INDUCTIONHOT TIPS

WOW your new employee

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CONTENTS04 INTRODUCTION05 START DATE05 PERSONALISE THE CONNECTION06 GET THE BASICS RIGHT - REMOVE BUREAUCRACY AND ENDLESS FORMS06 BEWARE OF THE OVERLOAD07 PERSONALISE THE WORKSTATION09 FIRST DAY ON THE JOB10 ACCOMMODATE THE NEW TEAM MEMBER11 CHECKLIST FOR THE FIRST DAY13 WHEN IT DOESN’T WORK14 CHECKLIST: THE FIRST DAY15 CHECKLIST: THE FIRST FOUR WEEKS16 OUR CONTACT DETAILS17 ABOUT FRESH HR INSIGHTS PTY LTD18 ABOUT PAULETTE

Introduction 4

INTRODUCTION

Companies are realising the importance of attracting and retaining top team members, but many are overlooking the opportunity in the induction process to boost productivity and drive business growth. With research indicating that 22% of Team Member turnover happens in the first 45 days of employment the value of the induction process cannot be underestimated.

Now more than ever, team members are choosing who they work for and companies are seeking out the ideal candidate. To compete in this war of talent, companies need to offer a compelling package that brings in team culture and values.

Induction starts with your business objectives. You start by working out what you want to accomplish and how you expect your future team member to deliver or contribute to target results. Think business strategy.

If you treat hiring as a transactional event as opposed to a strategic and planned opportunity, you risk leaving a lot on the table:

• “Just fill the position” Hang on. Will the position as defined deliver the results you need? If not, this is a great time to recraft the job to further your business strategy.

• “Find me the best candidate” The best at what, precisely? Do you need the best skill set, or will the individual’s inherent behaviours and motivators be more important than skills and experience to deliver of business results? Complete your thinking before implementing anything, even a broad search initiative.

• “I know what I need” You may know what you need, but do you know what your stakeholders and the new team member’s stakeholders need? Without stakeholder alignment, you will never make the right hire, because your new employee (no matter how great he or she is) will be burdened with incompatible expectations.

A good induction process always begins with thorough preparation. If your company has a professional HR function, you probably have a search, recruiting, and hiring process. You may even have some kind of induction program. More likely than not, as a small business you don’t have an induction program that maximises delivery of business results.

But what you can do is confirm a shared vision and make sure the role for which you have recruited for is understood and broadly accepted. This way you are setting up team success.

New team members who are engaged early on perform better. This, in turn, leads to better results and increases in business growth.

Start Date 5

START DATE

Consider moving the start date to midweek or later. Current team members tend to be busy at the beginning of the week and may not be able to give their full attention to the new team member. If everyone is busy, the new team member may feel lost which is not a good start.

We recommend Wednesday as a great day to bring them on-board.

PERSONALISE THECONNECTION

Personalised interactions work well as everyone is different and engage in different ways. Team members expect a unique experience targeted directly at their own personal preferences. Personalised interactions can boost team member performance.

Tips to Boost Personalisation

• Ensure content is mobile ready and that new team members are able to accept their offers on mobile or tablet

• Instead of enforcing activities, enable teams to recommend activities. This way, the new team member will feel in control of their own on-boarding.

Get the Basics Right — Remove Bureaucracy and Endless Forms 6

GET THE BASICS RIGHT - REMOVEBUREAUCRACY AND ENDLESS FORMS

The moment you start to ask the new team member to work their way through endless paperwork and forms, your engagement starts to die. Make the paperwork and form filling pieces of the process just work. This side of the on-boarding process may not be the most engaging but it needs to be executed with all the information collected flawlessly.

Make sure that all the New Starter forms are sent to the team member with their contract/ Employment Agreement. Include the TFN, Super Choice and Fair Work Statement. The company policies and procedures (or handbook) can be introduced over the first week of employment.

Always make sure that the offer letter, agreement and forms include the CORRECT information such as job title, salary, start date, person to whom they report, start time and uniform requirements.

