Employers fail the induction basics

Starting a new job at a company that hasn't even bothered to set you up with a desk, phone or a logon to the computer system, let alone an email account, can really leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Inducting new employees into a company needs to be done correctly or new recruits will soon have a negative impression of the organisation, says John Nevill, principal with finance and supply chain recruiter Numero.

"In a bad induction it's going to severely affect your job satisfaction where you loose faith in the company. An induction is a window on things to come."

Inductions should be positive, make people feel comfortable and reinforce the fact that they've joined the right organisation.

"The first thing an induction should provide is a good first impression. What happens in the first hour you're there is important - who you meet and what you do."

But Nevill says inductions are not just for the employee.

"It's the employer's opportunity to make sure someone is going to get up to speed as quickly as possible. If you don't have a good induction, people aren't going to be as competent in their roles."

When the typical office worker begins work on their first day, they should be able to arrive to a tidy desk, a computer logon, a phone and if provided, business cards and mobile phone. But for some companies that's a big ask.

"They are all small things in some respects but big things from a first impression perspective. It doesn't happen often. It's pretty basic but also critical."

If you arrive on the first day and your workstation isn't properly set up, it can be a delicate matter.

"There is legislation that requires that everyone in the business, let alone a new employee, has an ergonomic environment whatever that might mean for that particular role."

But complaining about the way your workstation is set up on day one can be difficult, Nevill says.

"I think it's important that if you have any issues that you talk about that when you're going through the process but not to the point where it seems like you're going to be high maintenance. It's a fine line and there is no right answer to it."

But Nevill says a good induction is much more than getting a workstation set up. The first step should be to sit down with your immediate supervisor and plan the rest of your induction which will be strung out over a number of weeks.

New employees should be given a full handover of all the business's external relationships which affect them. They should be introduced to people in other areas of the business and allowed to see what they do.

Some companies even set up new hires with a peer orientation buddy to show them around. Some companies also send out an orientation packet days before an employee even arrives so the knowledge dump process can begin.

Employees should also expect a proper induction when they move within the organisation. When an internal transfer was made at one company, the employee was given no new training and expected to know all of the people in her new role, Nevill says.

"The result of that was an extremely low level of job satisfaction and it tarnished her view of the company. Induction is almost equally as important when you're looking at moving within divisions or within branches."

For an employee keen to start work in a new role, a poor induction process can really dent their motivation, says Jeremy Paynter, national practice leader for recruitment firm Hudson.

"Sometimes people think once they've recruited someone - that's it. They've got them. Sometimes they can be a little short-sighted and forget that once someone gets onboard, the recruitment process has just begun."

Paynter says the induction process should reinforce the values, strategic direction and culture set forth during recruitment. But often that doesn't happen.

"Across the board inductions are probably not done that well."

With the effort and cost of recruitment, it's not a good idea to let induction slip through the cracks.

"If your induction is not up to speed, what you're essentially doing is wasting a lot of the input you've put into the recruitment process to position your company. If this person doesn't have a good induction it can have an impact on how long they stick around in the organisation."

Paynter says good inductions don't necessarily need to be done by the HR department. Local managers can handle it quite well.

"In a successful induction programme what you'll have is a review. At the end of each week and in particular the first week, there should be a review of, 'have we achieved what we set out to do this week?'. That's really important."

Whether it's a corporate video, the grand tour or just sitting down with someone, Paynter says what's most important is to do something.

"I think the key is just to commit some time to doing it. The worst thing to do is nothing."