Induction
You’ve spent thousands on recruiting them, narrowed them down from 20 applicants, convinced them to join your organisation. So what’s next?
Induction, on-boarding, orientation, it goes by differing names in different organisations but done properly can have numerous benefits, done incorrectly can achieve disastrous consequences…..
Why have an induction programme?
The number of reasons for having a structured induction programme are numerous but the main objective should be to make the employee feel welcome as well as having a happy and productive employee as soon as is possible. Integrating them quickly can not only have them productive quickly but can also aid in retaining top talent.
It’s vital the programme shows the new staff member just how important they are to the organisation and also shows them what the company is all about and what its mission and goals are. This ensures everyone’s on the same page, knows about the company’s culture, and reinforces the employment brand.
Another vital reason for a top notch programme is to make sure the new employee doesn’t have a change of heart and reassess other offers that may have come in, or go back to their old employer.
This is achieved by them having a very good experience, this is not achieved by a day of filling out form after form.
Make sure you cover the basics!
Nobody likes to feel helpless, even in their first few days, so make sure the
employee knows what they need to know, when they need to know it. Basic info needs to be conveyed quickly so that they know simple things such as how to log onto the computer system, get stationery, where to make a cup of tea, and where the toilets are!
Outline how and when salaries are paid, employee reviews are carried out, and training and development is planned and implemented. Obviously some forms will need to be filled out and information gleamed from the employee, but keep this form filling to a minimum.
This is also a good time to introduce company policies with regard to Health & Safety, and internet usage.
Management Involvement
One of the biggest errors of these programmes is the lack of involvement of the person’s line management. This is one of the key relationships in the employees working life. Their manager will decide on various things from salary reviews, training priorities, what projects they’ll be involved in, to promotions achieved etc so they should be given a chance to develop this relationship at an early stage.
Depending on the level of the employee, manager involvement may be in the basic day one events or for senior employees, dinner with the management etc.
An additional benefit of this early involvement is that it will allow the manager to gauge how best to motivate the individual staff member, and manage them accordingly.
Strategies
Some overall strategies for the operation of the programme:
- Formal and fun - the programme should be formal with regard to what it is setting out to achieve, and ensuring it does so. The delivery though needs to be done in a easy going and fun environment where everyone feels relaxed and at ease
- Interesting and interactive - the last thing you want is the employee’s drifting off to sleep after the third hour of another corporate video sent out by HQ in another country, so keep it interesting and relevant. The more
interactive the programme the better as it makes everyone feel involved
- Use your intranet/e-learning - using an intranet element to your programme will allow you to increase the involvement of the inductee as well as allowing them to not only go
through things at their own speed, but also access info when they need it. Another good idea is to have key
terminology specific to the company explained on the site, as well as pictures of key staff and management
- Reinforce with examples - talk is cheap they say so back up what your saying with examples of it in operation. If you’re talking about career progression, show someone who has rose up through the ranks
- Feedback - make sure the programme allows for the participants to provide feedback and ask questions. An anonymous way to ask, what the participant may think is a
“stupid” question, is also useful so they can clarify items that they may feel silly asking in person
Mentors
The use of mentors as part of the programme can also be invaluable. Mentors can do simple things as bring them to lunch on the first day, introduce them to people outside of their immediate department, and be a great person to ask questions of.
Mentors need to be well thought of within the organisation, respected and well networked. They should also be an exemplar of what can be strived for career wise within the company, and represent the company’s core values and brand.
If this relationship is good enough the mentor should be able to intervene should there be any potential problems with the employee and deal with them before the problem escalates.
Timeframe
The programme can start before the employees first day through send outs of company literature or via websites etc. Some companies make it a point to bring new employees to some sort of social event prior to start.
The employee may be allowed to choose any flexible benefits or fill in some needed information, for example, via a secure website. This can be a good way of getting family involved also, long term a great strategy for retention.
The initial induction may then last a day or two depending on how much needs to be covered, but it’s vital these employees are revisited sometime later (30/60/90 days is typical) to make sure they have settled in and there are no problems.
Some larger companies also have an event for, for example, everyone who ever started in a given month. This allows for inter departmental interaction.
Other good stuff
If your new employee is having a great experience in induction, you better believe they’re still talking to former colleagues and that message is being heard loud and clear. This makes the opportunities for them referring other staff to you very good, you may not even have to ask. Use this to your advantage and make sure you contact everyone referred, even if you currently have no job for them.
Taking this a step further, some companies proactively seek out names in the new employees old companies and devise a list of targets for future recruiting campaigns. This sort of information can be invaluable for hard to fill roles but as a strategy still virtually unheard of in Ireland.
Make sure you get good feedback on the whole recruiting process so you can improve areas the company falls down. Find out why the applicant applied and why they accepted, and what aspect may have nearly made them say “no” (be specific). Use this info to refine the process, rewrite your job ads and generally improve the candidate experience.
To sum up, a well exercised employee induction programme can get your new employee up and running quickly, aid retention, and even help your recruitment of other staff.
Can you afford not to have one?
Published in: HR & Recruitment Ireland, March 2008