5 Five top tips when welcoming new employees

Wednesday March 6, 2019

After reading The HR Dept’s A-Z of recruitment you have found the ideal candidate to join your team. By now you have offered them the position, they have happily accepted, and you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the job of filling the job is done. For now.

Before you get too comfortable, we have one more suggestion to add to your to-do list to make sure your new hire sticks. And that is to initiate your induction process.

As a matter of fact, the induction is really a continuation of your recruitment. The quality of it can make or break the success of your new hire. Those first few interactions are vital. When thought through they can lay strong foundations for good engagement and high retention.

If you have somebody lined up to join your organisation soon, make sure you read our top tips below on how to achieve an effective induction process for new employees.

One: Send their contract

The offer letter or contract should be sent out as soon as possible. Most interviewees won’t hand in their notice until they receive this. The terms must reflect the ones discussed at interview as contracts can be oral as well as written. This document should state who their line manager will be and who will meet them on their first day.

Two: Keep in touch

When changing jobs most people are required to work a notice period which means there could be sometime between them accepting your job offer and starting with you. Especially if you are filling a graduate role which could be lined up months before they are available.

During this time, it’s a good idea to maintain contact to keep your new hire engaged and show your commitment. If you have any team socials coming up, why not invite them so that they can meet their colleagues ahead of their start date? Or see if they can drop by to join a team lunch.

If you have an internal company newsletter, why not subscribe them so that they can stay informed on the latest goings on?

Three: Day one prep

All new employees will have concerns on their first day. But these can quickly be resolved upon entering a welcoming and well-structured environment. Ensuring that all of the necessary equipment is ready for them to start work, from PC to phone, name badge and (if appropriate) business cards, can help them feel prepared to hit the ground running.

Planning will also save time on day one and reduce the risk of them having to awkwardly loiter whilst somebody sets up their monitor or activates their key card.

Four: Induction timetable

Induction training is key to giving the employee a real feel for workplace culture and their role in the business’s success. By planning their workflow and sticking to a schedule for the first week or so, you can make sure that the introduction to their new role and company is comprehensive.

Induction is not just about going through their job description duties. Start with an introduction to their team, wider department and anybody that you expect them to be working with. A tour of the building is also helpful at this point and solves the problem of not knowing where to get a drink or where the toilets are. New employees can feel a bit lost come their lunch hour, so arranging a colleague to take them under their wing for the first few days can be beneficial.

Five: Terms and conditions

Make sure to allot some time to talk through the terms and conditions of their employment and key policies such as how to book holiday or report an absence. Not only is this helpful information for the new employee, but having this process documented can protect you from FairWork claims later down the line.

Once the essentials have been covered you can delve into training with an explanation of how their performance will be monitored over the coming weeks of their probation.

A helping hand

Planning an effective induction can take time away from day-to-day tasks. Get in touch with your local HR Dept if a helping hand with inductions could benefit your business.

Preventing People Problems

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