When your company has a new starter, you have to make sure that they have all the information they need to start their new role. From your company rules to vital health & safety information.
A good induction process is a great way to ensure that your new employee has a great first impression of your company. An initial positive experience with a company can lead to higher employee morale and lower employee turnover.
In this guide, we'll look at what you need to create an effective induction program, your responsibilities to new employees, and how to make a great first impression.
What is an employee induction program?
An employee induction program is a chance for you to welcome a new employee into your business.
The first few weeks of a new job can be stressful. But an effective induction can help new employees settle into their new work environment and help them feel supported.
Induction processes vary, but businesses of all sizes should have some type of formal induction course in place. It's a chance for you to share essential information with new recruits. This could be information about the employer brand as well as what is expected of them.
The length of your induction process will depend on your company and your new employee's role.
What should the induction process cover?
The induction process may begin before the employees start date. You could start by discussing terms of employment as well as general first day instructions.
Once they have joined you may begin to cover more general information about their new role. This could be anything including information about company policies, key responsibilities, and company culture.
You may want to conduct your induction via one to one discussions. However, inviting new joiners to group discussions or informal meetings can help new employees get acquainted with their new colleagues.
Some companies choose to give new employees a welcome pack. This can be a great resource as you can include hard copies of useful information that new starters should keep to hand. It may also include branded gifts to help them settle in such as mugs, pens or notepads.
What are the benefits of an effective induction programme?
Many larger organisations will have a formal induction plan as part of their recruitment process. However having a written statement or plan in place can help businesses of all sizes.
Benefits of a formal plan include:
- Ensuring all new employees receive a consistent and positive message about company values and culture.
- Helping employees engage in ongoing group discussions or projects.
- Allowing new recruits time to socialise with current employees and build cross-functional relationships.
- Lower staff turnover and recruitment fees.
What are the negatives of a formal induction programme?
It's important that you don't assume too much about your new employee's background. For some it may be their first job so it might take longer to induct them. Make sure to allow adequate time to go through all software and relevant working processes with any new recruits.
There are some issues that come with having a set induction process in place. These include:
- Induction may be broad and cover topics that aren't relevant to every new employee.
- Induction could be very impersonal.
Creating an employee induction checklist
Although an employee induction shouldn't be a tick box exercise, creating a step by step plan can help you manage the process.
An induction checklist can help you stay on top of the employee induction procedure. Try breaking down the induction process into small steps to ensure that nothing important gets missed.
Your induction process should cover:
- Pre employment communications.
- Health and safety information.
- Organisational orientation.
- Benefits and policies.
- Learning and development opportunities.
Pre employment checks
Before a new employee starts, you need to make sure that all their documentation is in order. This begins with a right to work check to ensure that they are able to accept the role. Once this has been approved you can ask for copies of other important documentation.
This includes receiving their P45 and bank details for payroll. This can be covered in their new starter form.
You may also wish to send over pre employment communications. These can cover what to expect on the first day, your company's dress code as well as their conditions of employment.
Health & safety information
All new employees need to be aware of your safety protocols from their on the job. This includes the location of fire exits, first aid procedures and accident reporting.
The exact information that a new employee will require will depend on their job role. Effective inductions may include information about specific hazards that a new starter may encounter. For example, if they are an office worker, they may require training on display screen equipment.
Organisational orientation
When a new employee starts, you should show them all the facilities you have on site. This will likely include showing them around the canteen, kitchen as well as other basic facilities.
However, this is also an opportunity to show your new recruit important departments within your organisation. This can help your new staff member build relationships with employees working within your company already. Key departments could include your IT team or HR department.
These early introductions allow departments to pass on crucial information to new employees about communication techniques. This could include your grievance procedure and data protection policy.
Benefits and policies
Your new recruit will likely have a lot of questions about the benefits for joining your company.
These include how and when they will be paid, their holiday allowance, or flexible working arrangements. Your induction programme is a great opportunity to show employees that they made the right decision choosing your business to advance their careers.
Training and development opportunities
Once your new employee has begun to settle in, it may be time to discuss their career goals and how they want to develop. You could discuss when they will have their first appraisal meeting and what targets they would like to achieve before then.
You should let your employee know about any training and development opportunities that your company offers. This could be a mentorship program or positive action initiative.
Investing in your employee's development and training is a great way to make the most out of your most talented staff members. It shows your staff that you care about their future, which leads to better employee morale and lower staff turnover.
What should you avoid in the induction process?
When creating an induction process there are a few things you need to avoid. The first few days at a new job can be very overwhelming for a new employee. To help with this, try to avoid providing them with too much information too soon.
You can avoid this by:
- Pitching presentations at a relevant level. Take into account prior knowledge when presenting to new employees. If possible, tailor the info to best suit them or avoid any topics that aren't relevant to their specific role.
- Sharing the process between HR and line managers. This ensures that new employees receive information on the company's history and culture and not just information specific to their job role.
- Don't oversell the role. There are pros and cons to every job role so avoid setting unrealistic expectations for your new employee as this could lead to higher turnover.
- Don't create an induction programme that only focuses on administration and compliance. These are unlikely to reflect your employer brand.
Get help from Peninsula when creating your induction policy
The induction process should be beneficial to both you and your new employees. It's not only a chance to get to know your new recruit but it also allows you to show your new staff what makes your business unique.
Having an induction policy ensures that new staff get the information they need for the early stages of their employment.
Peninsula's team of expert advisors offer 24/7 help and support to help you manage new and veteran employees. Call us on0800 028 2420.
