CIPD - Induction

Recruitment and talent management

Revised February 2009

This factsheet gives introductory guidance. It:

discusses the purpose, advantages and disadvantages of formal induction programmes
considers HR's role in induction
provides guidance on setting up and running induction programmes
includes a sample induction checklist
looks at trends in induction.

Every organisation, large or small, should have a well-considered induction programme. However, designing an appropriate and cost-effective induction package is a complex task. The induction programme has to provide all the information that new employees and others need, and are able to assimilate, without being overwhelming or diverting them from the essential process of integration into a team.

The term ‘induction’ is generally used 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 teams¹. 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.

The length and nature of the induction process depends on the complexity of the job and the background of the new employee. One size does not fit all - a standardised induction course is unlikely to satisfy anyone.

What is induction for?

The purpose of induction is to ensure the effective integration of staff into or across the organisation for the benefit of both parties. Research has shown that tailor-made induction programmes increase staff retention.

A good induction programme contains the following elements:

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.
Health and safety information - this is a legal requirement.
Explanation of terms and conditions.
Details of the organisation's history, its products and services, its culture and values.
A clear outline of the job/role requirements.

Who needs an induction programme?

All staff, both full- and part-time need an induction programme. Some groups have specific needs - graduate trainees, people returning from career breaks, long-term absence or maternity/paternity leave, senior appointments, technical specialists, directors. Tailor-made programmes should also be available for groups such as job-sharers, temporary staff, contractors, promoted staff, transferred staff and teleworkers.

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.

In extreme cases, the new employee leaves, either through resignation or dismissal; the results of our 2008 Recruitment, retention and turnover survey showed that 22%of leavers had less than six month’s service (up from 19% in the previous year’s survey). Early leaving results 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.

See the full results of our recruitment, retention and turnover surveys

The role of HR in employee induction

Although the induction of a specific employee is the line manager's responsibility, HR is responsible for the company's induction policy and for developing the full range of induction programmes and courses. Personnel specialists will also implement some aspects of induction. Finally, HR will be responsible for the evaluation of the induction process.

CIPD members can see some training activities for those involved in carrying out inductions.

Go to our Induction exercises

HR people are increasingly recognising the value of developing an employer brand. This involves careful consideration of the employee experience from their first contact with the organisation through the employment lifecycle. In many cases, this has led to a focus on the onboarding and induction process to ensure it effectively reflects the employer brand and the values the organisation is promoting.

This might, for example, mean reviewing pre-employment communications sent out to new recruits to make sure they are welcoming and engaging. It could also mean thinking about opportunities to help the socialisation process before people formally join the organisation – for example by making use of social networking technology.

See more information on employer branding

The basics of an induction process

The structure of an induction course depends not only on the size and nature of an organisation but also on the type of recruit. The process begins at the recruitment stage and continues into employment. New recruits need to know the organisation, the culture and the people, and their role. Ideally, all new employees should receive an individual induction programme that reflects their specific needs. For a large company, this programme would be a combination of one-to-one discussions and more formal group presentations, which may be given within an induction course.

The line manager is responsible for a new recruit's induction, but would not be expected to cover all the elements personally. A typical allocation of induction tasks could be:

Line manager/supervisor: explain the departmental organisation, the requirements of the job, the purpose and operation of any probationary period and the appraisal system.
HR: cover the housekeeping aspects for a new starter (possibly on arrival, certainly on Day 1) such as completing employee forms, taking bank details, explaining the induction programme.
Safety officer: explain health and safety issues.
Section supervisor or a nominated colleague: provide an escorted tour of the department and introduce fellow workers; then give day-to-day guidance in local procedures for the first couple of weeks.
Senior manager(s) and/or HR: give an overview of the organisation, its history, products and services, quality system and culture.
Training officer (or line manager): describe available training services, then help to develop a personalised training plan. Provide details of other sources of information during induction such as the company intranet or interactive learning facilities.
Company representatives from trades unions, sports and social clubs, etc: give details of membership and its benefits.
Mentor or 'buddy': sometimes inductees are allocated a colleague, not their immediate line manager or anyone from the personnel function, to help speed up the settling-in period.

