For media information please contact Jenny Green @ Smart Arts on 07545 696713 / 01484 685544 or

email jenny@smartarts.co.uk

What’s the point of employee induction?

Julie Sykes, of HR consultancy JCS HR, explains why having a thorough induction process is essential to

ensure you receive the best from your new employee.

“It is difficult to overstate the importance of a good induction. Many companies assume that once they

have gone through a selection process and found the person they believe is right for their company and

position, the recruitment process is complete.

The better the selection process, the better the chances that an employee will remain with the

company, and good recruitment will ensure that not only have you found the right employee for the job,

but also the company is the right one for the individual.

However, the arrival of a new employee on day one is only the beginning. It is a fact that the majority of

new employees go through a period of uncertainty when they begin a new job. Whilst they may have

the skills and experience to carry out the job they have been recruited for, they will be using these in a

new environment with new colleagues, and that can be daunting, even for experienced staff.

Induction can make all the difference to whether someone settles into a new company and role quickly

– or even whether they settle in at all! Good induction will cover all the things needed to help someone

get up to speed quickly and comfortably. The first few days of the programme should cover the basics

and include things such as:

• An overview of the company – objectives, plans, targets, structure etc

• Who’s who – from work colleagues to senior managers, internal and external contacts

• Fire and accident procedures

• Administration basics – stationery supplies, mail systems, photocopiers, filing systems

• IT systems

• Key HR policies and administration – including payroll

• Domestics – canteen, toilets, coffee/tea arrangements.

Once the basics are covered, a good induction programme will move on to provide useful information

and experience to enable someone to get up to speed with their specific role. This stage of the process

could include things such as:

For media information please contact Jenny Green @ Smart Arts on 07545 696713 / 01484 685544 or

email jenny@smartarts.co.uk

• Work shadowing

• Visits to other sites or departments

• Visits to key external contacts

• Setting of some initial work objectives.

Some companies appoint a ‘buddy’ for new employees – someone they can go to with any questions or

queries, and someone who will keep a discrete ‘eye out’ to check that they are settling in ok.

Effective induction must be tailored to the needs of the company. It can be highly structured and formal

or low key and informal, but whichever it is, well thought through induction can make a BIG difference.

The major benefits are;

• New employees up and running more much quickly

• Better staff retention – new recruits feel valued and part of the team much quicker

• Good PR – internal and external

• Financial benefits – no repeat recruitment costs, and improved productivity.

If you require assistance with recruitment, selection or induction please contact Julie Sykes on 01484

602708.

For more information on JCS HR visit http://www.jcs-hr.co.uk or call 01484 602708. You can also follow

Julie at http://www.twitter.com/@HRJulie.

-ends-

Notes to editors:

• Julie Sykes has worked in the human resources industry for 25 years and celebrated 10 years

running her own consultancy in 2012.

• JCS HR Consulting is based in Huddersfield and services Yorkshire and Manchester areas.

• JCS HR provides consultancy across all sectors including manufacturing, government, media,

financial services, medical and engineering.

• JCS HR has provided consultancy for groups of up to 1000 people.