CHAPTER 11

Successful Induction

This chapter covers the benefits of effective induction, what to include in the induction process, what to avoid in the induction process, group induction, and evaluation of induction.

Once an appointment has been made it is tempting to think that the recruitment process is finished. However, if the aim is to ensure that recruitment is successful, it is important to pay attention to what happens next. All too often talented recruits leave their new organizations after only a few weeks in post, meaning that all the time and money spent on the recruitment process has been wasted. Often this is due to insufficient thought being given as to what will happen once the appointment has been made.

Effective Induction: The Benefits

Effective induction enables the new recruit to understand your organization, and how their role fits into the bigger picture. It provides them with an opportunity to meet and start building relationships with key people, and to develop their understanding of both the formal and informal cultures of the organization. Most importantly, it makes them feel welcomed.

Table 11.1 sets out the benefits of effective induction for both the employer and the new employee:

Table 11.1 Benefits of effective induction

Pay and Remuneration

One of the worst things an organization can do with a new employee is fail to pay them on time. This is surprisingly common, particularly in bureaucratic organizations with complex and time-consuming processes for getting things done.

The result of a delay in pay will certainly damage the new employee’s perception of the organization. It may also present them with practical difficulties, affecting their ability to meet their financial commitments. And dealing with a delay in pay will certainly divert their attention from what you want them to be focusing on, which is learning about their
new job.

For these reasons, it is important that issues relating to pay are quickly addressed on appointment.

Formal and Informal Organizational Culture

Induction processes are often very clear about the formal aspects of the organization—the espoused vision, values, and corporate objectives, and ways of working to achieve these. However, it is equally important to pay attention to the informal aspects of organizational culture. What conversations go on around the water cooler? Are the things that people say informally supportive of your organization’s vision, values, and strategy, or do people look for opportunities to overtly or covertly undermine them?

If it is the latter, you need to be careful that the new employee is not unduly influenced by these undermining voices. There may be wider issues about the culture of the organization that you need to address—indeed, you may have recruited with a view to bringing in people who will change the culture of the organization. If there are negative voices at work in your organization you will need to be prepared to address these, by tackling the views they are presenting of your organization while also ensuring that you present a positive view to the new recruit.

What to Include in the Induction Process?

Points to include in induction will vary according to the requirements of the role and the nature of the organization. The list below outlines some of the key areas to consider including in your induction process.

Pre-Employment

• Joining instructions.
• Proof of the legal right to work in the country (if required, and not already done during recruitment).
• New starter forms (enabling the setup of bank account details and eligible benefits from day one).
• Employment contract (to be signed before the employee takes up the post).*
• Conditions of employment (to be read and signed before the employee takes up the post).*
• Company literature and website/social media.

*Two copies of the contract and conditions of employment should be provided and signed; one to be retained by the employer, and the other to be retained by the employee.

Health and Safety, and Compliance

• Emergency exits
• Evacuation procedures
• First aid facilities
• Health and safety policy
• Accident reporting
• Protective clothing
• Specific hazards
• Security procedures
• Confidentiality
• Data protection

Much of this information will be set out in documents such as office risk assessments, local instructions on managing incidents, and company policies and procedures. New employees should be provided with these, but not just left to read them. Little information will be absorbed, and you will be left with a bored and unmotivated employee! It is important for you and experienced colleagues to talk the new employee through relevant procedures, and to explain why they are important. Tests and validation exercises are a useful way of checking understanding. I know of one organization which required new recruits to complete a corporate jigsaw, acquiring pieces as they met new people until the jigsaw was complete.

Facilities

• Site map.
• Refreshments—kitchen, staff restaurant, vending machines, and so on.
• Information about local facilities—shops, cafes, restaurants, banks, and so on.
• First aid post (and details of who is qualified to administer first aid).
• Guided tour of the building and explanation of local procedures.
• Telephone and computer system information.
• Security pass.
• Car park pass.
• Opening hours.
• Remote/flexible working tools and access to work systems, if applicable.

