Employee induction programs differs from company to company and also depends on the type of industry. Some view induction programs as a chance to welcome and support new employees, while other companies view the induction programme as a waste of time and hope that their new employees ‘hit the ground running’
Apart from being a legal obligation, the new employee induction program is an essential and critical final piece of the hiring process.
At the conclusion of this article we will also be sharing how to best deliver new employee inductions! Read on:
Here are the two main reasons why you should have this in place:
- It starts the employee off with the right information to ensure maximum productivity as quickly as possible.
- It fulfils your legal obligation to train new workers to do their jobs safely and what to do in the event of an emergency
In addition, a strong induction process helps reduce stress and anxiety associated with a new job, and improves their morale and feelings about the new job and organisation they have joined.
Induction programs can include both training and mentoring, can be conducted by HR and/or the department manager, and may last weeks or even months. Regardless of the length, these programs allow the employee to gain valuable information regarding the organisation and how they are expected to integrate with it.
Benefits of induction programs include:
- Workplace Safety
- Increased retention rate
- Improved employee moral
- Increased productivity, and;
- Increased sense of acceptance into the organisation
A well designed employee induction program not only saves your money and time in the long run but it avoids money being spent on covering absences such as hiring replacements.
A number of organisations do not provide a structured induction training which means new employees are then left to pick up the information necessary on their own or through asking, following or copying existing employees.
However, new workers are often anxious and a little shy, which may prevent them from getting information this way. This can lead to new employees not learning the “right” way of doing things, loss of productivity and serious issues such as safety breeches and in worst case, fatalities. As an employer you could face financial loss, prosecution, fines and even jail sentence, depending on circumstances.
Your induction program should include:
- An introduction to your organisation’s policies and procedures
- Face-to-face introduction to key staff
- Tour of the workplace, pointing out all important facilities
- Safety and Emergency procedures
- Instructions on how to complete day-to-day tasks in a safe manner
How to best deliver new employee inductions
Lately, we have seen a massive shift towards cloud based training as it removes the variables associated with face-to-face training and unsustainable practices, such as printing thick manuals.
Online training ensures;
- Training content and delivery is consistent.
- Information is kept up to date.
- Record keeping is done automatically
- Training is accessible from anywhere and any device (Which means that new starters can complete the training even before arriving for their first da
For a long time, online inductions needed a large investment in set up costs and problematic lock-in contracts. However, that is changing and now Small and Medium Businesses can access today’s online technology without the big price tag!
We recommend that you have a look at TANDI.com.au. (Australian company) We have found their induction training very comprehensive and any size business can afford the pricing. We also like that you can customise the training in every aspect.
If you are stuck and need help with your organisation’s induction program or any other workplace issue, give us a call today on +61 7 40503888 or use the Contact us form to request a call back or ask a question.
Usually when I’ve been introduced to my co-workers on an induction, there names will be completely forgotten by the following day haha. Interesting article 🙂
The term ‘induction’ is generally used in a workplace context to describe the whole process whereby employees adjust or acclimatise to their jobs and working environment. As part of this process, ‘orientation’ can be used to refer to a specific course or training event that new starters attend, and ‘socialisation’ can be used to describe the way in which new employees build up working relationships and find roles for themselves within their new teams. Some people use the term ‘onboarding’ to describe the whole process from an individual’s contact with the organisation before they formally join, through to understanding the business’ ways of working and getting up to speed in their job.
Hope I understand what you are asking here, if a person is working in the same company and the same department for 10 years I would highly recommenced a refresher induction for them. It is a great way to motivate people and re-establish good work behaviours.
Every employee must be knowledgeable of the different safety guidelines in the workplace. This can help in reducing accidents or injuries at work. Proper implementation is essential.
Hi.my company have just recanted to a temporary site (approx 3 years)would I be realistic in asking my employer for a new site induction .thanks
Why require a refresher when someone has not had any incidents during their work at a site?
Hi Michael, for number of reasons. Complacency, company’s policies and procedures changing and what are the government regulation to uphold. Just genuine care for the staff to be in the know.
Interesting
why should current employees be involved in the induction programmes?