Chris Jarvis 1

Staff Induction

Staff InductionPolicy and Practice

Chris Jarvis 2

Staff Induction

Karen Legge’s “HRM Rhetorics and Realities, 1995 recommends a theoretical critique for studying "HRM philosophies and functions”. Induction training as a policy and practice may be evaluated from the four perspectives of:

Normative Descriptive-functional Critical-evaluativeDescriptive-Behaviour

al

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Staff Induction

Descriptive-Functional View

• Familiarisation system at point of entry to or movement within organisation (environment and job role)

• Standardisation for consistency and safeguard: risk reduction - briefing, motivation, H&S, quality

• Socialisation into culture, expectations and relationships• Differentiate between general and job-specific induction

• What are the requirements: at organisational & job levels?

• Is induction strategic or just an operational matter? • long term investment vs. 40 new staff starting Monday

• Who designs and delivers induction?

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Staff Induction

How we induct new & existing staff into new situations reflects managerial commitment and culture.

Equal or different greetings for core, peripheral, and sub-contracting staff?

Inductees as passive or active learners? Induction content - pre-packaged or tailored with empl

oyee?Corporate maintenance of culture, values and expectati

ons. A manifestation of Investors In People?Orientation to competitive forces in labour market?

Normative view?

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Staff Induction

“Talk to Training - not to Me”

• Line manager responsibility vs. "Training" doing it?• Planning & follow-through. Evidence? • Proactive inductee? Swim or drown• Reception & preparation.• Design, implementation & evaluation.• Transaction processing - pay & contract, OT queries, holidays, P45

s• Mentor role in familiarisation - loos, photocopying, lockers, canteen,

computer account, expenses, office • Job induction - must to know, should know, nice to know• Learning curve (n.b. potential for induction crisis). • Nurturing membership - problems & motivation

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Staff Induction

Induction Costs

How would you

• calculate the costs of a policy?• survey induction experiences & outcomes?

How would you calculate

• the benefits, the pay-offs?• consequences of inadequacy/failure?• strategic contribution?

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Staff Induction

How does induction actually happen? How is it received? Does it work? How do managers, trainers and existing staff feel about it? Consider Lip service The ubiquitous, boring one-day or 3-5 day inducti

on course - (been here for 3 months?). Induction content - tangential to the job & of little in

terest? Processes of membership & acceptance Forming, storming, norming & performing

Descriptive-Behavioural

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Staff Induction

Critical Evaluative

Induction as an organisation initiation ritual Joining and absorbing the rhetoric Reliability & utility (cost effectiveness and VfM) A best practice model for induction? Compare actual delivery with textbook prescriptions Are activities & techniques reliable, valid, cost effective? Induction processes/objectives: woolly assumptions? How do learners and the firm actually benefit?

improved knowledge, orientation, attitudes, skills? What criticisms do participants make?

HRM/personnel role in induction - support, delivery &evaluation or just going through the motions?

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Staff Induction

Descriptive Behavioural

Construing the induction process Socialisation, presentation and "face"On-stage, back-stage, off-stageMeeting the "good guys" & the "bad guys" Encountering trouble spots & organisational politics The Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde organisation

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Staff Induction

HRM Boundary Management

Induction

• At point of entry

• On promotion or movement between jobs & departments

Nature of induction activities and expectations

DIY for senior & professional roles? The learner manager?

Junior LevelsInduction courses?Departmental induction?Computer-aided induction?

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Staff Induction

Why Induction?

brisk labour market (external and internal) New starters & existing staff who acquire new roles/positions. Short-term, part-time or contract staff Significant “Impressions” in recruitment & induction period AIM = smooth job entry – bring up to a level of mastery/independent

functioning (competent in performance) ASAP/TDQ. Socialisation into norms, values, behaviours and expectations. Adaptation of the individual to culture of the firm.

Employment obligations and induction?

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Staff Induction

Is there a phenomenon such as an Induction Crisis?

Staff shortage - new starters join and leave within the first few months

Demoralising + Waste of time and £. Tendency for high turnover amongst recently employed staff. Ac

ute with young workers Recruitment and training costs What if the training programme only accepts a new cohort every

six months? Long-service staff carry extra loads & must support new staff un

til they master their duties (the notion of competence). The notion of an induction crisis relates to

people still making up minds about the job (journey to work), interpersonal chemistry (group socialisation) and adjustment (job/culture shock)

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Staff Induction

Induction stages?

Crisis Transitionalattachment

Maturemembership

Time2 months 3 - 9 months > 9 months etc…

StaffTurnover%

This is a generalised Picture …. Does it happen?

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Staff Induction

Day 1

corporate matters: policies & imperativesjob matters over and abovegeneric competencies & prior experienceprogress review with line manager & HRMthe learning-event

cycle of the job

What? Where?Who? How? When

Rest of the week The rest of the month The rest of the year

Induction Schedule

What preparation?What content?What process?

What? Where?Who? How? When

What? Where?Who? How? When

What? Where?Who? How? When

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Staff Induction

Who to induct? Who needs it?

Assumption: new starters are recruited effectively with existing know-how (generic competencies + relevant experience) ability to adapt and learn quickly

What will the following need to know? new starters with little or no experience your industry, products a

nd customers? women re-entering employment after a career break? youngsters straight from school or college? internal promotees or transferees? experienced senior staff who are joining, say, from a rival?

How will induction vary by job level, age/experience, sex, ethnic background, qualifications/prior training?

