What happens in an induction and what is an employee induction programme?

What is an employee induction?

An employee induction programme is the consistent process your business should use to welcome your new employees to the company and prepare them for their new role. Sometimes an induction is also known as ‘onboarding’, ‘orientation’ or ‘socialising’.

The process is designed to help integrate your new team member into the organisation. You’re forming the bond between your company and your employee that can withstand the normal ups and downs of a role.

A great start – what happens in an employee induction?

Induction can be quite formal and lengthy or informal and brief, just covering the necessities. It should mirror the culture of your organisation.

Here are the main sections that should be covered off in your induction:

• First day logistics – i.e. what time should they arrive, who to ask for, who is organising keys/badge/uniform
• Legal obligations – i.e. signed copy of the letter of engagement or employment contract, completed tax file number declaration form (unless declined by employee), completed superannuation choice form, etc
• Introductions and safety – introduce your new employee to their team and schedule meetings with key contacts, show them the facilities and emergency exits
• Culture and ‘the way we do things here’ – share the story of your business and expected values and behaviours

A great induction can help you turn your employees into your biggest advocates. This will help you improve not just your company’s employee attraction and retention, but also your client attraction and retention as well! This is the lens through which you should view your induction programme. Word of mouth can be either the best or the worst marketing for your employer brand.

Special offer: FREE employee induction checklist!

Using an new employee induction checklist is best practice to make sure you have covered all the requirements.

How do you ensure a good induction?

It’s all in the details. There are a lot of moving pieces to having someone join the organisation. Has all the appropriate paperwork been filled out? Have you ordered all the hardware and software they need, as well as setting up their desk? Having access to the network and emails is important, but so is having pens and paper to take notes during their early days.

A nice touch? Have their business cards ready and waiting on their desk when your new starter walks in.

Administrative tasks are important in induction, but so is ‘cultural induction’. Where do people go for lunch? Who can your new starter join for lunch on their first day, have you scheduled a team lunch or morning tea to properly welcome the new team member?

Does your business have a more formal culture, or relaxed? Do you have casual Friday attire? It’s a bit awkward to show up on your first Friday in your best suit when everyone else is wearing jeans (or vice versa if someone assumes you have casual Friday and you don’t!)

These are all one-percenters for sure, and if you miss one or two it isn’t likely to be a dealbreaker. But you can imagine the difference to your employee if they show up and nothing has been prepared for them, versus arriving to work their first day, confident that due thought and effort has been put into their arrival.

Interested to learn more? You can also check out our blog on getting both induction and leaving right in your business.

Need help with your induction programme or have other HR queries?

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The information provided in this article is only general in nature – before making business decisions you should consider seeking advice specific to your situation.