Management of Art Series-Day 3- After Constitution -Induction of Employees

After a well prepared Constitution...making the concerned PPTS and a leather bound copy....and distributing with lots of Fanfare...Now it is important that you make a proper induction program for the company/organization...I wanted to write on type of infrastructure also.... but that will have to wait till tomorrow......

The induction program should be tailored to the requirements in the job, the needs of the individual employee need to be taken into account as these may affect the style and pace of the process.  The following points are examples of the differing emphases that you may need to consider to make sure that the induction process is successful:

Induction need not be an elaborate exercise, but it must be thought out in advance, carried out in a timely and careful manner and evaluated to ensure that it meets the needs of the organisation and the employee…..

The benefits of a good induction program are a more settled employee, a more effective response to training, lower staff turnover and improved communications and relationships generally.

How an organisation treats its employees (develops, informs, communicates with or instructs) is critical to the ongoing relationship between them…..  Research has shown that the highest level of staff turnover in a single group was among new employees.

It is important therefore that the first few weeks spent by a new employee in an organization is effective in persuading him or her to remain with the business.

The aim of this guide is to provide you with a structure on which to build an induction experience for new starters that will ensure that the process is consistently applied throughout the department.  However, it is flexible enough for you to use it to supplement the induction activities that you may already have in place or provide you with a framework on which to develop the whole learning process.

This guide focuses on the information you will need to induct a new employee successfully into your team and the department.  You may also find it a helpful aide-memoire when inducting newly promoted staff or colleagues on their return to work after long-term absence such as a career break, e.g. maternity, adoption or paternity leave.

What is meant by induction?

Induction is the process an employee undergoes when beginning a new job to:

§  Welcome them into the organisation

§  Help familiarize them with their new place of work,

§  Understand the main policies, processes and rules of conduct they have to observe

§  Meet the colleagues with whom they will work and

§  Begin to know and become effective in the job they are about to start. 

A basic induction can also be organised for colleagues who are changing jobs or when returning to work after a prolonged period of absence to bring them up to speed with any recent developments. 

What should be included in an induction program?

The key to successful induction is not to provide too much information at the beginning otherwise the employee may feel overwhelmed.  It is important that you structure the induction process so that all the relevant topic areas are covered in the right order and in sufficient detail, appropriate to the employee’s position in the department.  The length and nature of the induction process depends, therefore, on the complexity of the job and the background of the new employee. 

Remember that, although the elements of induction programs may cover the same topics, one size does not fit all and a rigidly standardized induction course is unlikely to satisfy anyone.

A typical induction program for a new employee should consist of:

§  A general description of the overall organisation

§  An overview of the department’s structure, its divisions and the work of the new employee’s team or section

§  The key strategies and policies of  the department

§  A general introduction to the main terms and conditions of employment

§  Constitution of the company should be handed,explained and then tested ,in form of exams to see how far the employee has absorbed the constitution details.

§  Information and communications strategies used  including use of equipment and software

§  Health and Safety information

§  A clear outline of the job/role requirements

The following table sets out in more detail the range of topics to be included in the induction program:

Category	Description
Health and safety	Emergency exits evacuation procedures first aid facilities health and safety policy accident reporting specific hazards policy on smoking
Organisation	Layout of the building, toilets, etc. telephone system computer systems organisation chart - global organisation chart - departmental car parking arrangements security procedures
Terms and conditions	Absence/sickness reporting procedures working hours/flexible-time system holidays/special leave probationary period the  Appraisal Scheme discipline procedure grievance procedure
Financial	Pay - payment date and method tax s pension expenses and expense claims
Training	Agreed training plans learning and development opportunities Personal Development Plan career management
Culture and values	Background vision and mission statements key strategies and objectives customer care policy

Who should be involved in a successful induction programme?

As the person’s line manager you will be responsible for the design and implementation of her/his induction, but you are not expected to cover all the elements personally.  No one person alone should or would be able to deliver the complete induction process for a new employee.  The range of information to be provided to or gathered from the new starter would indicate the breadth of the task in hand. 

Your task is to organize the process in a logical order and to ensure you have the assistance of the relevant colleagues who can provide their input at the most appropriate moment.  When we surveyed a selection of recently appointed staff from all divisions of the department, the majority (86%) commented on the support and help given by colleagues working in the same team/section.  Do not underestimate the value and usefulness of this form of informal socialization to the integration and learning process of new starters.  Make sure there is time set aside in their induction programme for this activity to take place.

Those people who you could normally involve in the process and the areas they would cover include some or all of the following, according to their knowledge, position or relationship with the new employee:

Officer(s) involved	Areas Covered
Departmental and divisional managers	§  Give an overview of the organisation, its history, strategies, objectives and services, structures and culture.
The section manager and/or direct line manager/supervisor	§  Explain the departmental organisation, the requirements of the job, the purpose and operation of any probationary period and the appraisal system. §  Explain the induction programme.  §  Provide an escorted tour of the department and introduce fellow workers; then give day-to-day guidance in local procedures for the first couple of weeks. §  Describe available training opportunities and then help to develop a personalized training plan.  §  Provide details of other sources of information during induction such as the IT infrastructure, including e-mail and intranet or interactive learning facilities
Health and Safety officer(Admin or Personnel  Management)	§  Explain the health and safety issues.
Human Resources Personnel	§  Cover the housekeeping aspects for a new starter (possibly on arrival, certainly on Day 1) such as completing employee forms, taking bank details.) §  Describe the learning and development policy for the department §  Explain the annual appraisal scheme and its links to skills, knowledge, professional and career development
A work colleague, mentor or “buddy”	§  Sometimes inductees allocated a colleague, not their immediate line manager can be supported to help speed up the settling-in period

Employees who need special attention

School and college leavers:  they may be nervous or excited about starting work, but will need reassurance about their position in the department as well as encouraged to develop a positive attitude to work and the opportunities for future development of their skills and careers.