BEWARE OF THE OVERLOAD

It is common to think that you need to put the new team member straight to work but beware of overloading them with too much information. We all remember a time when we started a new job and left for the day feeling drained and wondering if we made the right decisions. Don’t let your new team member feel this way.

No matter how tempting it is to show them all the policies, procedures, training videos and have them attend loads of meetings on the first day you need to give their brains a break as well.

Personalise the Workstation 7

PERSONALISE THEWORKSTATION

What’s more unwelcoming that arriving at your new job to a disorganised work area or, worse, no work area at all? You wouldn’t treat an honoured guest that way. You wouldn’t treat a higher-ranking member of your company that way. Don’t treat your new team members that way. Communicate how much you value your new team member by being thoughtful about his or her work setup.

The personal touch goes a long way when it comes to the workstation. Turning up and feeling that you are valued from day one is an amazing feeling. Gather necessary information about the new team member before they start. You may have picked up snip bits of their life in the interviews. Perhaps they are a football fan, love cricket, read a lot, dance, or are a fitness buff.

A welcoming work area does not magically appear either, it only happens when someone takes personal responsibility for making sure space is created, set up, and ready for the new team member. You do not want to leave the set-up to your new team member. What kind of message will that send to have a new team member fussing over their desk set-up on their first day? It doesn’t show that you are excited and looking forward to having them on board.

Preparing an appropriate work area seems simple but it is shocking how often such a simple thing is neglected.

It’s also a good idea to put together a little welcome pack to show the new team member you are prepared and excited about them starting. this may include a mug, water bottle, lanyards etc.

Here are some ideas that we have come up with:

• Hot drink mug or flask• Key rings• Pens• Note pad• Paper clips• Post-its• Glue and sticky tape• Stapler• Ruler• USBs (creative ones)• Mouse mat (fun picture on it)• Portable mobile phone charger• Cap• Branded work shirt/ polo shirt• Backpack or bag• Bar of chocolate or bag of sweets• Water bottle• Hand cream• Mini desk fan

Personalise the Workstation 8

• Desk calendar• Paper diary (financial/18-months).

First Day on the Job 9

FIRST DAY ON THE JOB

Pre-start: Morning coffee with direct supervisor.

Opening: Informal gathering with team for meet and greet.

AM: Induction conversations.

Lunch: With core team.

PM: Activities that reinforce message, induction conversations.

Close: Debrief with direct supervisor.

Accommodate the New Team Member 10

ACCOMMODATE THE NEWTEAM MEMBER

This is about getting things done, making sure you have everything ready for the new team member form the start.

The smallest thing can make the biggest difference and biggest impression on the new team member. New team members don’t know “how things are done around here”. That can make even the simple things seem difficult.

Accommodating the new team member is one of the main steps of induction, and a core plank in getting your new team member up to speed. Don’t waste their time showing up for work if you are not ready for them and they can get on with their work.

Here is a checklist that we have put together that will help you accommodate your new team member.

o Office/work area o Computer, network username/ password and laptop o Phone, voice mail and mobile if applicable o Security pass, keys and parking o Business cards, personalised stationary and email signature o General office supplies o Assistant (if applicable)

Information

o Where to go for information (intranet, bulletin boards etc)

o Company history o Business plans o Financials o Organisational charts o Job descriptions and appraisal timelines,

including probationary period o Company directory with names, photos, job

titles and contact information o Office addresses, contacts and travel directions

(for multi-site) o Customers, collaborators, competitors and

conditions o Team member handbook/policies and

procedures o Emergency exits and evacuation process

We LOVE the idea of making up a box of all the necessities of office life. You can easily get one of these department boxes from a craft store such as Spotlight and fill it from Officeworks. If you have branded stationery then use that. Create a cover that welcomes the Team Member.

Checklist for the First Day 11

CHECKLIST FOR THE FIRST DAY

o Who greets the new team member: (Jill)

o How to greet the new team member: (Pre-work coffee)

o Where to greet the new team member: (At café)

o Entrance signs and symbols: (No signs, but Jill to alert Anna and shift team to be at reception as they arrive)

o Welcome signs and symbols in their work area: (A welcome note on desk)

o Points to make or avoid in introducing new team member to others: (Any workplace conflict or HR Matters)

o Day-one activities: (Morning coffee; group lunch)

o Day-one close: (Debrief and encouragement they had a great day and you look forward to seeing them tomorrow)

Who will greet your new team member? Ideally, you. Though in some cases you may want a peer to be the first to say hello.

