There are significant differences in employee engagement among companies that focus on the details of the hiring and orientation process and those that don't.
In a review of human resources practices at 50 large U.S. companies, It is found that 65 % of companies with a highly engaged workforce provide interview training for managers, compared with 33 % of companies with a less engaged workforce.
Those with highly engaged workers also spend more time in preparing workers for their new jobs--they take an average of 35 weeks to bring a new hire up to speed versus 15 weeks for those with low engagement.
"Few things are more important to a company's long-term performance than choosing the right employees and ensuring they have the proper outlook from Day One. As a result, employers should view the recruitment and orientation process as an opportunity, not as a burden. Preparing employees for their new roles and communicating how they can help the firm meet its goals can go a long way toward determining whether new employees ultimately succeed."
A simple but key technique for driving worker engagement is to explain to new employees why they were hired.
"Sharing with new hires the attributes that drew the company to them is an easy and meaningful way to begin a productive relationship It gives new employees an immediate tie to the company and a clear understanding of how their skills can be used productively at their new place of employment."
The orientation of a new employee is the final step in the hiring process. Without a planned orientation program, employees may not receive the information they need or might be misinformed about company policies, practices, and procedures. A well-organized orientation program lets new employees get all the facts firsthand, boosts their confidence, and contributes to a more positive attitude toward the Company.
The Company has devised a formal Orientation Program for all new employees. It consists of two (2) phases:
Phase I – Human Resources Department
Phase II – Immediate Supervisor
The orientation of new employees is very important and should be carried out conscientiously. Every effort should be made to make them feel comfortable and welcome.
Human Resources Department : The following items are to be discussed with the new employee upon his/her successful completion of physical exam
1. Equal Opportunity Employer / Policy Against Harassment
2. Safety equipment (if required )
3. United Way
4. Group Insurance Program
5. Probationary Period
6. Bulletin Boards
7. Job-Posting Provisions
8. Pension Plan
9. Holidays — Eligibility
10. Vacations — Eligibility
11. Safety — First Aid
12. Attendance — Proper Reporting
13. Telephone Calls — Emergency or Other
14. Changes in Personnel Records
15. Cafeteria Facilities
16. Parking Facilities
17. Service Award Program
18. Training Program
19. Tuition Reimbursement Program
20. Working hour
21. Pay procedures
22. Show, in contract book, job classifications and pay grade, automatic and merit steps for increases.
Immediate Supervisor : This checklist is to insure that all necessary supplies, tools, information, and safety equipment have been given to your new employee. Welcome new employee and put him/her at ease
1. Lock with key, where applicable.
2. Required tools.
3. Required safety equipment.
4. Employee's job classification (title).
5. Initial assignment and necessary training.
Discuss:
6. Goals of the first few months — what he/she should learn.
7. Type of on-the-job training he/she will be given.
8. In general, his/her possible promotional opportunities.
9. Pay procedures: when, where, how.
10. Bulletin boards: where.
11. Hours of work — rest periods.
12. Meal periods — time and place — mention cafeteria facilities .
13. Department and plant rules and regulations.
14. How to get tools and supplies.
15. organization Safety Policy:
• Review department safety rules and record.
• Explain procedures to follow in case on-the-job injury occurs.
16. Overtime policy.
17. Company Attendance Policy — Importance of good attendance, calling in, etc.
Also:
18. Show new employees their job and have them observe others doing it.
19. Explain each step as performed.
20. Introduce employee to Department Steward.
21. Introduce employee to his/her training instructor.
22. Completely answer any remaining questions.
23. Introduce employee to department head.
Showing posts with label orientation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label orientation. Show all posts
May 4, 2010
Induction Program
Things to think about when implementing an employee induction process
1. Identify the business objectives and desired benefits
Effective induction can have many benefits including reducing turnover costs, engaging and motivating new and existing employees, contributing to the implementation of good systems and processes and gaining feedback and ideas from new hires looking at an organisation through “fresh eyes”. Thinking about how a new or improved induction process could benefit your organisation will help you determine the focus and shape of the programme. If you are keen to help new hires build internal networks for example, a programme which brings all new hires together may be important. If your key business driver is to ensure consistent standards and messages across a multi-site organisation, an e-learning solution may be most appropriate.
2. Secure early commitment
Don’t underestimate the powerful effect that induction can have in developing commitment to a new organisation. A good induction process shows that the company cares and is committed to setting people up for success. It can also help to identify problems or barriers at an early stage and allow the appropriate action to be taken. Conversely a poor induction experience could make some new entrants doubt their decision to join your organisation representing a risk in terms of future retention and reputation.
3. Agree roles and responsibilities of different players in the process
Clearly identify the roles and responsibilities of the different players in the induction process. These may include the HR/ Learning and Development functions, the line manager, the administration function, mentors or buddies and of course the individual themselves. This is perhaps best achieved via a detailed induction checklist which allocates specific responsibilities and timelines to the various stakeholders.
