Why are new staff inductions so important?

There is no secret that employees are the most important assets to a business.

Most of us understand the critical importance of a comprehensive onboarding process, yet many organisations take an ad-hoc approach to new staff induction training and rely on their new star recruits to work it out as they go. There is definite danger here, as lack of processes could see organisations miss out on an opportunity to build productive working relationships with new employees. Worse still, some induction practices are so lacking, that they could constitute a breach of workplace laws.

Top reasons why you should have a strong new induction training program in place;

• It is a legal obligation; employers are required to make sure their employees are trained to do their jobs safely and they know what to do in the event of an emergency.
• It will improve your employee retention rates and productivity.
• It helps develop a harmonious workplace.
• The induction process is a perfect opportunity to explain policies that apply to the workplace, ensuring that both managers and workers are clear on expectations, performance and behaviours.

 Failure is costly!

A sub-standard induction program can lead to new employees not learning the “right” way of doing things, loss of productivity and safety breeches. All Australian employers have a mandatory duty of care to ensure employees undertake training so that they can do their job safely. For this reason, work health and safety training should have a high priority in staff induction programs. Failure to do so may result in financial loss, prosecution, massive fines and even imprisonment, depending on circumstances.

Pitfalls to avoid

Inductions should be designed to provide new employees with practical information on how the organisation operates, as well as policies on safety, emergencies, security and behaviour. However, these are often ‘dry’ topics and it can be a challenging to deliver this information in a compelling, consistent and engaging way.

Poorly designed training programs are not a great introduction to your business. They are often ill-suited to people’s learning styles, which means poor retention of information and zero enthusiasm from the employee. An example of this could be a sleepy classroom delivery or simply giving out ‘employee handbooks’. Whilst delivering employee training in this way is better than no training at all, it is far from ideal. Quality and compliance can also vary depending on many factors including the quality of the trainer and the age/correctness of the training material.

How to best deliver new employee inductions

Online inductions are a great alternative as it removes the variables associated with the outdated face-to-face training and cumbersome paper-trails. This training method ensures;

• Training content and delivery is consistent.
• Information is kept up to date.
• Record keeping is done automatically.
• Training is instantly accessible – there is no restriction to new employees completing their training on the first day of work (or even accessing the training from home BEFORE they start).

Online delivery also enables training to be delivered in ways that improve knowledge retention. A good online training product will engage employees who are auditory, visual or kinesthetic learners.

Contact us today if you would like to discuss this important management aspect.

For a great example of online training, please follow this link to TANDI Online Employee Inductions