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Staff Induction

Example

A City department store is taking on extra staff for the Christmas peak period and January sales. A large cohort of new people have to be inducted into the store and introduced to everything from

Knowledge: from staff restaurants to their new departments departmental merchandise, cash-handling and return of goo

ds procedures etc. Further briefing on their terms and conditions of employmen

t, company rules and policies introductions to boss, work colleagues and interdepartment

al network Other Company policies. Which?

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Staff Induction

Hidden tensions

Effective induction delivers a message to new employees that "we support our staff. Welcome to the "family”. But…

Newcomer anxiety - strange new environment. Information absorption & overload? Confusion & exclusion. Mistakes & seen to be slow on the up-t

ake. The period of socialisation - needs to run its course as new e

mployees pick up the norms and behaviours that colleagues and “body corporate” expect.

New-comers must cope & adjust to a new schedule including journey to/from work, job start and end-of-day procedures, personal breaks.

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Staff Induction

Assignments

How would you research the image of the corporation that new starters develop within 3-months of starting work?

Evaluate the proposition that existing staff and managers take too much for granted and under-estimate the range of items that newcomers need to become familiar with.

In what way might an induction programme reinforce the socialisation of the new employee into the accepted (presumably ethical) modes of behaviour required by the organisation?

The induction crisis is a myth? How would you prove or disprove it?

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Staff Induction

Induction Briefings: Need to Know

New starters need full briefing about

workplace geography (where things are), job related procedures and methods: duties, routines/non-routines,

terms and conditions of employment opportunities to settle down with work colleagues - friendship form

ation company policies and standards, and, history

corporate legends previous post-holder's unfinished business plus the schedule for continuity.

Personnel matters - health and safety, disciplinary codes, payroll administration.

What might they be expected to do for themselves?

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Staff Induction

A new starter is due to start on Monday. What can (should) be covered in the first week?

The job: tasks, cycles, routines, non-routines? Key stages, pointers - the methods, the risks, the calculations? Priorities and back-logs of work and priorities? Backgrounds/histories, clients/suppliers? Policies, procedures, standards, imperatives?

Detail requires understanding the job in action. We need

a programme of introduction to Key, non-generic aspects. if no systematic programme - then danger of confusion & frustration in. "Br

ing thrown in at the deep end". Order & predictability vs. too much stifling prescription.

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Staff Induction

Other Induction Content

Role network the boss, other dept/project functions, co-workers, groups, external cont

acts - supply chain, customer contacts etc. Decision points.Conditions of employment full contract familiarisation: hours, physical conditions - the office, the loc

ker, the keys, the car park. Hours, holidays. Staff facilities and entitlements. TU membership, medicals, licenses to operate. Health, safety, fire etc

Company & Function Overview the firm's products, services, policies & programmes. Strategic imperativ

es. Development opportunities. IT facilities & software - user account, EMail, general & bespoke systems etc.

Legislation in relation to job? H&Safety, Data Protection, Equal Opps?

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Staff Induction

Timetable/Programme

Put "things-to-be-learnt/absorbed-now" into a timetable (days/weeks/months). Re-useable code.

New starters even on first day need to “connect” with their new tasks.Too much “talk and chalk”?

Achievement & contribution. "I feel that I have started to contribute". Guide, coach, mentor at different points? From induction briefing to engagement with work sections. Preparation of local supervisors/staff to - continue induction at job lev

el.

Differentiate between off-the-job & on-the-job elements.

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Staff Induction

http://sol.brunel.ac.uk/bola/jobs/mediajob/mediarel.html

Who will carry out the induction?What coaching/information communication will the following un

dertake chief executive? Why? department managers? Why? the team leader/supervisor experienced staff personnel and training officer health and safety representative staff/managers from client and suppliers internal & external other?

What time scales are involved for the programme?When will induction be at an end?

Self-study Assignment - the Media Relations Officer

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Staff Induction

Self-study Assignment - Loft Shop Manager

Consider the Loft Shop Manager job. What induction might usefully take place at each of the following stages?

prior to joining the organisation on the first day in the first week the first month within the initial three months thereafter?

How, as a new “training officer”, would you research the induction requirements?

http://sol.brunel.ac.uk/bola/jobs/loft/loft.html

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Staff Induction

Self-study Assignment

If you started a new job recently, review this experience and evaluate how effective your induction was. What was successful? What was missing and how could it be improved?

Alternatively

Interview a recent, new starter in your workplace. Obtain feedback on their induction experiences and attitudes.

Given the feedback you have obtained, what recommendations would you make for change to induction policy and practices?

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Staff Induction

Self-study Assignment

Investigate your company's overall current system of induction for groups of staff?

How many inductees are welcomed each year/month? What is the volume?

Who runs it? Why them? Examine the elements of the programme. Consider the material

s paperwork, checklists, methods and practical work etc that are used. Gather together all the paperwork.

How much do induction activities and structures cost? How well is the transfer from the induction training room to the j

ob department managed? How could the induction approach be improved? Obtain the reactions/experience of supervisors, trainers, newco

mers

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Staff Induction

Young, new starters

Consider the special case of young people starting work for the first time. They are new to the world of work.

• What adjustments will they have to make?• What may come as a shock?• How will you support them as they make adjustments?• How will you secure and maintain their interest and enthusiasm?• What is the scope for using computer-aided instruction for basic, routine induction?

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Staff Induction

Evaluate

Instructional methods that are used in induction programmes

The contribution of computer aided learning for induction in large organisations? CD Rom or via a company Intranet?

What Computer-aided learning is being used …. by whom and with what effect?

Which organisations would use computer-aided learning? What is holding them back?