Question:

We are finally revamping our corporate HR strategy and the first thing I want to do is ensure we instill a well structured and effective induction programme for new joiners. Any thoughts/ tips you might want to share?

Answer:

Good thinking! The aim of an induction programme is to initially welcome new joiners and encourage them to identify with your company.

The best way to do this is to have a professionally written induction plan in the form of a checklist which highlights clearly all that a new employee needs to know: starting from the introduction to the corporate vision, mission, values, structure and rules and regulations, to departments and teams he/ she will be interacting with to all various aspects of the new job and finally a timetable for the induction period.

Make sure the list also specifies who will be the responsible “mentor” for different items on the checklist – so that both the new employee and the mentor can track learning and progress throughout the timeframe allotted for the induction.

Most importantly, get your induction template officially approved and pushed by Management (you can always tweak it to suit different joiners), in order that the process is treated with diligence by all current and new staff.