4. Think of induction as a journey
Thinking about your induction process as a journey rather than a one-off event is essential. It may be useful to consider the induction journey in terms of the first 3 days, first 3 weeks and first 3 months. This approach might include a mini induction during the first 3 days with an immediate supervisor covering essentials such as security, organization charts, initial objectives and introductions to key personnel. A more comprehensive induction training session may follow during the first 3 weeks and then a review meeting after 3 months to check that everything is on track. Giving consideration to what post-programme support may be needed is also important. This may include additional training, quick reference guides, key contact lists or personal support which could be provided by mentors or buddies.
5. Engage staff prior to joining
A good induction process should start from the moment an employee accepts an offer with your organisation. Develop a comprehensive induction checklist and also give thought to what could be covered pre-arrival to prepare someone for life within your organisation. This may include a pre-joining visit, regular phone and email contact or access to the company intranet site. Ensuring that all the relevant administrative and IT arrangements are in place will also be a big factor in getting a new employee up and running as soon as possible and creating good first impression.
6. Have clear learning objectives for training sessions
When designing content for induction training, it is important to start by identifying the desired outcomes of the training. Michael Meighan advises thinking in terms of what a new entrant “must know”, “should know” and “could know”. The “must knows” will include key policies and procedures, regulatory, health and safety and personnel matters essential for a person to do their particular job. “Should knows” may be things that the person ought know in order to fit in within the organisation and “could knows” may be of interest but would not be essential for a new entrant to do their job e.g. organizational history. When designing the training also ensure that training sessions and induction materials take account of different learning preferences and where possible include a variety of delivery styles.
7. Respect the induction needs of different audiences
One size does not necessarily fit all and recognizing that different groups of new employees may have varying induction needs is essential. Within the same organisation, the induction needs of a senior director, a school leaver and indeed a returning expatriate are likely to be quite different. Whilst the fundamentals of the induction process may remain the same, ensuring that the content of induction training sessions is appropriately tailored and relevant to the needs of different audiences will be vital in securing engagement.
8. Ensure a quality experience
For most people, the induction programme will be their first experience with the Learning and Development function within the organisation - and all too often this can be less than positive. It is important to remember that this is a unique opportunity for L&D to “set out its stall” with new hires. Developing carefully tailored content and choosing competent trainers who motivate and engage their audiences will be key ingredients in delivering a high quality experience.
9. Keep induction material up to date
All too often organizations will make a significant investment in designing a new induction process and then fail to keep key content up to date. It is vital that at the outset an owner for the process is identified and it is agreed how induction content will be updated by key stakeholders on an on-going basis. Using e-based induction materials can be one way to ensure that it can be easily maintained and updated. Whilst this may mean a more significant up-front investment, e-based induction materials may also help reduce expenditure on classroom based training and the associated travel and delivery costs particularly in multi-site organisations.
10. Evaluation
Finally, as with any new process it is important to continuously evaluate the success of your induction process and make appropriate changes as required. Some measures which may be helpful in assessing the success of your approach could include:
- Feedback from new hires who have gone through the process – this could take the from of course evaluation sheets if you are delivering an induction training session or could be achieved via 1:1 interviews with a selected group of new entrants after their first 3 months with the organisation.
- Retention rates for new entrants – monitoring these will be particularly important for organizations who implemented a new process in an attempt to reduce attrition levels amongst new joiners.
- Exit Interviews – data from individuals choosing to leave the organisation can provide valuable information about the success of an induction process.
- Monitoring common queries – where your organisation has a HR Service Centre it may also be useful to monitor the types of common queries coming from new joiners to review whether additional information should be included in the induction process.
- Employee Engagement Survey – where your organisation has a regular employee engagement survey, this could prove valuable in measuring changes in levels of commitment and engagement following the introduction of a new induction process.
Positive outcomes of a good induction process
High levels of motivation and commitment amongst new employees.
High retention rates for new joiners within the organisation.
Positive influence on existing staff involved in the induction process – who are reminded of the positives attributes of their organisation and
motivated by their involvement in the process
Organization is perceived externally as a good employer, who cares and works hard to integrate new staff – likely to act as a positive attraction tool for new hires.
Positive impact on the implementation of processes and procedures within the organisation.
1. Identify the business objectives and desired benefits
Effective induction can have many benefits including reducing turnover costs, engaging and motivating new and existing employees, contributing to the implementation of good systems and processes and gaining feedback and ideas from new hires looking at an organisation through “fresh eyes”. Thinking about how a new or improved induction process could benefit your organisation will help you determine the focus and shape of the programme. If you are keen to help new hires build internal networks for example, a programme which brings all new hires together may be important. If your key business driver is to ensure consistent standards and messages across a multi-site organisation, an e-learning solution may be most appropriate.
