Cynosura

Induction Courses

As part of the internal communications process the Induction Course is an invaluable tool to provide new employees, contract workers and temporary staff with a clear understanding of the organisation, how it works and its core values.  The template below gives a series of options not all of which will be relevant to your organisation.  You should select the most relevant and add others that are specific to your sector. 

Delivery of Induction courses⁽¹⁾

Face to face, organisation wide, within the first few days

• Useful for large organisations with regular input of new staff on large sites
• They meet other new staff
• They meet key individuals within the organisation
• Opportunities for Q & A sessions are maximised
• Requires a lot of organisation
• Usually delivered by HR team and usually formal
• May last one or two days
• Can include the use of videos, presentations etc
• Should be done regularly i.e. with every intake of new staff
• Doesn’t address situation where only a few staff are recruited irregularly

Face to face through their team or Department

• Better for smaller organisations where recruitment is irregular.  Also for larger organisations spread over multiple sites where it is combined with e-Induction courses or as part of a second phase of induction
• By using different team members, they get to know their colleagues quickly
• Can arrange meetings with other teams/key individuals at appropriate times
• Requires team members to be knowledgeable about the organisation
• Lacks the organisation wide value
• They don’t get to meet new staff in other Departments/Teams
• Can be disruptive to the work process in the team
• Usually more informal  but it might not happen if workloads are high

E-induction

• Useful for large organisations with large turnover/recruitment, multiple sites or smaller organisations spread over an international network
• Delivered over an intranet
• Can be accessed at convenient times for the inductee
• Can be monitored by HR
• Can be quickly and easily changed once established
• Could be made available to all staff and not just new recruits, therefore useful for refresher courses
• Allows the use of video content
• Lacks personal contact
• Reduces opportunity for instantaneous feedback/Q&A.

Tools

• Speeches – by senior people
• Lectures
• Presentations
• Videos
• Walkabouts of the site/premises
• Q & A sessions
• Workshops. 

Timescale

• Deliver the first day or two of arrival of new recruit
• Could last one or two days where lots of people are recruited
• For individuals or small groups then possibly one day or in short sessions over several days
• Ensure induction is embedded within a week or so of arrival – especially where it is done through e-induction.

Agenda template

• Welcome from senior person – ideally CEO.  If done through Department then could be short visit to meet CEO (if organisation is flat) or Departmental Head as appropriate.  If using e-induction, could be in the form of a welcoming video from CEO
• Mission, Vision, Purpose statements; an explanation of the core values of the organisation, possibly with a an organisational cultural overlay
• Organisation structure – using an organogram and where they fit in, also useful information like numbers of other sites/offices/overseas presence, numbers of employees etc
• Key personnel, Department heads and other important people to know
• Products, markets, customers, competitors, organisational literature, core services or what your organisation does if public sector
• Internal procedures, might include information about legislative issues/constraints, health & safety, fire safety, hazards, accidents, first aid, site evacuation, site security, quality standards, use of equipment/telephone systems/computers, internet/intranet protocol
• Tour of facilities if appropriate – helps people to know where other departments are and familiarises them with the ‘feel’ of the office/workplace environment
• External relationships – possibly with regulators, local authorities, sponsorships, corporate responsibility
• HR issues – might include information about training opportunities and procedures, appraisals, reporting issues around harassment, dangerous conduct
• Personal matters – such as organisational forms, terms & conditions, staff handbook, duties, responsibilities, job description, internal rules & regulations.

There is a big difference between knowing the theory and making it happen. For help in implementing your communications practices email us now.