Induction

MGT533/NZD633 Human Resources

Management
Learning Outcome
Learning Outcomes
• Explain the importance of a
planned and quality induction
for employees
• Explain the purpose of the
induction process
• Explain benefits of induction &
socialisation to business &
employee
• Describe how onboarding
processes help employees
understand what is expected
of them.
• Design an induction programme
that incorporates principles of
effective familiarisation process
What is Induction and Socialisation?
• Induction describes a specific
course or training event that
new starters attend, to ways
in which new employees build
up working relationships.
• Programme for introducing
new employees to
organisation, workplace and
work group
• May be called orientation,
familiarisation
• Aims to make new employees
productive and accepted as
quickly as possible
 Activity
• Talk to your partner about an induction
you have participated in, with either an
employer or voluntary organisation and
explain what made it an effective
induction and what you enjoyed about it.
• Alternatively, talk to your partner about
an induction you participated in, that you
did not enjoy. Expl.ain why you didn’t
enjoy it
• Explain an occasion when you started an
organisation and they did not have any
induction process and you were ‘thrown
in at the deep end’. How did this make
you feel?
 Induction/Socialisation/Onboarding?
• Socialisation is the process by which
organisation or group seeks to influence
individual to adopt its values, norms and
behaviour patterns.
• “Induction teaches newcomers how to get
the job done and produce the desired result,
while socialisation helps them learn how to
behave & to recognise what really matters to
organisation & its members
• Induction is an event; socialisation is a
process
• Socialisation refers to the process where
employees adjust or acclimatise to their jobs
and working environment.
• Onboarding’ to cover 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.
What is the purpose of Induction? – One
chance to make the right impression!

• The aim is to ensure

that new
employees, or
existing employees
appointed to new
positions become
familiar with their
new roles and
workplace and
accepted as part of
the team.
Discussion Question
• When does induction
start?
– The employees’
first day?
– When the
employee became
aware of the
companies
products and
services?
– When first direct
contact is made
about
employment?
Induction
Aims to:
• Communicate essential information (mission, values,
culture, objectives, policies, procedures, rules)
• Increase motivation – feel welcome and important
• Develop realistic expectations and reduce
uncertainty – job should be clearly defined and
explained
• Reduce turnover – Clear link between employees’
early experiences in an organisation and their
satisfaction and labour turnover
• Save time and money – reducing costly mistakes
• Relieve anxiety – A friendly welcome reduces it!
 What happens
without an effective
induction programme?
• New employees get off to a bad
start and never really
understand the organisation
itself or their role in it. This may
lead to:
• Poor integration into the team
• Low morale, particularly for the
new employee
• Loss of productivity
• Failure to work to their highest
potential.
More seriously…..

• In extreme cases, the new employee leaves, either through

resignation or dismissal. This can result in:
– additional cost for recruiting a replacement
– wasted time for the inductor
– lowering of morale for the remaining staff
– detriment to the leaver's employment record
– having to repeat the unproductive learning curve of the leaver
– damage to the company's reputation.
Who needs an
induction?
• All staff, both full- and part-time need
an induction programme.
• Some groups have specific needs, for
example graduate trainees, people
returning from career breaks, long-
term absence or maternity/paternity
leave, senior appointments, technical
specialists, directors.
• Contractors and consultants or
entering into strategic partnering
arrangements.
 Who’s responsible for induction?
• Manager’s should ensure
that new employees receive
appropriate induction.
• They should be made
accountable for induction,
as poor induction can
adversely affect employee
turnover and productivity
rates.
• It can be carried out by
another team member – a
good idea is to assign a
buddy from the immediate
work group.
HR’s Role in Induction

