Every day, somewhere in Australia, a recruit starts a new role. Over the next few weeks or months, they must learn how to perform their roles well. What would make that possible for them? 

This blog explores why it's important to have an induction process for your employees and what you should be doing to make sure your induction program is effective.

What is an induction process?

The induction process is the first phase of an employee's time with your company, and it is crucial to get right. It is the onboarding process of a new employee or group of employees. 

It is designed to help new employees get to know their roles, the company's culture, and their coworkers. 

Many companies have an induction program that extends over a few weeks and includes things like tours of the building, introductions to managers and team members, and job-specific training.

How does an induction process work?

A good induction process is designed to help new employees settle in quickly, and get up to speed with their duties and responsibilities. It helps them get an idea of the company they’re working for, the culture and their place within it.  The most important thing to ensure is that the new employee is busy and feels looked after and welcome. If they are scrabbling around for things to do then they will become disengaged.  Make sure their induction has structure. 

An induction process should include:

1. A welcome pack

This will contain general information about the business, including its mission, history and perhaps any news stories that show what the business and its staff have achieved recently. 

The pack should also include basic details like employee benefits, holiday policy and health and safety rules. This can be presented in a physical or online format.

The Recruitment Company offers a video toolkit that makes the process easier and engaging for your new hire.

2. A tour of the office

New employees may feel more comfortable if they have a good knowledge of where things are located in the building before their first day. 

Also, if you’re expecting new employees to bring clients or other visitors into your office, this is an opportunity to highlight the facilities available to them so they know how to direct people around on arrival.

3. An introduction

An induction isn’t complete without presenting your new hire to everyone else at your company. You could do this with an email or a social post on LinkedIn. 

To make the introduction more exciting, you can do it in person by walking the new hire through various departments or setting up meetings with key individuals.

The importance of inductions

A new hire’s experience is critical for their long-term success as well as your company’s. Nevertheless, the induction process is often overlooked, and this leads to problems such as high staff turnover, less productivity, and a poor company culture, which are all a nightmare for managers. 

Here is why the induction process is important:

1. Employees feel welcomed, valued, and connected

A good induction process will not only get your new employees up to speed with their roles and responsibilities, but it will also help them feel welcomed, valued and connected. First impressions matter.

One of the main reasons for this is that a good induction process is a form of employee engagement, as it makes employees feel like people, rather than a bother to their coworkers. 

This will help you retain great employees, which means less cost to recruit new ones.

2. Reduced turnover rates

In today's competitive job market, the need to make sure that you have the right staff for your business is greater than ever. The need to retain them is as important. 

One of the major issues that many businesses face is a high turnover of staff, particularly in their first three months with a company. 

When a staff member leaves an organisation, it can cause disruptions to workflow and productivity. It also means that there will be extra costs associated with hiring and training a replacement. 

According to Indeed, the average cost per hire is $6,000. If you lose two hires within the first six months due to a poor onboarding process, then that means more costs to your company.

To reduce turnover rates and make sure that new staff members feel happy and comfortable within their new roles, it's important to invest in an effective induction process as part of your recruitment strategy.

3. It contributes to a positive work culture

It's no surprise that workplace culture plays a huge role in the recruitment and retention of talent. According to a Forbes article, workplace culture doesn't just impact wellness, it also boosts productivity significantly.

When companies do not have or do not follow a formal induction process, new employees are left to find their way through the company. This habit presents a chance for errors and a lack of productivity.

It also creates an environment where the new employee feels that they are not welcome or accepted. This can lead to them feeling less valued, which leads to less commitment to their role, and an ultimate high turnover.

In contrast, a well-planned and executed induction process makes new employees feel welcome and included. The impact of this is that they will be more likely to stay with the organization and be more productive in their roles.

4. Increased profitability and productivity

Induction programs allow for an efficient process when it comes to training new employees. They provide a framework for introducing new people into your business so that there is no confusion about who does what, who reports to whom and where each individual fits into the hierarchy of your company structure. 

This means there is less time wasted getting things wrong because everyone knows what they should be doing from day one.

Employees who go through a well-planned induction program are more likely to stay on with the business long-term and be enthusiastic about their role. They can be top performers when it comes to productivity and doing their job correctly, which will increase profitability for your business.

Conclusion

A strong induction process is necessary for the success of any business. It gives an employee a sense of belonging in the company, and it helps them feel more confident and competent in their role. It's also a key solution to retain employees and reduce turnover costs.

While organisations need to facilitate a good induction process, there are certain tools to make the process worthwhile. 

The Recruitment Company's Video Recruitment Toolkit contains a flexible, branded induction workflow tool that can be built around your systems, documents and processes. It's a simple way to add a personal touch to your induction process.

For a small monthly investment of $200, you could have your video induction toolkit curated to train your staff and send a consistent brand message to your new team.

If you are looking to engage a recruitment agency to help hire amazing people for your awesome company and you’d like to start with a chat, then call us today on (02) 8346 6700 and speak to one of our recruiters or send us an email to [email protected]

The Recruitment Company – Making people enjoy the recruitment experience again

Specialist Sydney Employment Agency within Information Technology, Project Services, IT Infrastructure, Software Development, SAP, Data and Analytics, Devops, Cloud and the Public Sector.

Article written by Foster Isiche who is a top rated freelance copywriter specialising in Employment, Recruitment and Career Development content. He has been working in this field for a decade, writing for businesses of all sizes. www.fosterisiche.com