Using a formal induction course

Advantages

Saves inductors' and managers' time by dealing with a group rather than several individuals.
Ensures that all new recruits are given a positive message and consistent information.
Can employ a range of communication techniques including:
- group discussion and projects
- presentation (PowerPoint/overheads/slides/videos)
- visits and guided tours
- off-site training sessions
- involvement with suppliers, customers and contractors.
Enables new recruits to socialise with each other and build cross-functional relationships.
Is relatively easy to arrange.

Disadvantages

Contains a range of subjects that are unlikely to appeal to a cross-functional and mixed ability group of new employees.
May take place several weeks, or even months, after the inductee joins the organisation, which disrupts integration into the work team.
Is less personal and involves managers and HR personnel rather than colleagues and local supervisors.
Contains too much information to be assimilated in a short time.
May not be a true reflection of either the organisation or the job.
Individuals may not be able to attend all sessions in a series of induction presentations resulting in incomplete induction.

What to avoid

Providing too much, too soon; the inductee must not be overwhelmed by a mass of information on the first day. Keep it simple and relevant.
Pitching presentations at an inappropriate level - they should be suitable for everyone in the audience and for their roles within the organisation.
HR rather than local personnel providing all the information - it should be a shared process.
Creating an induction programme which generates unreasonable expectations by overselling the job.

Example of an induction checklist

Regardless of whether there is a formal induction programme co-ordinated by HR or a less formal programme run by managers, it is important to keep a checklist of the areas of induction training received, ideally countersigned by the individual. This helps to ensure all employees receive all the information they need. This checklist can be a vital source of reference later in employment - for example to check an employee has been briefed on policies, or to produce evidence of training in the event of a health and safety inspection.

Pre-employment	joining instructions proof of the right to work in the UK (if not already done during recruitment) conditions of employment company literature
Health and safety	emergency exits evacuation procedures first aid facilities health and safety policy accident reporting protective clothing specific hazards policy on smoking
Organisation	site map - canteen, first aid post, etc. telephone system computer system organisation chart - global organisation chart - departmental company products and services security pass car park pass security procedures Official Secrets Act Data Protection Act/ Freedom of Information Act
Terms and conditions	absence/sickness procedure working time, including hours, flexi-time, etc arrangements for breaks holidays/special leave probation period performance management system discipline procedure grievance procedure Internet and email policy
Financial	pay - payment date and method tax and national insurance benefits pension/stakeholder pensions expenses and expense claims
Training	agree training plan training opportunities and in-house courses CPD and Personal Development Plan career management
Culture and values	background mission statement quality systems customer care policy employer brand

Trends in induction

Changing content

Thinking beyond induction to the broader ‘onboarding’ process – bearing in mind the employee experience from their first contact with the organisation.
Fewer 'chalk and talk' sessions and more multi-media presentations, or active learning tasks, for example, giving inductees a questionnaire where completion involves talking to people outside their normal scope.
Moving away from being purely about the practicalities of an organisation to discussing culture and values.
Using technology in the induction process. For example, an online induction and e-learning programme has been developed to introduce the culture for new HR staff in the NHS, and Tesco also uses e-learning for its annual 40,000 new recruits.
Involving a wide range of personnel in the programme development to ensure that the content continues to match the organisation profile; out-of-date or badly produced material is depressing.
More awareness of socialisation issues and using induction sessions for cross-function team building which build on inter-organisation communiation.

Evaluation

Holding post-induction reviews, either formally or informally, to gather employee feedback and ideas to enhance the process.
Using statistics (for example, on early leavers) to monitor the effectiveness of the induction process.

References

TAYLOR, S. (2005) People resourcing. 3rd ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Induction