Induction/Orient

ation

Introduction

The purpose

of an induction procedure is to assist a new employee in the

"settling down " process.

Induction means providing the overview of company, company's processes

and
policies
for
various
divisions
to
new
joiners.
In orientation they will provide you more practical awareness to get adjusted to work
environment quickly.

In Induction which is just held for one day programme where employees are
told about the rules of the company, joining formalities, employees are shown the
company premises.

In the Orientation programme which happens for a week to 10 days in most of

the company here employees are told about actual process he has to work, he is given
the training about the process.

First induction happens and than it is followed by orientation.

In some companies both Induction and Orientation is merged and only orientation
happens.

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Induction Or Orientation
Induction or orientation is the process through which a new
recruit is introduced to the organization and the job. Induction
removes fears from the mind of a newcomer, creates a good
impression about the organization and acts as a valuable source
of information.

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Induction
Induction is the process of receiving and welcoming
employees when they first join a company and
giving them the basic information they need to settle
down quickly and happily and start work.
Induction has the following aims:

to smooth the preliminary stages when everything is likely to be strange

and unfamiliar to the starter;

to establish quickly a favourable attitude to the company in the mind of

the new employee so that he or she is more likely to stay;

to obtain effective output from the new employee in the shortest possible
time;
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OBJECTIVES OF INDUCTION AND ORIENTATION

To facilitate and foster the employees social and professional orientation into
the workplace
To demonstrate to the new employee the companys desire to help in his or
her acclimatization
To bridge the culture gap in a diverse workforce
To enable the employee to obtain answers to his or her questions and to
access relevant information
To support the employee and enable him or her to become effective as
quickly as possible
To determine if the employee clearly understands the expectations with
regard to his or her tasks, roles and responsibilities
To ensure that the employee is familiar with the companys standards and
policies
To familiarize the employee with the organizations culture and values
To increase the companys visibility and contribute to the enhancement of its
image
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Importance of Induction

Reducing the cost and inconvenience of early leavers

As pointed out by Fowler (1996), employees are far more likely to resign during their first
months after joining the organization. The costs can include:
recruitment costs of replacement;
induction costs (training etc);
costs of temporary agency replacement;
cost of extra supervision and error correction;
gap between the employees value to the company and the cost of the employees
pay and benefits.

Increasing commitment : A committed employee is one who identifies with the

organization, wants to stay with it and is prepared to work hard on behalf of the
organization.

Clarifying the psychological contract: Induction arrangements can indicate what the
organization expects in terms of behavioural norms and the values that employees should
uphold.
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Cont..

Accelerating progress up the learning curve

New employees will be on a learning curve they will take time to reach the required
level of performance. Clearly, the length of the learning curve and rates of learning
vary, but it is important to provide for it to take place in a planned and systematic
manner from the first day to maximize individual contributions as quickly as possible.

Socialization
New employees are likely to settle in more quickly and enjoy working for the
organization if the process of socialization takes place smoothly. The social aspects of
work relationships with colleagues are very important for many people.

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Orientation
Orientation is the process of acquainting new employees with the organization.
Orientation topics range from such basic items as the location of the company cafeteria to
such concerns as various career paths within the firm.

The orientation is a more formal program following the induction and usually
consists of familiarizing the employee with work environment, machinery and
equipment and jobs and tasks that the new employees are expected to perform.
Any mistake committed by a new employee is treated as a part and parcel of the
process of his learning. The errors progressively reduce in the frequency and
extent and when the orientation comes to an end, the program makes the
employee ready to face the challenges of his job.
Orientation conveys four types of information:
1. Daily Work Routine
2. Organization Profile
3. Importance of Jobs to the organization
4. Detailed Orientation Presentations

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Some of the issues to cover during orientation are:

Introduction and physical tour of company facilities;

Workstation and chairs;
Keys/passes for staff;
Emergency exits;
Office security;
Office procedures;
Location of fire extinguishers;
Meeting colleagues and managers;

