Purpose of Induction

It is process of bringing/introducing/familiarizing a new recruit into the oraginsation. This program familiarizes the new employee about the culture, accepted practices and performance standards of the organization.

It has been proved in one of the survey conducted by the Centre for Creative Leadership (headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, US), that a fresh hire does not met the expectation of an organization for the first few months. The issue of productivity of new hires has to be defined individually by every organization. Fresh hires are able to learn the process as quickly as possible if the induction efforts are right and they can be very productive if their induction is been done in an proper manner.

Importance of induction program

“What will happen if we do not train new recruit in the organization and they stay on”.
While keeping the above statement in mind, think the importance of induction program.

Induction training is very essential for any company because it helps an individual/new recruit to grow within a company and motivates him/her. It inculcates in the employee, more confidence to progress. It is during induction that a new recruit gets to know about the organization’s employment philosophy, physical work environment, employee’s rights, employee’s responsibilities, organization, culture and values along with key business processes.

A new entrant should culturally fit in an organization. Interaction at this stage shapes an individual’s disposition and outlook for work and motivation levels. The importance of induction cannot be underestimated.

Involvement in Induction programs ( should be’s )

Induction program must/should include all the aspects of the organization and present for the awareness of the new employee. Like emergency procedures, facilities, safety issues, right’s of the employee, what to be paid, no harassment, equal opportunity, grievance procedures, employee responsibilities, times, conduct standards, job function, dress requirements, organisational structure, what it does, how they fit in, who is their Manager, the functions of different departments, how the employee will be managed, what the performance management process will involve, and his/her role in that process, are the few concern areas during an

Induction program.

Induction should be conducted on the first day of the new recruit from the gate of the organization itself. For induction only higher management or Head of HR or Senior should be addressing the new entrant. It should also involve the employees of the new entrant department. An effective induction helps a new employee feel assured and comfortable in the new environment, which is critical for early uptake in the new role. Induction should always be interactive. It also provides an opportunity to the new entrant to engrain the original values and ethics as well as the style of functioning. Escorting an new entrant will be one of the best and most impactful induction step. It should always be interesting and must hold the attention of the new employee.

Involvement in Induction programs ( not be’s )

First of all Induction program must not/ should not include much of theoretical part. Bad induction leads to stress and de-motivation. Arriving for a new job a bad induction can leave a new starter worried, anxious and unable to perform their duties. More work for longer as the new entrant struggles to become an effective member. It increases the workload, all the wrong messages given to the new starter and can damage long-term implications.

Signs of bad Induction program are Too Short – during induction a new entrant should just not give the mobile numbers or small brief as always remember either a person should have or should not have knowledge, half knowledge leads to disaster. Too Hasty – A ten minutes brisk walk and making him familiarizing about the exit or entry should not be the part of induction. Too Boring – All the theoretical and long presentation with high figures involved is a bad sign of induction. Impersonal – Avoid hours of speeches and presentations and voluminous policy manuals or information packages. Too personal – It should not be related to the complete life cycle of a new entrant. Neglectful – whosoever takes the induction should have complete knowledge of the new entrant participation the induction program, Isolated and embarrassing.

Difference between effective and non effective Induction Programs.

o Effective induction decreases the chances of attrition v/s bad induction increase the attrition.

o It makes employees more energetic whereas non effective induction demoralizes the new entrant.

o It makes positive impact v/s it possesses negative impact.

o It reduces cost v/s it increase the cost.

o It increases team work ability v/s it reduces team work ability.

To be more precise please follow up the example:-

Two employees were recruited in 2004 at ‘X’ company as a technical recruiter. Employee ‘A’ was appointed August whereas employee ‘B’ was appointed December 04. ‘A’ went through bad induction program as mentioned above and employee ‘B’ went through good induction program inculcating all the necessities. ‘A’ was very confused about the oragnisation policies; environment, culture etc whereas ‘B’ was clear about the all aspects of the organization. After two years ‘B’ was promoted at a senior level position whereas ‘A’ was still confused and was unable to give his/her fullest to the company and was not at all comfortable with the environment of the orgainsation. In, result after the promotion of ‘B’ he resigned the company reason being senior in terms of joining from ‘B’.

With the above example it becomes very clear about the kind of difference of bad and good induction can make. As bad induction does not only cost to employee but to organisation as well.

Impact of Bad induction program

Bad induction = attrition

Bad induction program does not only leads to confusion, stress and de-motivation, but one of the most disastrous effect will be the attrition. Losing a new entrant of staff and having to replace them costs about 25% of their salary/wage. Providing too much, too soon; the inductee must not be overwhelmed by a mass of information on the first day. Bad Induction program generates unreasonable expectations by being more interesting and more exciting than the job itself.

Good induction program

Good induction = retention
Induction programs help in reducing attrition rates, apparently yes. The first impression is very important when a person comes into a new organisation and how you interact with these new entrants plays an important role on how they discharge their duties later. It was found that employees who received an effective induction were more engaged, compared to those who rated the quality of induction as below average. The thought of leaving the organisation creeps in at early stage in cases where the induction is not done with passion. A good induction prepares an employee better to compete in fiercely competitive market place, which has a direct impact on the early success and hence motivation, he adds. It is true that only good induction does not keeps the attrition away but it plays a big role.
Conclusion

In conclusion, getting the induction process right, sets the scene for the remainder of the employment experience. This is a critical phase in the employment process. Induction programs should be implemented in a structured manner and applied uniformly across the organisation. Best practice involves a very structured approach to the induction process.

Anshu Goyal
[email protected]

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