• HR is responsible for the company’s

induction policy and for developing
and evaluating the full range of
induction programmes and
courses.
• HR specialists will also implement
some aspects of induction.
A good induction programme contains the
following elements:
• A clear outline of the job/role requirements explanation of terms and conditions including
key policies
• Practical information such as office opening hours, telephone and IT systems
• Orientation (physical) - describing where the facilities are
• Orientation (organisational) - showing how the employee fits into the team and how their
role fits with the organisation’s strategy and goals
• An awareness of other functions within the organisation, and how the employee fits within
that
• Meeting with key senior employees (either face to face or through the use of technology)
• Health and safety information - this is a legal requirement
• Details of the organisation's history, its culture and values, and its products and services
• Practical information such as office opening hours, how to contact IT, and when the fire
alarm tests take place
• Remote/flexible working tools and access to work systems, if applicable.
Planning Induction
 Preparation
• This should start as soon as the job
offer is accepted.
– Put new employees on the
mailing list for general news
and information
– Set up regular communication
– Prepare an induction schedule
and send it out with the new
start paperwork
– Ensure they have details for
their arrival on the first day –
e.g. parking/rules/arrival at
reception, map of the site if
necessary
 First Day
• Each induction programme should start with
a welcome form the manager/team leader,
with a brief explanation of what the new
employees can expect over the first few days
• Introduce the new employee to the rest of
the team.
• Show them their desk/workplace
• Shown the layout of the site etc
• Emergency procedures
• Logins/IT/Phones etc
• If more than one person starts on the same
day, keep them together
• Don’t forget the non-standard employees –
part-time/casual employees
• Shouldn’t be a boring communication of
administrative details
Plan an induction
programme – the 9P
approach
• Profile - (mission/activities/structure)
• Policies and Procedures - (early, so they don’t
breach employment conditions
• People – start with immediate work group, then
further
• Places – provide a sketch plan with photos
• Plant – familiar with Emergency procedures/
Health and Safety
• Processes – provide training in
• Pay – ensure all payroll paperwork is completed
• Power – Report to/organisational structure
• Problems – ensure they know were to go
 Induction
• checklist
Prepare each individual’s
induction programme as a
checklist
• Both managers and the
employee should then
share responsibility for
checking that the list is
covered
• HR should then follow up
to ensure that the
induction checklist has
been actioned
• Allow access to online
information and any
booklets or pamphlets
with key information
 Activity: Example Induction booklets

• Analyse the induction booklets on Moodle.

– Mitre 10
– Sealord
– NMIT
• Questions:
• What do you think works well about each of them?
(Advantages)
• What do you think does not work so well about each of them?
(Disadvantages)
 Activity

• As a class, you are to design an induction booklet, for a factory producing

chips (cold chips)
• You will each be allocated into a group and each group is required to
prepare the induction checklist for that part of the induction:
• Group 1: Pre-employment welcome and information
• Group 2: Planning for the new start
• Group 3: Day 1
• Group 4: Initial information and administration
• Group 5: Health and Safety
• Group 6: Employment Matters
• Group 7: End of week 1 to end of month 1
 Monitoring
• Employee’s progress
should be monitored
closely by managers
during the early stages.
• New employees need
regular feedback
• Remember a key objective
is induction is to help
employees become
effective performers and
members of the
organisation, the process
is not achieved until this is
done.
 Trial Periods
• A trial period us a provision written into an
employment agreement, that states that for a
specified period (not exceeding 90 days), the
employee is to serve a trial period and during
that period the employee may dismiss the
employee and the employee is not entitled to
bring a personal grievance or other legal
proceedings in respect of that dismissal.
• Trial periods must be agreed.
• They can make a claim however for
unjustified disadvantage, sexual harassment,
discrimination etc
• Still required to act in good faith, need to be
constructive, responsive, communicative and
active during that relationship
Termination under trial
periods
• Need to communicate if the trial period is
not going well.
• Termination should not come as a
surprise and performance needs to be
discussed throughout the trail period.
• It is essential that regular feedback is
provided
• Do not need to implement the full
disciplinary process
• Need to comply with company policies
regarding a performance issue.
• Notice must be given before the end of
the employment agreement.
 Probation Periods
• Must be specified in writing
• A probation period should be a positive and
constructive experience for both the
employer and the employee
• It provides a framework for future
performance management
• The employee should be provided with
training and regular feedback about their
performance against the employers
expectations
• An employee can still raise a PG for
unjustified dismissal
• It is possible to apply a condensed
disciplinary process for probationary
periods
• Need to specify at the outset, how the
probationary period will work, what the
expectations are and how they will be
reviewed
 Termination with a Probation Period
• A probation period does not give an employer the right to
dismiss an employee at the conclusion
• The employee must be given fair warning before the end of a
probationary period, that the employment is coming to an end,
if the performance is not satisfactory
• It is possible to apply condensed disciplinary processes to
probationary periods, instead of three warnings, this process
can be reduced
• Encouragement and further assistance needs to be provided,
to support them to reach the required standard
• At the end of the probation or trial periods, you should meet
with the employee to discuss their performance overall and set
objectives for the future.
 Onboarding –
socialisation
• Describes the process of joining
psychologically, as the employee
adapts to the organisations style,
culture, norms and standards.
• Some people do not adapt and
eventually reject the organisation, by
resigning, or by emotionally
disconnecting and treating it as a place
to work and be paid
• Socialisation helps people manage the
challenges that arise out of the gap
between individual expectations and
organisational realities
Socialisation
methods
• Schooling
– Formal
instruction
• Apprenticeship
– Learn from
exposure to
peers
• Co-option
– Progressive
admittance to
in-groups
• Mortification
– Forced into
conformity
 Bibliography:

• Rudman, R. (2012) Human Resources Management in New

Zealand 5th ed., Pearson New Zealand. Chapter 13
• CIPD: Induction Factsheet