Things to think about when implementing an employee induction process

1. Identify the business objectives and desired benefits

Effective induction can have many benefits including reducing turnover costs, engaging
and motivating new and existing employees, contributing to the implementation of good
systems and processes and gaining feedback and ideas from new hires looking at an
organisation through “fresh eyes”. Thinking about how a new or improved induction
process could benefit your organisation will help you determine the focus and shape of
the programme. If you are keen to help new hires build internal networks for example, a
programme which brings all new hires together may be important. If your key business
driver is to ensure consistent standards and messages across a multi-site organisation, an
e-learning solution may be most appropriate.

2. Secure early commitment

Don’t underestimate the powerful effect that induction can have in developing
commitment to a new organisation. A good induction process shows that the company
cares and is committed to setting people up for success. It can also help to identify
problems or barriers at an early stage and allow the appropriate action to be taken.
Conversely a poor induction experience could make some new entrants doubt their
decision to join your organisation representing a risk in terms of future retention and
reputation.

3. Agree roles and responsibilities of different players in the process

Clearly identify the roles and responsibilities of the different players in the induction
process. These may include the HR/ L&D functions, the line manager, the administration
function, mentors or buddies and of course the individual themselves. This is perhaps
best achieved via a detailed induction checklist which allocates specific responsibilities
and timelines to the various stakeholders.

4. Think of induction as a journey

Thinking about your induction process as a journey rather than a one-off event is
essential. It may be useful to consider the induction journey in terms of the first 3 days,
first 3 weeks and first 3 months. This approach might include a mini induction during the
first 3 days with an immediate supervisor covering essentials such as security,
housekeeping, organisation charts, initial objectives and introductions to key personnel.
A more comprehensive induction training session may follow during the first 3 weeks
and then a review meeting after 3 months to check that everything is on track. Giving
consideration to what post-programme support may be needed is also important. This
may include additional training, quick reference guides, key contact lists or personal
support which could be provided by mentors or buddies.
5. Engage staff prior to joining

A good induction process should start from the moment an employee accepts an offer
with your organisation. Develop a comprehensive induction checklist and also give
thought to what could be covered pre-arrival to prepare someone for life within your
organisation. This may include a pre-joining visit, regular phone and email contact or
access to the company intranet site. Ensuring that all the relevant administrative and IT
arrangements are in place will also be a big factor in getting a new employee up and
running as soon as possible and creating good first impression.

6. Have clear learning objectives for training sessions

When designing content for induction training, it is important to start by identifying the
desired outcomes of the training. Michael Meighan advises thinking in terms of what a
new entrant “must know”, “should know” and “could know”. The “must knows” will
include key policies and procedures, regulatory, health and safety and personnel matters
essential for a person to do their particular job. “Should knows” may be things that the
person ought know in order to fit in within the organisation and “could knows” may be of
interest but would not be essential for a new entrant to do their job e.g. organizational
history. When designing the training also ensure that training sessions and induction
materials take account of different learning preferences and where possible include a
variety of delivery styles.

7. Respect the induction needs of different audiences

One size does not necessarily fit all and recognizing that different groups of new
employees may have varying induction needs is essential. Within the same organisation,
the induction needs of a senior director, a school leaver and indeed a returning expatriate
are likely to be quite different. Whilst the fundamentals of the induction process may
remain the same, ensuring that the content of induction training sessions is appropriately
tailored and relevant to the needs of different audiences will be vital in securing
engagement.

8. Ensure a quality experience

For most people, the induction programme will be their first experience with the Learning
and Development function within the organisation - and all too often this can be less than
positive. It is important to remember that this is a unique opportunity for L&D to “set out
its stall” with new hires. Developing carefully tailored content and choosing competent
trainers who motivate and engage their audiences will be key ingredients in delivering a
high quality experience.
9. Keep induction material up to date

All too often organizations will make a significant investment in designing a new
induction process and then fail to keep key content up to date. It is vital that at the outset
an owner for the process is identified and it is agreed how induction content will be
updated by key stakeholders on an on-going basis. Using e-based induction materials can
be one way to ensure that it can be easily maintained and updated. Whilst this may mean
a more significant up-front investment, e-based induction materials may also help reduce
expenditure on classroom based training and the associated travel and delivery costs
particularly in multi-site organisations.

10. Evaluation

Finally, as with any new process it is important to continuously evaluate the success of
your induction process and make appropriate changes as required. Some measures which
may be helpful in assessing the success of your approach could include:

1) Feedback from new hires who have gone through the process – this could take the
from of course evaluation sheets if you are delivering an induction training session or
could be achieved via 1:1 interviews with a selected group of new entrants after their first
3 months with the organisation.
2) Retention rates for new entrants – monitoring these will be particularly important for
organizations who implemented a new process in an attempt to reduce attrition levels
amongst new joiners.
3) Exit Interviews – data from individuals choosing to leave the organisation can provide
valuable information about the success of an induction process.
4) Monitoring common queries – where your organisation has a HR Service Centre it
may also be useful to monitor the types of common queries coming from new joiners to
review whether additional information should be included in the induction process
5) Employee Engagement Survey – where your organisation has a regular employee
engagement survey, this could prove valuable in measuring changes in levels of
commitment and engagement following the introduction of a new induction process.

