Optimising Induction - (Published in Employment Today 2004)

The purpose of an induction programme is to provide a structured introduction to the organisation in order to develop a sense of belonging and to maximise effectiveness, as quickly as possible. Done well, an induction programme is able to improve staff morale, increase staff retention, enhance performance and productivity, and create walking-talking ambassadors for the organisation. Why wouldn’t you do it well?!

Traditionally induction started with a welcome pack crammed full of an overwhelming number of brochures, forms and pamphlets about all sorts of disparate subjects. New employees flick through these but find it hard to make sense of it all. Then there’s the one or two day course, focusing on the vision and values, and delivered by a combination of HR and senior managers. They were held every three months, and anyone who had joined during the previous quarter was invited to attend. It became a bit of a joke when employees who had been there for six months (or more!) still hadn’t been inducted yet.

Today there are much better ways for inducting new employees so that induction becomes an effective, stimulating and beneficial programme. All it takes is a little thought about what a new employee needs, and to package it for them in bite size chunks as and when they need it. So firstly let’s clarify what’s included in “induction”.

Clarifying the Scope

When thinking about induction, it is sometimes hard to know where induction stops - where to draw the line. This can become even more important when HR is responsible for (and paying for) “induction”. We have found our “upside down triangle” to be an invaluable tool for creating understanding and clarifying areas of responsibility.

(diagram)

The upside down triangle shows that there are already lines drawn, and it is up to each organisation as to what they wish to officially call “induction”. At the first level, it is everything but only that which applies to every single person within the organisation. If it doesn’t apply to everyone, it does not sit within this segment. At the next level, it is everything but only that which applies to everyone within that business unit or division (however your organisation is structured). At the next level it is everything but only that which applies to everyone in that department. And so on. Therefore it becomes very obvious whether something falls into a particular level, and therefore whose responsibility it is.

Identifying the Content

Once it has been decided which level or levels you are talking about, it is relatively easy to identify the topics that should be included. The table below may help get you started if you wish to either map out or review the content of your induction programme.


Preparation
• Resources
(eg. desk, PC, business cards, cellphone, uniforms)
• Accesses
(eg. to building, to network)
• Forms
• Other induction materials



Organisation
About the Organisation
• Vision, Mission
• Core business
• Key products & services
• Culture (eg. Values, philosophies, norms)
• History
• Organisational structure
• Key people

Human Resources
• Code of Conduct
• Key policies
• Staff benefits & welfare
• Administrative processes (eg. Leave, )
• Performance management
• Safety & Health Divisional / Departmental



About the Division / Dept
• Vision, Mission
• Key products & services
• Structure
• Key people
• Communication

Operational
• Administrative processes (eg. timesheets, stationery, couriers)
• Basic computer systems
• Basic resources (eg. phone, photocopier, fax)

Orientation
• Work area
• Site tour
• Shared facilities


Getting Specific

You may have the topics themselves sorted out, but do you know what you are trying to achieve in each topic? Many organisations take the perspective that if the people have attended the induction programme, then they have been “inducted”. But is this really good enough? If induction is worth doing, don’t you want to know that they “got” what you wanted them to “get”? Or is it really that all you wanted to do was “expose” them to the topics that were covered? Basically, do you want them to be able to do, know or say anything as a result? Or was it all just nice to know information - which actually means it doesn’t matter if they get inducted or not?

If you go back to the purpose of induction that we used at the beginning, it was to develop a sense of belonging and to maximise effectiveness, as quickly as possible. If you adopt this purpose, then it is important to know that:

• The programme is effective and efficient at achieving that purpose; and
• Inducted people actually know what to do, how to do it and where to find it.

Getting serious about induction and induction results means determining exactly what you want your inducted people to be able to do or say as a result of each topic. This takes more effort in the design of the programme, but it pays off because of the targeting of each session. For example, if you want people to remember the organisation’s Values, and maybe even explain how they are translated into behaviours, then the way this session is delivered will be quite different to a session where you just wanted people to have seen the Values.

So you need to get clear about the purpose of each topic in terms of inductee outcomes. Then you can assess whether or not your inductees are able to do what you wanted them to do and therefore (based on their collective results) how effective the programme was in helping them reach that point.
Determining Delivery

Knowing the specific inductee outcomes you want allows you to better determine which delivery method is most appropriate for each topic or module - and how much time needs to be spent on it. There may still be a place for the group course as an induction delivery method in your organisation, but it should not be the induction method by default as it doesn’t effectively address all the aspects of induction or deliver in a timely manner. There are many delivery methods available, and a combination of several may be the best solution. Once the topics are clearly identified, and the inductee outcomes specified, it becomes much easier to see.

For example, an induction solution we have just developed for a large New Zealand organisation incorporates a wide range of methods. In this company, induction starts from the moment the future employee signs their contract. Pre-employment is an excellent time to start the induction process as the future employee is excited about their new role and keen to look good on their first day. Before arriving, people often tell everyone about the new job they got, so arming them with good information enables them to readily promote the organisation. So in this company, new recruits receive passworded access to an on-line introduction to the company, delivered to their homes via the internet. This module covers the company’s vision, mission and values, structure, history, key people and core products and services.

On their first day at work, they receive a comprehensive orientation run by their manager, as set out in the manager’s induction guide. In their first week, they will complete three self-paced paper-based modules covering key policies, staff benefits and HR processes. There is also a CD-ROM module which goes more in-depth for one particular policy. Within their first month, they attend a one-day event where up to 120 new employees come together to meet the CEO and senior executives, network across divisions, and learn more about the complexities and strategic challenges of the organisation. And all of this is just at the organizational level. Their divisional inductions introduce another level of modules delivered using methods such as on the-job-coaching, video-based learning, self-paced paper-based modules, structured site tours, workshops and guided learning via the intranet.

Even without the resources of a large organisation, you can optimise your induction programme and make it an invaluable tool for your organisation by taking a considered approach. Firstly, clarify and agree the scope of the induction. Secondly, include all topics and information which is relevant to everyone within that level. Thirdly, specify inductee outcomes for each topic in order to focus the session and allow for assessment and evaluation. Lastly, consider a variety of delivery methods with the aim of delivering each session or module effectively, efficiently and in a timely manner.