A Guide to Successful Inductions

The BondMoran Guide to successful inductions!

A key aspect of successful recruitment is great on-boarding and induction planning, which can help minimise ‘drop outs’ and creates a high level of engagement, felt even before your new employee starts!

Bond Moran have advised many clients on this process, and through helping them build internal induction and training strategy programmes, it is clear that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution. Adaptations to bear in mind will depend on organisation culture, number of new starters, level of expertise of the recruits and resources available.

Implementing a process that is ‘market leading’ and sets your business apart from other growing businesses in the area (and your competitors) will take planning and time – and organisations who do not make this investment often end up suffering the consequences.

Below are some ideas to consider assisting with successful on-boarding – we have seen first-hand how these taken together can reap rewards for all parties.

Before starting
• Offer letters and contracts should go out as soon as the offer is made and accepted.
• A “Welcome to the Business” card or letter from a Director is a heart-warming touch.
• A call from the Head Of The Department or a Company Director to say that they are delighted the offer has been accepted is always welcomed, especially when agencies have been involved in the process.
• An invitation to a private Linkedin or Facebook group for internal recruits starting at a similar time can help to promote early pre-start engagement, and provides a chance to meet new colleagues. This is easy to set up, will promote the company, and is a means of creating ‘buy-in’ whilst the candidates may still be subject to counter offers from their existing employers.
• Pre-start messages or even a welcome pack sent: This can include personalised items e.g. notebook with their name on or something related to their interests (easy to find out). It could have other things such as a company mug or water bottle, or perhaps relevant reading.

First Day and Week
• Ensure that the new employee knows they were expected, that their name is known, and they receive a welcome arrival from the very first point of call, be it security or the receptionist.
• Grab a coffee and breakfast treat and host a ‘getting to know you” session with whoever will be the lead in the induction process
• This informal and early engagement will often give the new employee someone to turn to if they need to chat later down the line. Explain the induction process and agenda to manage expectations.
• Ensure the induction environment changes regularly to maintain attention – don’t just stay in one place or office – walk around, take in some fresh air, meet key contacts.
• Remind the team to be especially welcoming – a little smile or hello from team members makes a great impression to a new starter.
• The focus in Week 1 should be all about creating buy-in from the new team member.
• Instead of investing in leaving parties when there’s no return on investment, ‘go big’ with the welcome as it will certainly pay back in most cases.

A Great Induction – The Basics

1 – Housekeeping
• Complete new starter forms, set them up on payroll, provide security access cards.
• Provide company assets – laptop, phone etc – and ensure company specific IT areas are covered off before access to IT is granted.
• Order Business Cards.
• Set up email signatures and add to relevant email groups. Ensure relevant calendar invites are sent out.
• Carry out a Health and Safety assessment, including workstation ergonomics, fire safety, security and first aid.
• Explain employee benefits and any contractual clarifications.
• Go through company policies and procedures.

2 – The Team
• The more people that the new starter can be introduced to the better, but be aware that learning new names, faces and roles can be overwhelming. Try and ensure you move outside of the department to encompass as much of the business as possible.
• Depending on numbers of staff on the induction, it may be a good idea for brief presentations from a member of each division and an introduction to the Senior Management who should be as approachable as possible. All staff should be made to feel important regardless of their level.
• Think about a ‘buddy’ or mentoring scheme – set one up if one is not already in place.
• Ask other teams to get involved, taking the new employee with them to meetings and visits to encourage wider learning and understanding.

3 – The Business
• Before you ask for too much from the new recruits, give them ‘the reason’ – what the common cause is, why it matters, and how they can contribute. Ensure you invest time in this area as it helps employees understand their role within the organisation.

Examples of areas you could include –
a) The ethos, values, vision and beliefs of the business, including history and lessons learned.
b) The short-term goals and long-term strategy.
c) The customer base – and the impact the organisation has on those in serves.
d) The competition and how your business can stand out. Be honest about the challenges faced and how these are mitigated against.

A Great Induction – Next steps
• Ensure a follow up plan is put in place after week 1 and manage expectations from both sides. A clear 90-day plan with milestones may well be useful and can be written up with the involvement of the new recruit.
• Diarise performance reviews and outline how they will be structured.
• Ask for feedback on employees’ induction.
• Ask about the network the employee operates in – there’s a lot of commercial benefit in asking new recruits who and what they know.
• Recognition is a key part of staff retention, and a little recognition for new starters has an especially strong impact.

We hope that the above has been helpful! As a small, niche consultancy who genuinely care about our clients, BondMoran offer knowledge and expertise in multiple areas to help build fruitful relationships.

Please do get in touch if you would like a no obligation chat about any area of recruitment – we would love to hear from you!