Positive outcomes of a good induction process

• High levels of motivation and commitment amongst new employees.

• High retention rates for new joiners within the organisation.
• Positive influence on existing staff involved in the induction process – who are
reminded of the positives attributes of their organisation and motivated by their
involvement in the process
• Organisation is perceived externally as a good employer, who cares and works hard to
integrate new staff – likely to act as a positive attraction tool for new hires.
• Positive impact on the implementation of processes and procedures within the
organisation.
Induction training checklist

Here is a simple checklist in three sections, to help you design an induction plan to
suit your particular situation(s).

Whilst the order of items is something that you must decide locally, there is some
attempt below to reflect a logical sequence and priority for induction training
subjects. Consider this an induction checklist - not an agenda. This checklist assumes
the induction of an operational or junior management person into a job within a
typical production or service environment.

General organisational induction training checklist

 Essential 'visitor level' safety and emergency procedures

 Washrooms
 Food and drink
 Smoking areas and policy
 Timings and induction training overview
 Organisational history and background overview
 Ethics and philosophy
 Mission statement(s)
 Organisation overview and structure
 Local structure if applicable
 Departmental structure and interfaces
 Who's who (names, roles, responsibilities)
 Site layout
 Other sites and locations
 Dress codes
 Basic communications overview
 Facilities and amenities
 Pay
 Absenteeism and lateness
 Holidays
 Sickness
 Health insurance
 Pension
 Trades Unions
 Rights and legal issues
 Personnel systems and records overview
 Access to personal data
 Time and attendance system
 Security
 Transport and parking
 Creche and childcare
 Grievance procedures
 Discipline procedures
 Career paths
 Training and development
 Learning Styles Self-Assessment
 Multiple Intelligences Self-Assessment
 Appraisals
 Mentoring
  Awards and Incentives
 Health and Safety, and hazard reporting
 Physical examinations, eye test etc.
 Emergency procedures, fire drill, first aid
 Accident reporting
 Personal Protective Equipment
 Use, care, and issue of tools and equipment
 Other housekeeping issues
 General administration
 Restricted areas, access, passes

Job and departmental induction training checklist

The induction training process also offers the best opportunity to help the new
person more quickly integrate into the work environment - particularly to become
known among other staff members. Hence the departmental tours and personal
introductions are an absolutely vital part of induction. Organisations depend on its
people being able to work together, to liaise and cooperate - these capabilities in
turn depend on contacts and relationships. Well-planned induction training can
greatly accelerate the development of this crucial organisational capability.

 Local departmental amenities, catering, washrooms, etc.

 Local security, time and attendance, sickness, absenteeism, holidays, etc.
 Local emergency procedures
 Local departmental structure
 Department tour
 Departmental functions and aims
 Team and management
 People and personalities overview (extremely helpful, but be careful to avoid
sensitive or judgemental issues)
 Related departments and functions
 How the department actually works and relates to others
 Politics, protocols, unwritten rules (extremely helpful, but be careful to avoid
sensitive or judgemental issues)
 The work-flow - what are we actually here to do?
 Customer service standards and service flow
 How the job role fits into the service or production process
 Reporting, communications and management structures
 Terminology, jargon, glossary, definitions of local terms
 Use and care of issued equipment
 Work space or workstation
 Local housekeeping
 Stationery and supplies
 Job description - duties, authority, scope, area/coverage/territory
 Expectations, standards, current priorities
 Use of job specific equipment, tools, etc.
 Use of job specific materials, substances, consumables
 Handling and storage
 Technical training - sub-categories as appropriate
 Product training - sub-categories as appropriate
 Services training - sub-categories as appropriate
 Job specific health and safety training
  Job-specific administration, processing, etc.
 Performance reporting
 Performance evaluation
 Training needs analysis method and next steps
 Initial training plans after induction
 Training support, assistance, mentor support
 Where to go, who to call, who to ask for help and advice
 Start of one-to-one coaching
 Training review times and dates
 Development of personal objectives and goals
 Opportunities for self-driven development
 Virtual teams, groups, projects open to job role
 Social activities and clubs, etc.
 Initial induction de-brief and feedback
 Confirmation of next training actions
 Wider site and amenities tour

Other induction training activities for managerial, executive, field-based or

international roles

Here are some typical activities to include in the induction training plans for higher
level people. The aim is to give them exposure to a wide variety of experiences and
contacts, before the pressures of the job impact and limit their freedom. As with all
roles, induction also serves the purpose of integrating the new person into the work
environment - getting them known. Induction training is not restricted to simply
training the person; induction is also about establishing the new person among the
existing staff as quickly as possible. This aspect of induction is particularly important
for technical personalities and job roles, who often are slower to develop
relationships and contacts within the organisation.

 Site tours and visits

 Field accompaniment visits with similar and related job roles
 Customer visits
 Supplier and manufacturer visits
 Visits and tours of other relevant locations, sites and partners
 Attendance of meetings and project groups
 Shop-floor and 'hands-on' experiences (especially for very senior people)
 Attendance at interesting functions, dinners, presentations, etc.
 Exhibition visits and stand-manning
 Overseas visits - customers, suppliers, sister companies, etc.