It is time-consuming and costly to hire a new member into your company or organization. Hence you would want them to blend in and learn the ropes quickly so that they can be productive members of your organization in as short a time as possible. Think of a machine. After buying it you would not want to wait a long time before you can use it except of course for the time required for installation. The solution to this issue is a well-thought-out and carefully crafted induction process that helps the new recruits feel at home and know all that is needed to get on with their assigned work.
Time was when filling out personnel records, showing them the washrooms, introducing them to a few co-workers, and saying something to the effect “Wish you good luck, buddy” was all that was thought necessary as part of the induction process. That no longer suffices. Nowadays, employees expect and demand more. And that is how things should be because induction is helpful to both the new employee and the organization. It is a win-win situation.
To be sure, the concept of induction has been around for the longest time in one form or another. Think of “rites of passage” and “coming of age” ceremonies, which mark a person’s transition from one status to another, such as attainment of puberty, graduation from high school, marriage, and death. The other terms used more or less synonymously with induction include onboarding and orientation, though they have a slightly different shade of meaning.
You have to plan the induction around these issues: kind and extent of knowledge about the work environment needed; first impression created on the employee; policies and procedures needed to be communicated; introduction to co-workers should be comfortable and not awkward or intimidating; any special things the employee needs to get on with his job; availability of supervisor to assist the employee on the very first day and generally make him feel at home. There could be other issues depending on the nature of work of the employee and the culture and purpose of your organization, such as say safety training, but whatever those issues, the important thing is to plan how and when you will address these issues, that is formally or informally, individually or in groups, on day 1 or in first week/month, etc.
A typical induction program covers (1) Legal requirements (for example, in some cases health and safety training), (2) Regulatory requirements (filling out of some forms), (3) Introduction to T&C (leaves, vacations, etc.), (4) Introduction to the company and department, (5) A guided tour, (6) Completing government requirements, (7) Payroll details, (8) Introduction to important members of the staff, and (9) Tailored job-role training.
Induction is a process that should take place over a number of weeks; it is not a one-day event. The nature of the induction program will depend on the new employee’s role. Good practice guidelines for any induction program are (1) Do not overload the employee with new information; deliver it gradually; (2) Prioritize when you will convey each of the pieces of information; (3) Explain the purpose of knowing each piece of information; (4) Use a variety of techniques because different people have different learning styles: some learn better from written material, whereas others prefer oral information where they can ask questions; (5) Involve more than one person to get the employee “up to speed”.
Any effective induction program will confer the following benefits: (1) Reduces start-up costs, (2) Reduces the anxiety of the employee, (3) Reduces employee turnover, (4) Saves time for co-workers and supervisor, (5) Develops realistic job expectations, positive attitudes, and job satisfaction, (6) Employee knows everything he needs to know, and last but not the least (7) The employee will feel welcomed.
