Hello
I am in the process of overhauling our induction process.
Currently when a person joins the company, they spend their first hour and a half with HR, being told all about health and safety, where to park, how to get in the building, having a tour round etc. They are then passed onto their manager who takes it from there.
There have been lots of excellent ideas posted on this site in the past about making this type of thing more exciting, but the problem I face is that our inductions are nearly always on a one-to-one basis. (Which rather rules games, quizzes and exercises out!)
Does anyone have any similar experience? Or any tips they could share on how I could make the whole thing more interesting and less daunting for one person on their own?
I am also currently about to start interviewing anyone who had joined the company in the last 6 months, to see if they have any suggestions – but I am also interested to see what my fellow trainers can come up with!
Thanks
Lucy
Lucy Sleigh
4 Responses
Induction
Hi Lucy
It’s true, inductions with individuals are different, but in a way, they are more beneficial because each one can be tailored and made more specific. I feel that it’s important that the induction has a funnel effect and that it’s highly structured. I’ve had a lot of experience in this, drop my a line on [email protected] if you want to talk
Rich
http://www.supremacytraining.com
Induction for 1
Lucy
I know what Rich means when he advocates a highly structured approach but I think you can have loose structure too.
We have a self managed induction process. You get support from a buddy or mentor if you want it though line manager support is really key.
We set out what might be most useful to do or learn on your first day, your first week, your first month and your first 3 months. Each stage is signed off by the individual and their manager. Individuals can, for example, ring up the finance section and arrange a visit to see what they do (and learn some tips on how to do their expenses).
Some find this approach easier than others but it does set a tone from the outset of being self managed and does lots of flexibility to respond to different factors such as whether the person is part-time or in a senior position etc.
Graham
Induction Overhaul
Thanks for your comments chaps!
I think you are right – just having one person at a time does have its advantages.
Graham mentions having a loose, self-managed approach to some aspects of the induction. I think this is a really interesting idea, but my concern is that the new joiners might never get round to some aspects if they have to arrange them themselves. I wonder if it is monitored at all? Or are some aspects optional?
What we do in Hong Kong
Lucy,
In Hong Kong we usually have high turnover that our induction is held monthly with around 10 people. As individuals join us on different day of the month, so we provide some knowledge-based training via e-learning mode for contents like company history, organization structure, product line, policies and procedures etc. Then every month we hold a classroom activity inviting MD to start off with a welcome speech and informal chat for 30 minutes. We then organize some activities to test out their company knowledge and provide them an opportunity to ask questions or clarify doubts. Followed by a group lunch with their respective team leaders. In the afternoon, we also invite all senior management members there to mingle with them. One year later, we would invite the group and their senior management members to share whether what we promise them one year ago are fulfilled.
This might not be 100% suitable for you since you usually have one person. But I highly recommend the mingle part. It’s fun and a great way to cultivate sense of belonging.
Cheers,
Alice