2. Secure early commitment
Don’t underestimate the powerful effect that induction can have in developing commitment to a new organisation. A good induction process shows that the company cares and is committed to setting people up for success. It can also help to identify problems or barriers at an early stage and allow the appropriate action to be taken. Conversely a poor induction experience could make some new entrants doubt their decision to join your organisation representing a risk in terms of future retention and reputation.
3. Agree roles and responsibilities of different players in the process
Clearly identify the roles and responsibilities of the different players in the induction process. These may include the HR/ Learning and Development functions, the line manager, the administration function, mentors or buddies and of course the individual themselves. This is perhaps best achieved via a detailed induction checklist which allocates specific responsibilities and timelines to the various stakeholders.
4. Think of induction as a journey
Thinking about your induction process as a journey rather than a one-off event is essential. It may be useful to consider the induction journey in terms of the first 3 days, first 3 weeks and first 3 months. This approach might include a mini induction during the first 3 days with an immediate supervisor covering essentials such as security, organization charts, initial objectives and introductions to key personnel. A more comprehensive induction training session may follow during the first 3 weeks and then a review meeting after 3 months to check that everything is on track. Giving consideration to what post-programme support may be needed is also important. This may include additional training, quick reference guides, key contact lists or personal support which could be provided by mentors or buddies.
5. Engage staff prior to joining
A good induction process should start from the moment an employee accepts an offer with your organisation. Develop a comprehensive induction checklist and also give thought to what could be covered pre-arrival to prepare someone for life within your organisation. This may include a pre-joining visit, regular phone and email contact or access to the company intranet site. Ensuring that all the relevant administrative and IT arrangements are in place will also be a big factor in getting a new employee up and running as soon as possible and creating good first impression.
6. Have clear learning objectives for training sessions
When designing content for induction training, it is important to start by identifying the desired outcomes of the training. Michael Meighan advises thinking in terms of what a new entrant “must know”, “should know” and “could know”. The “must knows” will include key policies and procedures, regulatory, health and safety and personnel matters essential for a person to do their particular job. “Should knows” may be things that the person ought know in order to fit in within the organisation and “could knows” may be of interest but would not be essential for a new entrant to do their job e.g. organizational history. When designing the training also ensure that training sessions and induction materials take account of different learning preferences and where possible include a variety of delivery styles.
7. Respect the induction needs of different audiences
One size does not necessarily fit all and recognizing that different groups of new employees may have varying induction needs is essential. Within the same organisation, the induction needs of a senior director, a school leaver and indeed a returning expatriate are likely to be quite different. Whilst the fundamentals of the induction process may remain the same, ensuring that the content of induction training sessions is appropriately tailored and relevant to the needs of different audiences will be vital in securing engagement.
8. Ensure a quality experience
For most people, the induction programme will be their first experience with the Learning and Development function within the organisation - and all too often this can be less than positive. It is important to remember that this is a unique opportunity for L&D to “set out its stall” with new hires. Developing carefully tailored content and choosing competent trainers who motivate and engage their audiences will be key ingredients in delivering a high quality experience.
9. Keep induction material up to date
All too often organizations will make a significant investment in designing a new induction process and then fail to keep key content up to date. It is vital that at the outset an owner for the process is identified and it is agreed how induction content will be updated by key stakeholders on an on-going basis. Using e-based induction materials can be one way to ensure that it can be easily maintained and updated. Whilst this may mean a more significant up-front investment, e-based induction materials may also help reduce expenditure on classroom based training and the associated travel and delivery costs particularly in multi-site organisations.
10. Evaluation
Finally, as with any new process it is important to continuously evaluate the success of your induction process and make appropriate changes as required. Some measures which may be helpful in assessing the success of your approach could include:
- Feedback from new hires who have gone through the process – this could take the from of course evaluation sheets if you are delivering an induction training session or could be achieved via 1:1 interviews with a selected group of new entrants after their first 3 months with the organisation.
- Retention rates for new entrants – monitoring these will be particularly important for organizations who implemented a new process in an attempt to reduce attrition levels amongst new joiners.
- Exit Interviews – data from individuals choosing to leave the organisation can provide valuable information about the success of an induction process.
- Monitoring common queries – where your organisation has a HR Service Centre it may also be useful to monitor the types of common queries coming from new joiners to review whether additional information should be included in the induction process.
- Employee Engagement Survey – where your organisation has a regular employee engagement survey, this could prove valuable in measuring changes in levels of commitment and engagement following the introduction of a new induction process.
Positive outcomes of a good induction process
High levels of motivation and commitment amongst new employees.
High retention rates for new joiners within the organisation.
Positive influence on existing staff involved in the induction process – who are reminded of the positives attributes of their organisation and
motivated by their involvement in the process
Organization is perceived externally as a good employer, who cares and works hard to integrate new staff – likely to act as a positive attraction tool for new hires.
Positive impact on the implementation of processes and procedures within the organisation.
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