperwork involved with a new hire – and you have a legal duty to make sure your employee has a copy of everything.
On their first day, you’ll need to provide them with a document of terms and conditions.
This should outline your worker’s:
- job title
- start date
- location of work
- benefits and pay
- working hours (and if they vary, state how)
- paid leave entitlements
- training entitlement (if applicable)
- notice periods
- duration and conditions of any probationary period
You’ll need to provide your worker’s statement of main terms by the time they start working. But within two months, you’ll also need to provide a wider written statement. This should include information about pensions, and your disciplinary and grievance procedures.
Generally, you can include this written statement in your employee’s contract. They’ll need to sign this, and you should both have a copy.
4. Present your policies
Next, you’ll need to provide information about your company policies.
It’s best practice to share your company policies with your new starter. Usually, you would include information about your policies in a company handbook.
This might seem daunting, especially if you’re not sure you have all the policies.
Legally, all companies must have a health & safety policy in writing (if you employ more than five workers).
You should also have policies that outline your:
- disciplinary process – how you handle staff misconduct
- grievance process – how staff can report concerns or issues
Other recommended policies include:
- dress codes
- equality & diversity
- sickness and absence
- redundancy
- maternity/paternity/adoption
- data protection
- bullying and harassment
Policies establish rules and boundaries. They help keep staff in line and make sure there’s no confusion over conduct. So, there’s less risk of them saying or doing anything that might cause grievances, injury, or legal trouble.
And if you’ve taken all the right steps and backed up your processes with watertight documentation, you’ll be protected even if your worker does make a claim against you.
Need to create an employee handbook?
To stay compliant and avoid risk or doubt, leave all your documentation to the HR experts.
5. Provide health & safety training
If your worker were to get hurt on the job, you could find yourself in huge legal trouble if you didn’t establish a health & safety procedure.
Health & safety training is crucial to reduce the risk of staff injuring themselves at work.
How much training do you need to provide? Well, it depends on what you do.
If you work in a high-risk environment, like a construction site or factory, you’ll likely need more safety procedures and training in place. If you work in a low-risk environment, then providing some simple instructions and information will probably be enough.
The main things to cover in health & safety training are:
- hazards and risks in your workplace
- the measures you have in place to manage these risks
- the steps your workers should take in an emergency
- your arrangements for first aid, fire, and evacuation
Need help identifying your workplace hazards?
Get 24/7 advice from health & safety experts to keep your workplace safe and HSE-compliant.
Need help with your induction?
An induction process is crucial for helping your new employee settle into your company. But it can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start…
Failing to put together the right paperwork puts your new starter and your company at risk of breaching regulations. Which could end in hefty fines and hazardous accidents…
Fortunately, there’s no risk or stress when you join Peninsula. Need to create terms and conditions? Employee handbooks? Policies?
Your trusty HR and health & safety experts are on hand to provide you with ready-made policies and documents - so, you have all the protection and none of the responsibility.
Whether you need documentation support or general advice, get in touch today on 0800 028 2420
