Staff Induction Training Guide
When a new team member starts working in your organisation it is vital to get them to become productive and efficient as quickly as possible and induction training forms a pivotal part in this process.
To assist we offer a free induction checklist for any HR Manager who is developing an induction programme for new team member/s.
Research shows that staff or employees who are successfully introduced to the organisation, its values, culture, people and acceptable working practices are more likely to stay in their roles for a longer period.
Induction Programmes or "On boarding" as more recently termed, are therefore essential for many groups of individuals within the organisation and need to be tailored to meet their specific needs and timeframes of employment, for example:
- New full or part-time staff / employees
- Contractors
- Employees or staff on secondment or job swap to another part of the organisation
- Temporary staff
- Internal promotions
- Holding positions
Below we provide 10 tips to improve your company induction process below:
Company Induction Tips
1. Structure the induction training into core phases: Usually there is a great deal of information a new team member has to take on board within their induction programme, so it is helpful to break the content of the induction programme into three core phases that will vary in duration depending on what previous experience the new team member has of the organisation:
- Phase 1 - Welcome and General Administration for day one including critical policies and procedures
- Phase 2 - Their Department and Job over the first three months, e.g. organisation and department goals, introduction to their department and the team; the job role and performance measurement; safety policies and procedures; systems and procedures, information technology
- Phase 3 - The Organisation which should be gradually covered during the first three months, e.g. history and culture, products and the people
2. Identify the key content: When producing an induction programme for the first time, it is helpful to answer three key questions to identify the core content of the induction programme:
- What does a new person need to know in order to be effective in their job role within the organisation?
- What support and insights does the new person need to settle comfortably into the culture of the organisation e.g. people to meet, understanding of the core values and the way the organisation operates
- What do I want the new person to achieve in say, their first three months of being in the job role i.e. key objectives or goals?
3. Capture the key information in an induction programme template: In preparation of the new team member's induction it is therefore advisable to produce a standard induction template for each job role to highlight what a new team member will need to know.
An induction programme template offering a brief description of the learning, the learning method used, the time frame for completion, where the person or information can be located, and a final column to record when the learning has been completed. The more information you can provide, the easier you will make the programme to follow and be driven by the new team member. However, you do need to be careful that you don't overload the new team member with too much information early on.
4. Adapt and personalise the induction programme template for the new team member: If you already have an induction programme template for a new recruit, you will then only need to adapt the content for different types of new team members. An induction programme for an experienced team member who is going on secondment to another department, for example, will only need to focus on phase two of the induction programme, i.e. the job and department.
You can then personalise the induction programme template with the team member’s name, start date and special requirements. We would also recommend that the new team member is given some relatively easy to achieve job objectives that tie in with the aspects they need to learn as part of their induction, helping them to contribute quickly and develop their value to the business and the team they are working with.
5. Provide support information in the most appropriate format: The format of the induction programme is down to personal choice and the technology available to you. Here are a few examples of different formats:
- Induction Checklist: The most simple and quite effective, is an Induction Checklist listing all that needs to be covered, who will cover the information, and when - ideally specific dates or at the very least, by when. A tick box is usually provided to enable the new team member to see how they are progressing.
- Induction/Welcome Pack: It is also helpful to provide the employee with an Induction Pack - a simple folder (hard or electronic) with all the relevant written information that can be gathered in advance that helps them acquire the key points you have highlighted. You can also include within this pack, any forms required by the organisation to be completed, a glossary of terms (jargon and an explanation), who's who - ideally an organisation chart of all personnel, and your statutory procedures that need to be followed. Some organisations have this information pack printed which looks professional but take care that the information provided doesn’t become out dated too quickly.
- Online learning modules: Some organisations use online learning modules to enable new team members to work through the key information that needs to be covered in an interactive and interesting manner, often including video footage and audio clips. Organisations are becoming more inventive with the medium of learning as a greater range of technology becomes available to us.
6. Plan the role and responsibilities of an Induction Coach: It is then helpful to consider who could support the effective implementation of the induction programme for a new employee and what role will they play within the programme. Highlighting someone in the department - say another employee who can partner or coach the new employee in the early stages is really helpful for everyone concerned. The role they take on will need to be clarified with them. It could include but not be limited to:
- Introducing each department team member
- Providing a tour of the department and staff facilities
- Explaining the workings of the department along with the departmental systems, policies and procedures
- Explaining the department safety policies and procedures such as fire evacuation procedures, acquiring first aid treatment
- Training core job related tasks
- Taking the team member to lunch and tea/coffee breaks
- Introducing the social aspects of the organisation
7. Identify the skills needed for the Induction Coach: To help you decide who would be best to provide the induction support for the new team member, you will need to ensure they have the right skills and attitude and should be a willing volunteer. This support person (induction coach/partner) should be:
- familiar and proficient with the job related tasks
- familiar with the induction programme and company procedures
- have good coaching and communication skills and
- have a strong desire to support a new team member.
If they do not have sufficient skills, you will need to provide the training before they act as the induction coach/partner.
8. Record the achievements within the induction programme: To help the new team member and their line manager check how they are progressing within the induction programme phase, it is helpful to build in some form of checking and recording system for achievement of the each key part of the induction programme. This will also ensure that your organisation has a training record of the new team member’s learning.
9. Conduct induction review discussions: In order to ensure the effectiveness of the induction and that the new employee is settling in well, it is helpful to schedule a short review meeting into the induction programme on a regular basis. A good guideline for these timings is:
- First month - at the end of each week
- Months 2 & 3 - at the end of each month
10. Link the induction to your performance management process: These induction review discussions also help you link the induction to the performance management/appraisal cycle, as specific job objectives can then be set after say three months, once you and the new team member are happy that they have achieved the goals within the induction programme.
We hope this guide has been helpful to you in how to construct induction programmes effectively. If you have any suggestions for future guides and articles, please let us know using our contact form.
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About the Author
Written by Kim Larkins.
