19 Jun 24
Good Staff Induction processes are few and far between. But this is one of the quickest ways to demonstrate that the Company really values its employees.
It visibly shows a commitment to ensuring a quick and seamless integration of new joiners into the team.
This, in turn, makes them feel more comfortable and assimilates them into the team so that they are able to feel like they are contributing.
Do this quickly and efficiently and you will have engaged employees who are adding value and setting both them and the Company up for success.
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#16 - Why staff inductions are important!
What?
Inducting staff into any business or team is extremely important.
It is a structured process to formally welcome new joiners into an organisation.
It takes as long as it takes and is time well invested as the aim is to put new joiners at ease and to formally welcome them to the organisation.
Why?
There is a well-known phrase that says that you can pretty much get a good indicator of how good an organisation is by looking at the state of the staff toilets! Its true! Bad maintenance and/or cleanliness speaks volumes about the pride held within that organisation and for what passes as acceptable in terms. of standards.
The second indicator is the Staff Induction process. This speaks volumes about how much the organisation values the most important resource it has...its people!
On day one of a new role, new joiners are understandably nervous. They are also probably experiencing some considerable anxiety and worry about the new role because they are heading into the unknown.
The aim of the Staff Induction process therefore is to present the welcoming face of the Company. It is to provide them with a mechanism to try and settle them in as soon as possible, to make them feel at home, and to close the information gaps they have.
This in turn reduces their anxiety and 'shock of capture' effect that they may be experiencing.
But...and this is where it gets really interesting, it reduces the delta between where they are as a new joiner, and where they need to be in terms of adding value to the organisation.
There is a great book which explains this in detail called 'The first 90 Days' by Michael D Watkins.
Essentially, when you join a new organisation it takes you on average around 3.1 months to get to the point where you are not consuming value from the Company. It then takes a further 3 months or so to give back the value you have consumed to the organisation. The breakeven point is around 6.2 months after joining.
Therefore the aim is to move the transition point between value consumed and value created to the left as much as possible.
Figure 1 below shows this graphically.
This costs the Company less as the employee is brought onboard sooner. It also shows that the Company values its employees for the value they can bring.
From a personal perspective, it means that they are subsumed into the team much earlier and so they feel ownership and that they are contributing. They simply feel useful!
How?
Instigate a detailed Staff Induction Process which is comprehensive in nature, and which has been endorsed by the senior leadership.
It should be 'owned' by a designated area/person and run without fail regularly (first Monday of every month for example).
Typical contents to be included include the following:
- Formal Welcome to the Company - This should be given by someone with sufficient seniority who is acting as the 'face' of the Company (Director level). No longer than 15 minutes,
- Overview of what the Company does. What is the rationale behind the business? What are the Company Vision and Mission Statements, also Business Objectives? What contracts are currently in play? What business is being chased?
- Organisation - Who are the key players? Who does what and how does it all fit together?
- Company Core Values - What are the behaviours expected of employees?
- Safety brief,
- Tour of the Facility to understand where everything is located,
- HR Brief - To explain the appraisal system and also where to look for key HR processes,
- IT brief and how to get their laptop issued,
- Introduction/Joining Call with their Line Manager,
- Assignment of a 'buddy' to act as a local point of contact. They can help the employee should they have any day to day questions,
- Travel/Subsistence/expenses arrangements brief,
- Mandatory training brief - What online courses does the employee need to complete and by when.
Always ensure the above information is updated and kept live.
If you are able to produce a docket with key documents supporting the above, then that complements the verbal briefs perfectly.
In Summary
I hope that you enjoyed reading this newsletter and that it has given you food for thought.
Never underestimate the power of an effective Staff Induction process. Your main focus is to make new joiners feel at home and to integrate them into the team as soon as possible. The sooner you do this, the quicker you start to get meaningful and value-adding work from them.
Have a great week!
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