How will you greet your new team member? Think through whether you want to orchestrate a big entry or a subtle entry. Different approaches are better in different situations. Think it through and make a choice. Recirculate or reference your original announcement the day before your new team member starts so coworkers can refresh their memories.

Where will you greet your new team member? In the lobby? In a coffee shop or café down the street?

Put welcome signs and symbols in your new team member work area. A simple note? Flowers? A huge banner? The note could be from you, the team, the CEO. Welcome signs and symbols are easy to implement, and they make a big impact.

Script the points you will make about your new team member when you make introductions (also note the points you are going to avoid). Your goal is to make your new team member feel welcome, valuable, and valued. Avoid saying anything that will make anyone feel bad in any way.

Plan day-one activities. Everything communicates, especially at the start of any new venture. Your new team member will remember the time you spend with them on day one for a long time. And the time you didn’t spend with them, particularly if left to their own devices to figure things out. Your day-one actions and inactions can undo all of your good work to date. Pay close attention to your agenda.

Checklist for the First Day 12

The way the day ends will be foremost in your new team member ‘s mind when they go go home and their family asks the inevitable question, “How did it go?” Close the day on a high note. Think about sending your new team member home with a welcome package of the company’s logo items for his or her supporters. You want your new team member to feel welcome, valuable, and valued. And you also want his or her supporters to believe they are welcome, valuable, and valued, so that they will reinforce those feelings.

It takes little effort to new team member’s first day start well, even before they arrive.

Do something a little personal. First, assign the workspace, get all required equipment ready for them (computer etc.). Make them feel welcomed by letting everyone knew they are coming. At the end of their first day, check in to make sure they had everything and were comfortable.

Not expensive, or time consuming, but highly personal and well-received first day.

When It Doesn’t Work 13

WHEN IT DOESN’T WORK

The bad news is that, even with following a clear induction process, you will have induction failures.

The main sign that things are not working is a failure to deliver the required results. Often there are other signs along the way.

Look for:

• Role failure: Often due to unclear or misaligned expectations and resources. Look for this if you see turf battles over responsibilities and resources.

• Relationship failures: Often due to early missteps. Look for this if you notice others’ reluctance to work with your new team member or actively pushing against him or her.

• Engagement failure: Often due to the way you and your new team member work together. Look for this if your new team member starts avoiding conversation or extra efforts.

• Personal failure: Due to lack of strengths, motivation, or fit. This may be an underlying root cause of other failures.

The number-one thing that experienced, successful leaders regret is not moving faster on people when they discover problems.

They regret settling for less than optimal performance from individuals or the team for too long.

Moving people out of the wrong roles communicates volumes to the rest of the company — as does not moving them, or moving too slowly. The hardest choices involve a strong individual performer who’s damaging the team.

Moving or not moving on a strong performer sends the loudest message of all about the relative importance of individuals and the team. You must protect the team.Use the probation period timeframes to your advantage.

Checklist: The First Day 14

CHECKLIST: THE FIRST DAY

o Pencil in a face-to-face meeting with the new team member to show personal interest

o Organise training sessions, demos, etc. and any necessary need-to-know information about the company

o Making sure everyone in the team knows who the newbie is — personal introductions are always a good way to break the ice

o Take them on a tour of the office, show them where the stationary cupboard is and let them know the ordering process

o Provide a list of restaurants and shops nearby — the best for coffee, lunch etc.

o Provide access to the internet

o Provide information on how to expense any costs (if applicable)

o Arrange time for questions and learning sessions

o Go for a team lunch.

