The importance of inducting new employees into your workplace

by | Feb 10, 2012 | Employers Tips

Employee induction programs differ from company to company and also depend on the type of industry. Induction programs are viewed differently by people. Some see them as a way to welcome and help new employees. Others, however, consider them a waste of time and prefer new employees to start working immediately.

The new employee induction program is important and necessary for the hiring process, as well as a legal requirement.

To learn why inductions are vital to your business’ success and how to best deliver new employee inductions, read on:

Here are the two main reasons why you should have this in place:

  • It provides the employee 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 they should do if an emergency occurs.

In addition, a strong induction process helps reduce stress and anxiety associated with a new job. An employee induction also, improves their morale and feelings about the new job and organisation they have joined.

Signature Staff New Employee Induction

Induction programs are designed to provide new employees with the necessary training and guidance to integrate effectively into the organisation. These programs are typically conducted by either HR or the department manager and can last from several weeks to a few months. During this time, new employees receive valuable information about the organisation, its culture, and their expected role within it.

By combining training and mentoring, induction programs set the stage for success and help new employees feel confident and well-prepared to contribute to the organisation.

Benefits of induction programs include:

  • Workplace safety
  • Increased retention rate
  • Improved employee morale
  • Increased productivity, and;
  • Increased sense of acceptance into the organisation

A comprehensive employee induction program not only saves you money and time in the long run, but it avoids money being spent on covering absences such as hiring replacements.

Many organisations do not have a formal orientation program. As a result, new employees are left to find information on their own. They may also learn by observing, asking questions, or imitating current 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 breaches and, in the worst case, fatalities. As an employer, you could face financial loss, prosecution, fines and even jail sentences, depending on circumstances.

The role of recruitment for successful inductions

Before a new employee begins their first day, the truth is their induction may have already started. During the search and selection process you take the time to highlight the role, the organisation and the expectations of the role.

While this may seem obvious, it is surprising that many do not have a structured recruitment process that ensures you find a great candidate that is equally excited about the opportunity.

To help give your next recruit the best start, be sure to review your recruitment process with our online recruitment and selection resources.

Our team of expert recruiters in Cairns and Townsville can also assist with psychometric assessments and behavioural profiling. This gives you an important insight into the new recruit’s personality, so you can refine your induction to give them the best chance of success.

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

We’ve noticed a significant trend towards cloud-based, online training lately. This is because it eliminates the uncertainties that come with in-person training. It also allows employers and employees to easily track and evaluate their progress. Plus it reduces unsustainable and costly practices like 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. This means that new starters can complete the training even before arriving for their first day of work.

In the past, online inductions have required significant investment in setup costs and lengthy lock-in contracts, making it challenging for small and medium businesses to access online technology. However, recent developments have made it possible for these businesses to access online induction technology at a lower cost.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive induction training for your business, you might want to check out TANDI.com.au. This Australian company offers customisable training that suits any business size, and their pricing is affordable too. We highly recommend giving them a look!

 

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8 Comments

  1. Chris

    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 🙂

    Reply
  2. June

    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.

    Reply
  3. vlasta

    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.

    Reply
  4. Ramos

    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.

    Reply
  5. Pail Collins

    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

    Reply
  6. Michael

    Why require a refresher when someone has not had any incidents during their work at a site?

    Reply
    • Vlasta

      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.

      Reply
  7. mildred

    Interesting

    why should current employees be involved in the induction programmes?

    Reply

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