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Conspicuous

Induction

A guide to induction


First impressions count and so creating the best experiences for your new people is important.

Before they start:

  • Send them a card or video to welcome them to the team
  • Call them to reiterate how delighted you are to have them on board

On the first day:

  • Make sure they have the technology, manual, buddy, and team leader

In their first week:

  • Introduce to the team, division or company
  • Make sure they have access to training documentation
  • Outline the expectations over the first 30 or 90 days
  • Outline the values, vision and norms of the organisation.

The benefits of getting induction right are that everyone wins

The employee feels they belong, have made the right choice and understand the vision and values.

The key is to try to exceed expectations at every step, from a senior manager inviting a more junior recruit for a coffee on the first day to giving them a clear pathway that shows the training and support as they become part of the organisation.

New employees can spend a lot of time worrying if they are ‘doing the right thing’. This impacts stress, retention and the general ‘feel good factor’. A good induction process should alleviate most of these concerns as it will offer information about best and minimum expectations through the first 90 days.

Make it self-directed and self-paced

If you can put the employee into the driver’s seat for the induction for them to determine the speed of learning. Ideally, some of your training will be online which will offer the employee the opportunity to return to the information at any stage in the future.

You may want to gamify the learning or make it fun

Adult learners love feedback, especially when they are new and unsure of how they’re doing.

If possible incorporate measurements into the process so they can benchmark themselves as they progress.

Finally

Communication is the key, any new employee needs to know they can ask questions in order to do the job. You may want to consider an internal FAQ forum and at the very least make sure your door is always open (usually a virtual door!)