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Purpose of Orientation
1. To make new employees feel at home in new environment
2. To remove their anxiety about new workplace
3. To remove their inadequacies about new peers
4. To remove worries about their job performance
5. To provide them job information, environment

Types of Orientation Programs

1. Formal or Informal
2. Individual or Group
3. Serial or Disjunctive

Prerequisites of Effective Orientation Program

1. Prepare for receiving new employee
2. Determine information new employee wants to know
3. Determine how to present information
4.Completion of Paperwork

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Problems of Orientations

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Busy or untrained supervisor

Too much information
Overloaded with paperwork
Given menial tasks and discourage interests
Demanding tasks where failure chances are very high
Employees thrown into action soon
Wrong perceptions of employees

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Steps in the Induction and Orientation Process

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STEP 1: PREPARING FOR THE INDUCTION

The immediate supervisor should prepare the contents of the orientation with the
designated mentor. Together, they should ask the following three questions in order to
determine what information to transmit to the newcomer:
1 What should be included in the orientation?
2 What are the objectives?
3 What does the new employee need to know about his or her tasks?
Reception: The following checklist for reception is recommended by
Fowler (1996)
Ensure that the person whom the starter first meets (the receptionist, personnel assistant
or supervisor) knows of their pending arrival and what to do next.
Set a reporting time, which will avoid the risk of the starter turning up before the
reception or office staff arrive.
Train reception staff in the need for friendly and efficient helpfulness towards new
starters.
If the new starter has to go to another location immediately after reporting, provide a
guide, unless the route to the other location is very straightforward.
Avoid keeping the new starter waiting; steady, unhurried, guided activity is an excellent
antidote to first-day.
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The Personnel Department

The Personnel Department will be the first calling place for new employees. The following
points will be covered: -

A warm welcome to the Company.

Employee Qualifications/ Training /Professional Registration details (as
appropriate.) will be confirmed and copies taken for personnel files.
The need for confidentiality regarding the company will be highlighted.
Pay scales and allowances, method of payment, holiday entitlements, hours of
work, pension scheme and trade union membership will be explained in detail.
Information will be given on the absence policy and procedure, including
method of reporting absence.
The discipline and grievance procedures will be fully explained and written
copies of these supplied.
Brief tour of building, including canteen facilities and introductions where
appropriate.
Occupational health assessment carried out, with action taken as necessary.
Ensure the new employee does not currently require any further information.
Confirm induction details and complete induction form.
Arrange escort to working location.
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STEP 2: INDUCTION
Reception by the department manager (immediate supervisor)
Word of welcome (presentation of the corporate mission and challenges)
Presentation of the organizations key values and expectations (schedule,
personal and organizational expectations)
Presentation of the employee manual, working conditions and organization chart
Submission and signing of required documents (employee file, group insurance,
pay sheet, etc.)
Tour of the workplace with the department manager.
Designation of the workspace and tools available (computer, office supplies,
etc.)
Tour of the different company departments including rest and recreation areas
(employee cafeteria etc.)
Introduction to staff and the work team.

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The HR department may initiate the following steps while

organizing the induction programme

Welcome to the organisation

Explain about the company and show all the facilities
Show the location where the new recruit will work.
Give the company's manual
Offer details about various work groups
Provide details about policies, rules, regulations,
benefits, etc
Explain about opportunities and career prospects
Clarify doubts
Assign the new recruit to the supervisor

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Induction Programme: Topics

Organizational Issues

Introductions

History of the company

Names of key executives
Job title & department
Layout of physical facilities
Probationary period
Products/services offered

Employee Benefits

Job Duties

Pay scales, pay days

Vacations, holidays
Rest pauses
Training avenues
Counselling
Insurance, medical, recreation,
retirement benefits
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To supervisors
To co-workers
To trainers
To employee counsellor

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Job location
Job tasks
Job safety needs
Overview of jobs
Job objectives
Relationship with other jobs

