By Praveen Tripathi – THE HR
Induction
/ Orientation / On-Boarding for the new employee
A. Introduction
Employee
Induction, orientation and on-boarding are common terms and this process is the
most significant phase of an employee’s organisational career.
It’s
all about the first impressions of an employer what a new employee finds and
feels on the first day. It will be a major factor in determining how well that
person fits in and performs, and how long the employment continues.
Induction
duration and Program determine and influence the expectations the individual
will have of the organisation, the manager or team leader, the work group, and
the work
When does induction begin
or complete?
It may vary and differ to organization to
organization and depends on their checklist and subject measures.
B. Objectives of induction
The
aim of induction is to confirm that both the new employee and the employer made
good decisions. The employer should be comfortable with its selection decision,
and the employee should believe this is a good job in a good working environment
in a good organisation.
Induction
comes from the Latin in ducere — to lead in. That should be the
employer’s objective — to lead the new employee into the organisation and the
job.
The
rest is content. During the induction process, the employee should start to
gain an understanding of the organisation’s mission and role, its values and
standards, and its expectations and requirements of employees and others — and
to develop a commitment to those norms and beliefs.
Regrettably,
you don’t begin to develop that understanding by sitting in a conference room
listening to a series of top managers and other talking heads.
What
a new employee wants — on the first day, and for the first week or so — can be
summarized quite simply:
· A
good answer to the question “What did you do at work today?” — Which will be
asked when the new employee gets home.
· Reassurance
that taking this job and joining the organisation was the right decision.
· To
do something tangible. To have some results to show.
The
main objective of induction is not the passing of information — it is the
foundation for a strong psychological contract — a real sense of worth and
belonging.
C. Contents
Contents
and measure subjects may vary and depends on organization scope. But few may as
mentioned:
ü The
organisation
ü Mission,
goals, strategy
ü Governance
and structure
ü Culture
and values
ü Product
and Services
ü Policies
and procedures
ü Communication
channels
ü The
department, business unit, or work group
ü Role
and Scope
ü Structure
and relationships, key stakeholders
ü Key
people
ü Workplace
geography
ü The
“self”
ü The
employment agreement, terms and conditions of employment, benefits
üThe
employment relationship — expected behaviors and standards, monitoring and
supervision, disciplinary
processes
ü Rules
— health and safety, dress code, use of equipment (including email and
internet), vehicles, etc
ü Performance
plans and reviews, key performance goals and measures
ü Personal
growth and development plans and opportunities.
D. Programming induction
While
induction is a process rather than a programme, it is important to have a
framework; so that both managers and the employee can check that the process is
actually happening.
It
might be best to start with the “self”; since that is the employee’s centre and
central concern.
The
“big picture” from the Board Room can wait until the new employee knows where
the toilets are and where to get a cup of tea or coffee.
But
think creatively about how to make the process easy, interesting, and
participative; especially for the employee, but for others as well.
Here’s
one idea. Rather than tow the new employee around to be introduced to a whole
lot of people, let the employee do the introductions. You have, of course, told
the work group that they are to have a new colleague, and what the new person
will be doing — haven’t you? So give the new employee a plan of the workplace,
with the names and positions and locations of the rest of the work group. Introduce
the new person to one of those people: the task is to find out what that person
does, how they will work together or affect each other’s work, get that person
to initial the plan, and then introduce the new employee to another work group
member.
Don’t
try to cover the whole work group at once. Small bites are easily digested. See
if one of the work groups could take the new employee in hand for half a day,
to go to a meeting, or help with a particular task — in other words, to do
something, to be useful.
Early
in the first week, the manager will probably need to deal with some essential
administration. Perhaps there are KiwiSaver and other forms to be signed –
but don’t bring the forms to the new employee to sign; this is a good
opportunity for the new employee to find Accounts or Human Resources.
The
manager will probably need to go through the employment agreement with
the new employee — although it might be too late for anything to change. Check
for understanding and certainty; show how the provisions of the agreement link
to the organisation’s policies; ensure the employee knows the procedure for
applying for leave and 101 things; and so on.
Make
sure that key policies are well understood — e.g. code of conduct,
health and safety, sexual harassment.
Show
the new employee where to find information about policies, procedures, and
entitlements. It might be freely accessible on the organisation’s network
or an intranet, but make sure the new employee knows how to get to it.
And
that is a good place to start a conversation about departmental or business
unit aims and objectives and where the pieces fit with the whole. Remember
that your plan is to build up from the individual to the organisation. Show how
the work of the individual contributes to what the work group is doing, and how
that feeds into the overall work of the section, department, or business unit.
And then to the organisation as a whole.
If
the new employee seems a bit overwhelmed, take the conversation back to the
level of the individual and start to talk about the performance management process.
ü What
are the key performance objectives of the employee’s job?
ü How
do the objectives in the job description translate into specific goals or
targets?
ü How
will the employee’s performance be discussed and reviewed?
ü What
happens if the performance does not meet expected levels or standards?
ü What
assistance can the employee get to develop new or existing knowledge and
skills?
ü How
does the employee want to get performance feedback?
This
is largely a positive discussion, but don’t shy away from discussing disciplinary
processes and their consequences in the event of misbehaviour or continuing
poor performance. But they should be seen as a last resort, and not as a
threat.
E. Planning the induction
Planning
for the arrival of a new employee rather depends on the type and scale of the
intended induction process. But you probably need to think about these things:
a) Will
you appoint a “buddy” to act as guide and mentor for the new employee’s initial
period? If so, who is it to be? Do you need to arrange for someone else to
cover some of the buddy’s work in the short term?
b) Business
services. Who arranges for swipe cards and other necessary equipment (ranging
from an office, through office furniture, a company car, a locker, protective
clothing, and a tool kit)? What will the new employee need? How far in advance
must it be ordered?
c) Who
is responsible for ensuring that the new employee’s workplace is appropriately
stocked and arranged for the first day?
d) Who
will take the new employee through initial health and safety briefings and
training?
e) When
will you tell the organisation/the work unit/the work group about the new
employee? What will you say?
f) Have
you got all the necessary paperwork ready?
F. Checklist
Many
organisations use a check list to ensure that all the necessary topics and
briefings are covered during the induction process.
Some
give the check list to the employee, along with the responsibility for ensuring
that everything is covered.
*Some points, paragraphs
and words are taken from different sources.