Organizational Information

• Organization background and history
• Organization chart—national/global
• Organization chart—departmental
• Organization strategy
• Products and services
• Quality systems and processes
• Customer care policy

Culture and Values

• Mission statement
• Corporate vision
• Employer brand
• Values

Benefits and Policies

• Pay—payment date and method.
• Tax and national insurance.
• Workplace/stakeholder pension schemes.
• Other benefits.
• Expenses and expense claims.
• Working time, including hours, flexitime, and arrangements for breaks.
• Remote working policies.
• Holidays, special leave.
• Probation period.
• Equality and diversity policies.
• Well-being strategy, including attendance/absence policy and procedures.
• Internet, intranet, e-mail, and social media policies.
• Performance management system.
• Discipline procedure.
• Grievance procedure.
• Employee groups.

Role-Specific Information

• Clear outline of the job/role requirements.
• Introduction to colleagues.
• Ways of working.
• Meeting with key colleagues (either face-to-face, or through the use of technology).
• Organizational orientation; demonstration of how the employee fits into the team and how their role fits with the overall strategy and goals.

Learning and Development

• Continuing professional development—expectations and opportunities.
• In-house development opportunities.
• External opportunities.
• Career development.

What to Avoid in the Induction Process

There is a delicate balance to be struck between providing the new recruit with clear and comprehensive information relating to their new role, and overloading them with so much detail that it’s impossible for them to take it all in. Be careful to guard against the following pitfalls:

• Providing too much, too soon—the inductee must not be overwhelmed by a mass of information on the first day. Keep it simple and relevant.
• Pitching presentations at an inappropriate level—where possible, presentations should be tailored to take into account prior knowledge. Having conversations to establish what a new employee already knows is a great way of building your relationship with them, and of validating their existing knowledge. It will also provide you with the opportunity to address any misconceptions they may have formed about their new role and organization.
• Too much information being provided centrally, often by the HR Department, rather than local managers. Induction should be a shared process, with centrally generated information being supported by local input.
• Creating an induction program that generates unreasonable expectations by overselling the job. By all means talk to the new recruit about career opportunities in your business, but be realistic about the requirements of the existing job and the need to fully demonstrate these before further developing their career.
• Creating an induction program that focuses only on administration and compliance and does not reflect organizational values. This can make induction feel like a very mechanical process which is dull and uninspiring for the new employee. An effective induction program should be engaging and assure the new employee that they have made the right decision to join the business.

Group Induction

If a significant number of new recruits join at the same time it might be appropriate to run a group induction exercise. This enables resources to be used efficiently, avoids duplicating the same presentations and conversations over and over again, and ensures that consistent messages are provided to new recruits.

The advantages of group induction are:

• It saves inductors’ and managers’ time by dealing with a group rather than several individuals. The use of digital tools to share information can be useful where new recruits are globally dispersed.
• It ensures that all new recruits are given a consistent positive message portraying a clear employer brand, values, and culture.
• A range of engaging communication techniques can be deployed, such as group discussions or projects.
• It enables new recruits to socialize with each other and build cross-functional relationships.

However, there are also disadvantages which include:

• It may contain a range of subjects that are unlikely to appeal to a cross-functional and mixed ability group of new employees.
• It may take place several weeks, or even months, after the inductee joins the organization, which disrupts integration into the work team and risks information being shared too late in the induction process.
• It can be less personal, and involve managers and HR
  personnel rather than colleagues and local supervisors.

As with the recruitment process, a blended approach is often most effective, enabling new recruits to hear centrally generated messages alongside learning about their new job and organization from their line manager and immediate colleagues.

Evaluating the Induction Process

The induction process should be monitored to determine whether it is meeting the needs of the new recruits and the organization. Monitoring should include opportunities for feedback at the end of the induction process, and encouraging new recruits to highlight areas for improvement.

As well as gathering feedback from new employees, it is important to identify in advance your measures of success of the induction process and to evaluate the process against these. Information from turnover statistics and exit interviews can also be used. It will be particularly relevant to look at those from employees who leave within the first 12 months. This information will help you to refine your recruitment and induction processes, as well as enabling you to identify and address any themes which emerge about underlying issues in your organization.

Summary of Chapter 11—Successful Induction

In this chapter I have set out the importance of effective induction in ensuring that there is a return on the investment made in the recruitment process. I have identified what should be included in the induction process, which should be a combination of hard information about policies and procedures relating to the role, an insight into the culture and priorities of the organization, and local information relating to the new employee’s immediate team and workplace.

Induction should provide the opportunity for the new recruit to build relationships with their line manager, immediate colleagues, other new recruits, and key people throughout the organization. Above all, induction should be a process of welcoming the new recruit into the organization.