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Documentation
A variety of documents may then be issued to employees,
including safety rules and safety literature, a company rule book
containing details of disciplinary and grievance procedures and
an employee handbook as described below:
An employee handbook is useful for:

a brief description of the company its history, products,

organization and management;
basic conditions of employment hours of work, holidays,
pension scheme, insurance;
pay scales, when paid and how, deductions, queries;
sickness notification of absence, certificates, pay;
leave of absence; company rules; disciplinary procedure;
grievance procedure;
promotion procedure; union and joint consultation
arrangements; education and training facilities;
health and safety arrangements; medical and first-aid facilities;
restaurant and canteen facilities; social and welfare
arrangements; travelling
and subsistence
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The content of formal induction courses may be selected according to the needs of the
organization from the following list of subject areas:

information about the organization its products/services, structure, mission

and
core values;
learning arrangements and opportunities formal training, self-managed
learning,
personal development plans;
performance management processes how they work and the parts people
play;
health and safety occupational health, prevention of injuries and accidents,
protective clothing, basic safety rules;
conditions of service hours, holidays, leave, sick pay arrangements, maternity/
paternity leave;
pay and benefits arrangements for paying salaries or wages, the pay structure,
allowances, details of performance, competence- or skill-based pay schemes,
details of profit sharing, gain sharing or share ownership arrangements, pension
and life or medical insurance schemes;
policies, procedures and working arrangements equal opportunities policies,
rules
regarding sexual and racial harassment, disciplinary and grievance procedures, nosmoking arrangements;
trade unions and employee involvement trade union membership and
recognition,
consultative systems, agreements, suggestion schemes.
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STEP 3: ORIENTATION

Introduction to the mentor

Presentation of mutual expectations
Presentation of the roles, responsibilities and tasks relating to the job
Explanation, observation and experimentation
Presentation of work methods

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INTRODUCTION TO THE WORKPLACE

New starters will be concerned about who they are going to work for (their
immediate manager or team leader), who they are going to work with,
what work they are going to do on their first day, and the geographical
layout of their place of work (location of entrances, exits, lavatories,
restrooms and the canteen).

Some of this information may be provided by a member of the HR department, or

an assistant in the new employees place of work. But the most important source of
information is the immediate manager, supervisor or team leader.

The departmental orientation programme should, wherever possible, start with the
departmental manager, not the immediate team leader. The manager may give only
a general welcome and a brief description of the work of the department before
handing new employees over to their team leaders for the more detailed
orientation.

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Cont.

The detailed orientation is probably best carried

out by the immediate team leader, who should
have five main aims:

to put the new employee at ease;

to interest the employee in the job and the organization;
to provide basic information about working arrangements;
to indicate the standards of performance and behavior expected from
the employee;
to tell the employee about training arrangements and how he or she can
progress in the company.
The team leader should introduce new starters to
their fellow team members. It is best to get one
member of the team to act as a guide or starters
friend. As relative newcomers they are likely to
remember all the small points that were a source of
worry to them when they started work, and so help
new employees to settle in quickly.
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Employing Department
The following points should be covered :
Introductions should be made to managers, other members of staff with whom
the employee will be working.
A tour of the department should be given, indicating the location of fire alarms,
first aid equipment, toilets and catering facilities.
Specific job responsibilities should be explained, referring to the job description
if necessary.
Safety precautions should be emphasised.
Procedures relating to personal accident reports should be explained.
In general, the department should avoid giving too much information in the first
day. Vital information must be emphasised but in general queries should be
dealt with as they arise.
The new employee should ideally be involved in some practical work during the
first day.

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STEP 4: FOLLOW-UP

Evaluation by the immediate supervisor

Evaluation of employee satisfaction

Mentors feedback on the integration (employee strengths, areas requiring
improvement)
Identification of training requirements for the position

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It is important to follow up on the initial induction within the

first few weeks.
Employees should be asked how they are settling in and
whether they require any additional information.
Views on the induction procedure should be sought and
noted. Any comments should be related in writing to the
appropriate department, so that changes may be made as
required.

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