Absence of Induction and Its

Impact on the Organization

Bhadra J H Arachchige*

Induction is the process of putting the new employees to work by allowing them
to adjust to the work environment as soon as possible. Hence, it is seen as the
first opportunity for the organization to introduce the cultural norms, values,
and work ethics of the organization to the newcomer. The objective of the present
study is to find out whether lack of induction causes low work effectiveness. For
the purpose, a case study was undertaken by choosing a State-Owned Enterprise
(SOE). The methodology used in the study is qualitative in nature, and data is
obtained through semi-structured interviews with the newly recruited
management assistants of the enterprise and their supervisory staff, and through
document inspection. The findings reveal that there is a significant negative
impact of lack of proper induction on work effectiveness in the organization. The
findings also reveal that all management assistants and their supervisors insist
on conducting an induction program for the newly recruited employees as it is
essential to help them possess relevant knowledge about procedures as well as
for familiarization of work methods, rules and regulations that this particular
SOE deals with. This would enable the new employee to contribute more quickly
to organizational effectiveness. The results further indicate that the nature of
the work in this particular SOE is such that the supervisors of the newly recruited
management assistants have limited time to provide on-the-job training. It is
therefore recommended that if job training methods are to be used, there is a
need to appoint a pool of supervisors for that specific task, free from their normal
work routine.

Introduction
Irrespective of the size of the organization, the practice of introducing a new
employee to the organization is vital as he/she can become a more functional
member of a collectivity. Any arrangements made to familiarize the new employees
with the organization is called induction (Skeats, 1991, p. 16). The changing nature
of employment in the last few decades has resulted in employees entering and
exiting jobs more frequently than 50 years ago (Simosi, 2010). As such, lifetime
jobs are not a norm anymore. The question remains, how we can keep

* Senior Lecturer, Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Management

Studies and Commerce, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka.
E-mail: bhadra_arachchige@yahoo.com

Absence of Induction
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