Ensure you have:

o Given the new team member copies of relevant business policies and procedures

o Discussed:

• The history of the company and its role

• Who the team member reports to

• The team member’s duties and what training will be provided

• Performance expectations

• Hours of work and how hours are recorded

• Meal breaks

• What award they are under and where to find a copy

• The payment method, first pay date and how payslips are distributed

• Procedure if running late or sick

• Procedure for applying for leave

• Rules on personal phone calls and using personal mobile devices during working hours

• Evacuation points and evacuation procedure.

Checklist: The First Four Weeks 15

Week 1

CHECKLIST: THE FIRSTFOUR WEEKS

o Set up personal goals and explain performance reviews

o Go through team and company objectives

o Make sure all the necessary documents have been completed

o Talk about current and upcoming projects

o Make sure the team member has everything they need to work effectively

o Provide the new team member with a list of people they should meet.

o Identify any barriers for productivity

o Follow up and encourage members to have their first 1:1 with the new team member

o Evaluate the new team member’s strengths and adapt their progression path accordingly

o Go through the process of tracking goals with the new team Member ’s supervisor

o Check in with the assigned mentor/ buddy to find out how the newbie is integrating.

Week 2

o Plan a get-together or lunch with the company owner and senior managers

o Check in with the new team member to see how they are tracking with their new role.y

Week 3

o Have an honest and open discussion with the new team Member about what is working for them and what is not. You can use this feedback to tweak your on-boarding process and identify any areas that are not working for future improvements.

o Set a meeting date with the new team member’s manager to go through any possible concerns or opportunities for future growth

o Review the progress and opportunities for further engagement.

Week 4

Our Contact Details 16

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Keep in touchFresh HR Insights Pty Ltd

PO Box 3172 Helensvale Town CentreQueensland 4212

Phone 0452 471 960

About Fresh HR Insights Pty Ltd 17

ABOUT FRESH HR INSIGHTSPTY LTD

Expert Human Resource Support when you need itWe work with you as your Human Resource expert. We not only support you to

eliminate workplace concerns with Fair Work and Employment Legislation compliance but help you build committed workplaces with engaged teams.

At Our Core What We DoAs a business, Fresh HR Insights Pty Ltd have made it our mission to protect business owners from Non-Compliance to legislation, Unfair dismissal claims, Workplace Complaints, Employee Conflict and get them compliant and their teams productive. We are working to empower every business by setting solid foundations and ensuring that when a business is faced with difficult employees, or facing a claim, or working to build workplace culture, we have you covered.

How do we do this?• Contracts of employment – we work with you on why employment contracts are

important, what they should and should not contain for your business and set about to make sure you have the correct ones in place

• National Employment Standards – we help you understand the minimum standards underpinning the employment of your employees

• Awards – These can be a minefield and knowing which one your team fall under can be hard. We clear up this confusion and make sure you are under the right one and paying all the right rates and allowances.

• Policies and Procedures – We work with you to not only have the core policies for your workplace but also the one’s that reflect your culture and how you work. Our handbooks are customised to your workplace and not the ‘off the shelf option’ sold by so many.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR HUMAN RESOURCES

About Paulette 18

ABOUT PAULETTE

Paulette McCormackCAHRI, MHRM, MER

Director and Founder of Fresh HR Insights

Qualifications:• Master of Human Resource Management• Master of Employee Relations• Certificate in Personnel Practice (Merit)• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment• Address Adult Language, Literacy and

Numeracy Skills Competency• Diploma in Business and a Diploma in

Management• Certified User of Thomas International

Personal Profile Analysis

Certified Professional Member of Australian Human Resources Institute, Member of theIndustrial Relations Society of Queensland, University Lecturer and Tutor at Griffith University.

Bachelor of Laws Student – QUT 2018 onwards.

Highly driven, positive and professional Employment Relations expert. Specialist in people management, knowledge management, conflict resolution and the policies and procedures underpinning the employee relationships.

Here’s what one of our clients said.

“As a start up business Paulette was FANTASTIC in assisting us with everything we need! She made me feel confident when on-boarding new staff members, was available to chat and answer any questions at anytime, even after hours! Paulette created our full manual, personally delivered to our office and a wonderful hamper of fruit! Paulette was sensational and we cannot wait to continue doing business with Fresh HR Insights.”