Induction process: the important 1st step

Induction process: what is it?

The employee induction is part of the larger process of bringing new staff into a company and it comprises familiarising the recruit with the working environment, with a focus on the organization's history, goals, mission, structure and on the rights and responsibilities of the new employee.

Basically, the induction process is the welcoming step of the company given to the new member of the team in which he or she gets an overview of the company and an idea of how to fit into the puzzle of the team. Done well your induction will not only be informative, dispelling any questions that new starters have but also create a sense of belonging among employees to emotionally connect them to the organisation. (source)

What are the things that the new employee should be told during this induction process?

• what the goals of the organisation are and how he/she can contribute to achieving them (how he/she can become a strategic member in fulfilling a series of business objectives);
• what the structure of the organisation is to provide the recruit with a perspective on the team and to create an efficient alignment between new and old employees;
• an understanding of the facilities, safety issues, conduct standards and other basic aspects specific to the company.

What's the point of an induction process?

• to develop a positive attitude in the recruits towards their working environment by letting them know that their suggestions and ideas are valuable
• to make the employee feel comfortable in this new business environment
• to create the first step in employee retention to prevent an inefficient employee turnover
• to increase the productivity of the team by offering the employees a working environment in which they can harness their skills and knowledge at full potential

When should it be done?

On the first day of the new employee and it should be conducted by the HR manager and the employees of the same department in order for the recruit to feel comfortable in the new working environment, preventing them from feeling outsiders in their new job.

What should you know about it?

First of all, that the induction process should be thoroughly planned and structured to prevent bad induction experiences for new employees because it is well-known that a lot of recruits complain about their first day at the office from a series of reasons which must be taken into account: either boring or off-track, rather confusing than enlightening, making the employee ask himself/herself a series of questions instead of receiving some answers.

So, what could possibly go wrong?

Well, a multitude of things, unfortunately. First of all, it can damage the long-term implications of the employee because of a lack of motivation. Moreover, it could transmit wrong messages to the recruits in terms of some directions: their rights and responsibilities, their understanding of how the company works, the role they have in their team and the contribution they can bring to it.

What you should know is that losing a new entrant and having to replace him or her costs about 25% of their salary, according to statistics. On the other hand, a good induction process can bring long-term benefits for the company and making sure that you do things well from the start makes your job easier and the employees' adaptation process smoother.

What comes after the induction process?

The onboarding process which is not the same with the induction process, as some people might think. The on-boarding is more complex, and it deals with aspects such as the strategy of the organization, insights into the current business climate and the opportunities for further development, cultural agenda of the team and organization.

What's the role of the on-boarding process? To ensure that expectations on both sides are met, to develop the new employee's overview on the company and culture, to increase productivity and a sense of clarity on his/her role.

Some good news?

You can make the induction process more engaging by using methods such as gamification and eContent. For example, you can set some goals for your new employee to achieve before getting started with their new job.

Having certain points to check motivates the recruit and gives him or her a clear direction in fulfilling the job duties. You can create leaderboards which lead to a competitive, yet collaborative environment, which also increases the level of motivation and implication of the new employees. You can award them with rewards in the form of badges and points.

Also, you can make the induction process more effective by using the method of eContent in your delivery process. Why would you do that? Because on the first day in the new working environment, the employee has to gain a lot of knowledge, which might be overwhelming and confusing.

You can put all the information in the format of responsive and interactive eContent and deliver it in chunks of information so that internalizing it is smoother for the recruit.

For example, create eContent materials similar to the real working environment of the new employees and provide them with a perspective on what their job life will look like.