Returners after a break in employment or changing their work situation:  they may be nervous about returning to work after a period caring for their children or other relatives, even if they previously worked for the Organizations.  They may feel that they are out of touch with developments and in need of re-establishing themselves.  You will need to take these feelings into account even offering training and extra help to settle in and become valuable members of the organization.

Employees with disabilities:  careful pre-planning can reduce problems of access, equipment or relationships with colleagues.  Specialist advice, via the Human Resources team, is available from the Disability Employment Advisor and the Disability Service Teams, including the Access to Work scheme, whereby assistance may be available in meeting the cost of any aids and adaptations required.

Part-time, job-share and temporary staff:  have particular needs, not least because of their working patterns and ability, or otherwise, to attend all induction events and opportunities that you may wish to organize for them.  You may need to consider rearranging the employee’s working days at the start of their employment or pay for her/his attendance outside of normal working days on occasion.

The induction timetable

A good Induction begins even before the person has actually started work.  Consider how the following list features in induction:

§  Information about the job, the division and the department sent with the recruitment pack

§  The written statement of employment particulars and the employee handbook, ‘Code of Conduct and Behavior at Work’, sent with the job offer letter

§  Information where and who to report to on the first day of employment

§  Arrangements for accessing computer networks, e-mail systems and, where appropriate, the internet

These are all important and, properly organized and presented project a positive image of the department. 

It is equally important to take account of the following points:

§  Planning an induction course should start as soon possible, maybe as early as when planning the recruitment process itself. 

§  Setting out your induction plan at the beginning avoids the problems that could arise in trying to arrange time in the future, when the new employee is established in the job. 

§  The induction programme may be spread over several days,depending on the complexity of the job, the role of the new starter or extent of person’s contact with others within and beyond the department

§  Monitoring the effectiveness of the process is also equally important.  Building in reviews during and at the end of the induction programme, either formally or informally, will enable you to learn from the experience and make the process more effective for the employee and in the future.

§  It is a good idea, wherever possible, to get the person to complete some kind of practical work on their first day.  This will assist their learning and enable them to relate what they are being taught to their role and make them feel part of the team.

Remember, information should be provided at a rate that allows the employee to take it in and understand it properly.  For example, delivering information in short concentrated bursts interspersed with other work will make assimilation easier.

For example, at the time of offering the job, you may have identified some specific area(s) for development in the person’s knowledge or skills during the recruitment and selection process.  These and other available learning opportunities can be addressed in early discussions with the new employee.  The learning objectives agreed can then form part of the initial review and development (annual appraisal) process.

Planning and implementing a good induction training programme

Preparation is the key to good induction.  Well in advance of the new employee starting work draw up a programme, or course, and a timescale for its implementation.  Include in the programme the formal and informal contact meetings with those officers who will regularly work along-side the new starter or with whom he or she will come into contact.  In addition, ensure that the new employee has an opportunity to begin work as soon as possible and that he/she has opportunity in the programme to become familiar with work colleagues and some of the informal aspects of the office routine. 

At the end of this guide is an example of an induction programme for an administrative assistant, which you may find helpful when drawing up your own programmes.

Here are some other hints and tips you may wish to consider in your induction plans:

§  Remember to inform other employees about the new starter, prepare their working area, organise any equipment necessary for the job, include access to computer systems and networks, and any documentation for them to read and/or complete.

§  Prepare an induction checklist to help ensure that all areas are covered.  An example of a checklist is included at the end of this guide.

§  Don’t forget to include the more informal aspects of the induction, for example whether any social occasions are planned for the near future, whether the tea, coffee and other refreshments are free or whether they are part of a kitty.

§  Make sure that you include the formal aspects of induction that all new starters are expected to attend, including Equal Opportunities,  E-mail, departmental presentation, etc.

§  Ask questions throughout the induction to ensure that the employee has understood everything and to get their mind working.  You should also encourage them to ask questions.

§  Arrange regular review meetings during the induction period.  This can help you keep track of the progress being made and give the new employee the chance to ask questions of you or raise any concerns.

§  It is a good idea to get feedback from the employee a few weeks into their employment to find out what they thought of the induction process and any changes they would recommend.

§  Make sure the induction programme is fit for purpose.  Creating a programme that is not appropriate to the job or generates unreasonable expectations by being more interesting or more exciting than the job itself might lead to a lack of enthusiasm, demotivation and early resignation.

Overall, be prepared to make changes in the programme.  If the new employee becomes competent and effective sooner than expected cut out any unnecessary elements, or if he/she would be better employed on some interesting and useful work than to go to a presentation, rearrange attendance to a later date.  Remain flexible and adapt the programme to the pace of the new employee.

Where to get more help

To complement the individual induction programme that you will be preparing, there are a series of structured learning and development events being organised and run regularly throughout the year.  These include

§  A half-day departmental induction presentation in which the overall aims, strategic direction and structure of the department together with the work of the major divisions will be shared.

§  A half-day introduction to equal opportunities training event organised by the Department’s Policy and Communications team

§  IT training in all major software applications, including  e-mail; Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint; Intranet and Microsoft Internet Explorer;  (mostly half-day, some full day or specially designed to meet individual needs)

§  Health and Safety

§  Use of Telephones, via the intranet (attached to the main office switchboard)

You can also obtain further guidance on designing and implementing an induction programme from a number of internal and external sources.

In this way you can assure the new employee get absorbed smoothly into the mosaic of the company and as they said “ First Impression is the Last Impression”… and so this pleasant experience will remain a found memory which will catalyze optimum quality in output from the employee