Ensuring Effective Induction

Having recruited the right person for the job, you want to keep them. Therefore, it is important to provide a thorough induction (on-boarding) to get them up to speed as effectively as possible. How they are inducted can impact on their first impressions of the company and whether they choose to stay. It will also influence what return you get on your recruitment costs.

Investing the time and effort to induct people is invaluable. This applies whether they are new to the business or new to a role. Induction is just as important for those who have been promoted to a new position. If the process is done piece meal, or not at all, you can end up with a ‘sink or swim’ approach. In a busy world, the time required for effective induction can be seen as too much, but the time required to deal with mistakes, misunderstandings, and replacing unhappy or underperforming staff can be far higher.

Definition of Induction

“Induction is a period during which a new member of an organization or a new member of staff learns about the organization and has basic training”.                         

Cambridge Dictionary

The CIPD definition of induction is the process through which employees adjust or acclimatise to their new jobs and working environment. It can include orientation to help them find their way around the organisation and socialisation to build working relationships with new teams and getting up to speed in their role.

Some of this can be done before they formally join, such as setting expectations of behaviours and ways of working. Every organisation, large or small, should have a well-considered induction that provides a new employee with a positive experience.

Purpose of Induction

There are several reasons why we need to induct people.

• Welcome the new employee or new person to a role.
• Help them settle in.
• Ensure they have the knowledge, skills and support they need.
• Improve retention, commitment, and brand.
• Ensure they are compliant with legal, health and safety, and company policy.
• It helps build relationships with management and colleagues.

Benefits of Effective Induction

Effective induction takes time and effort, but there are real benefits to it, whereas ineffective induction can cost you dearly. Some benefits are:

The Right Approach

If you think back to your first day at work or a new job, how did you feel? You may have felt nervous, apprehensive, overwhelmed, even terrified, or you may have felt excited and curious. Your induction process can add or detract from these emotions.

If people are feeling very nervous, then it is unlikely that the brain will transfer much information into long term memory. Is this the right time to load them with masses of important information? Also, the length of time you can transmit information to someone and they continue to listen, may be very short.

Consider what information you can send them before they start, so that they have time to read it. You can then check understanding during the induction.

If you spend the first four hours reciting the critical information, most of it may be lost into the ether! You might like to consider whether you can break it up into manageable chunks, get them to ask questions or give them exercises to do. You could have a quiz, get them to carry out a task, or write their own risk assessment. A good balance between tell and ask will keep them thinking and engaged.

Being Effective

It can be more effective if you identify what is vital information that they must know, what they need to know and what is nice to know. You can then define a timescale for dropping this information in. A skills matrix for training will ensure nothing is missed.

If you use a variety of people to do the induction, then this helps break it up and introduces more of the team. However, you need to ensure a consistent approach. Can you provide a buddy or a mentor to guide them in those early weeks? What technology can you use to help you? This might be videos of the owners recounting the history, values and culture or their progression through the business.

Being creative in how you get the information across can make it fun and people are more likely to remember what they need to know. It also helps to use positive people in the process rather than the moaners.

Successful Induction of a New Leader

It is just as important for those being promoted to more senior positions to have an effective and consistent induction for the new role. Too often people are thrown in at the deep end, which is not only scary but can be disastrous. Aspects to consider are:

• Get an early grasp of the key aspects and responsibilities of the role.
• Ensure adequate time for a proper handover.
• Establish a limited number of short-term objectives for them.
• Monitor progress on a regular basis.
• Listen to feedback from colleagues and check things are going well.
• Consider using a mentor, possibly external, if no one else is available.
• Have a thorough final review to check how they are doing.

Probationary Period

Many employers use a probationary/trial period of three to six months, which can be extended if necessary. The purpose is to get the person performing to their full potential as soon as possible and ensure the right fit for both parties.

The worst thing that can happen is that the person is ‘let go’ at the end of that period because they are not ‘up to scratch’; although no one has told them they are underperforming in that time! Or the new employee is struggling and unhappy, but no one has picked this up.

To be effective, as with any performance management, it requires a positive mindset, proper goal setting, monitoring and reviews at regular intervals. It is important to be fair to the person and give them every opportunity to shine. It’s too late if you wait until the end of the period to tell them they are not good enough.

Effective induction requires time and effort. You can have the best schedule and plan, but it won’t work unless it is implemented fairly and consistently, .

“Treat people as they are, and they remain that. Treat them as though they were what they can be, and we help them become what they are capable of becoming”.

Goethe

If you would like to find out more, please contact me.

Also published on Medium.