Induction training marks the beginning of an employee's journey with an organisation and serves as the bridge for new employees to integrate into their roles, understand the organisation's culture, and connect to the organisation's objectives. When informal and formal induction training is executed well, it helps to ensure that new employees feel confident and informed while minimising the time required to become productive members of the team. Induction training adds to the employee experience in establishing a sense of belonging and commitment right from the start. According to research conducted by SHRM , organisations with formal onboarding programs experience 82% improved new hire retention and over 70% improved productivity.
This article explains the role of induction training in supporting new employees in their transition into an organisation. It covers the various types of induction programs, outlines the key elements of an induction session, and provides practical advice about how to ensure a successful onboarding program. The reader is also informed about the potential increases and impact of employee engagement, retention, and growth that can be attributed to a successful induction process. Gallup research notes that only 12% of workers strongly agree their organisation does a good job with onboarding, suggesting ways to improve employee engagement, retention, and growth
Induction training is a planned system that welcomes employees to the workplace, job, and organisational culture. Induction training takes place usually through an induction session, much earlier than their start date, which would allow the individual to receive the necessary information and skills to familiarise themselves with effective integration in their new role with the company.
The emphasis of induction training is to provide an introduction to the staff, organisational policies, vision, and work environment . It serves as an onboarding process for the new employee to minimise concerns of confusion and provide some clarity. Ultimately, it helps employees feel a sense of belonging from the start.
Induction training is important because it expresses to employees that they are valued in the organisation and introduces them in a confident way to their responsibilities. An effective induction session will also promote engagement, reduce early turnover, and set the pathway for long-term success in the organisation.
Before we get into the specifics, it's good to be clear that induction training involves much more than simply an introduction to the company, but this is where employees receive information, they can apply in practice to contribute purposefully.
Employees are made familiar with the history, mission, and core values of the organisation. It begins to align the employees' purpose with the company. Strong familiarity contributes to loyalty from the very beginning.
New employees are made familiar with policies related to attendance, leave, workplace behaviour, and compliance. This clarity of information helps prevent misunderstandings that can lead to conflict and enables transparency of information. Additionally, policies play a role in managing compliance, engagement, and fairness.
Employees receive information about their duties and expected performance. Knowing assigned responsibilities can lead to less ambiguity and increased accountability. Clarity around tasks also promotes higher productivity at the outset.
Employees are informed about safe working practices to ensure employee safety. Knowing safety procedures will reduce risk exposure to accidents. Safety training also creates confidence and a sense of responsibility in an employee.
Employees are given some coaching on how to work with the tools, systems, or software they will use regularly. It may also provide more familiarity for staff in their new role. Familiarity with resources allows for a more comfortable and reliable transition to tasks but reduces other employees' willingness to pause their own tasks for help.
Induction training can be categorised into three main types based on the focus of the program. Each type will deal with different facets of employee onboarding and the needs of the organisation. Induction training will consider the following examples.
This type of training helps employees understand the organisation as an entity, including the culture, mission, and policies of the organisation, so they understand how and to what purpose the organisation operates. General induction training lays the groundwork for all subsequent kinds of training.
Specific induction training offers job-specific guidance on the tasks, tools, and responsibilities required to fulfil their employment role. Specific induction training emphasises the skills and/or abilities to meet job requirements. Specific induction training will help an employee better transition into the work requirements of the job.
Onboarding is an extended process of integrating employees into the culture of the company by combining general training and specific training components. Overall, onboarding offers a deeper level of employee engagement and better employee retention , loyalty, and investment in the organisation.
Examples of induction training show how organisations tailor the process to suit different needs. They help employees get settled in quickly, clarify expectations, and foster a sense of belonging. Examples of induction training are provided below.
These programs introduce new employees to the organisation’s values, structure, and culture. Orientation creates familiarity and alleviates concerns on the first day. It is normally the first stage of orienting employees to the organisation.
Employees participate in workshops that are specific to their job tasks and functions. Workshops involve training appropriate to the tools and systems used for job tasks, which enables employees to become productive sooner.
It is vital for new employees to be trained on workplace safety policies and procedures. Such training meets compliance and mitigates risk. Moreover, workplace safety programs create a safe work environment for all employees.
Providing new employees with a mentor or guide (an intentional pairing) offers them continuing assistance. Mentoring programs offer reassurance and guidance, and allow employees to adapt to the workplace quickly, while developing a positive relationship with their mentor, who can also aid with future workplace relationships.
There are likely to be organisations that utilise e-learning platforms to offer induction training flexibly. E-learning modules may address generic or targeted topics, such as the description of the corporate culture. E-learning enables topics to be reviewed at the discretion of the employees.
Before planning, organisations should recognise that a strong induction program for new employees sets the tone for the entire employee journey.
Design an employee induction program that has clear goals. Select and develop the content and length of the program. Decide how the program can standardise for greater consistency and success and therefore will help onboard new employees effectively.
Ensure that you develop training materials such as manuals, presentations, or e-learning modules, to ensure it is user-friendly and accessible to your newly hired employees. A well-structured resource creates interactivity and promotes recalling knowledge for learning.
Facilitate the employee induction training program objectives through activities and other activities to re-engage enthusiasm about the training. Facilitating student involvement leads to feedback and conversation around the topics. Employees want to feel welcomed and valued while having fun at a training program.
Develop a mentoring approach by pairing the newly hired employee with an experienced employee to offer support. Mentoring and implementing a buddy approach to your newly hired employee will assist with culture adjustment and establishing responsibilities, but more importantly, it provides a quick way for learning.
Regularly assess the success of the induction program. Collect feedback from participants to help identify gaps in accordance with the feedback. Continual improvement will strengthen future sessions.
Before diving into the benefits, it’s important to note that induction training sets the foundation for employee retention and growth.
Training employees beforehand allows them to acclimate more quickly. Clarification early on helps them minimise learning curves associated with their training and can lead to more immediate contributions towards the organisation’s mission and goals.
When employees are made to feel welcomed and that they have been prepared and informed, they engage better, which creates loyalty and high performance, and helps to avoid early turnover.
When employees are clear about their job role, role expectations, and responsibilities, this leads to increased confidence. Training promotes and enables employees to feel valued by the company and to feel more at ease in a new environment. Increased job satisfaction contributes to retention in the long run.
Employees who are trained about processes as well as policies are less likely to make mistakes. Proper training reduces liability and compliance risks, both for the employee and the organisation.
A robust, structured induction program is indicative of a professional organisation. New hires sharing their positive induction and orientation experiences with others will positively influence branding efforts and attract the next wave of similar talent to the organisation.
