Helen Shale heals toxic workplaces, and individuals who experience significant anxiety and stress in unwell organisations. Synthesising 25 years of knowledge and experience as an internal communications specialist and now clinical hypnotherapist she applies 'Connection Engineering', to enable employees at all levels to feel valued and engaged.
You’ve spent a great deal of time and money on finding the best talent to fill your job vacancy. What happens on their first day? Is your organisation like many who show the new person the loos, their desk and laptop, the systems, and then sit them down and leave them to do the pass-fail online induction package? This is setting your employee up to fail and robbing your organisation of their productivity, engagement and loyalty let alone return on investment. You are also creating unnecessary stress and anxiety, contributing to what many OECD countries have identified as a mental health crisis with related disorders, particularly on top of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this article, you will find 12 practical tips for inducting your new person in a way that is insightful, promotes trust, and will set them up to be a valuable contributor from Day One.
What is an induction?
Its purpose is to ensure your new employee feels welcome, valued and has everything they need to fill their role. So often the psychological aspect is overlooked – they will feel nervous, alone, and wondering if they’ve made the right choice. It’s your role to make them feel comfortable, instantly part of the team and absolutely ‘in the right place’. Irrespective of the level of the position, permanent or temporary, they need to feel they will have a bright future ahead.
Is induction a reflection on organisational culture?
Absolutely. An induction is a new recruit’s first experience of the culture of your organisation. Hopefully the overall ‘people goal’ is engaged, long-staying employees who feel respected, are challenged in their roles, and feel valued and safe in expressing their ideas. To achieve this their managers are leaders in the true sense – they are not there to demonstrate their authority, but to be mentors and coaches, and help their people succeed to the best of their ability.
In failing organisations staff may feel ‘on trial’ until they demonstrate they can do the role, are expected to ‘toughen up’ over unpaid hours, or just to do what they’re told without question. These approaches are high cost in every sense including through absenteeism, ‘quiet quitting’, and poor company image in the marketplace leading to top talent going elsewhere. People don’t remember what you say, but they will always remember how you made them feel. It will be imprinted on their mind and significantly influence how they will perform and promote your organisation to others.
5 myths surrounding induction
There are commonly held myths around induction which cause significant unnecessary stress and stop people from succeeding.
Five of these are as follows
The first day is just a taster, everything will be fine with time: While it’s true that it takes someone new a while to meet everyone and understand everything, a positive first impression is gold. You are demonstrating how they will be treated in the days that follow which will influence how they will approach their new role.
They just need to fit in: In reality you need to fit a working environment around the employee. They need an environment where they can feel safe and shine, not be forced into a standard mould. A thriving organisation values diversity and inclusion as it produces a richer, dynamic, exciting and consequently more innovative working environment.
Systems should come first: People are not robots, they crave personal, authentic connection. Building a positive, constructive relationship with your new employee is absolutely critical to their confidence and engagement. The policies, procedures and health and safety induction can come next.
Induction is the role Human Resources or personal assistant: While the design of the support package may be their responsibility, introducing the new recruit must be by their immediate line manager. It’s critical to start this relationship positively and authentically. Scheduling time to do this will be appreciated and remembered.
They’ll have to work hard to prove themselves: You hired them, it’s your responsibility to set them up and support them in way that they can fulfil the role they’ve accepted. It’s a two-way contract and relationship – including ensuring sustainable work-life balance including providing opportunities for both of you to continuously improve.
Designing an effective induction day
Be employee, rather than organisation – led. It will pay off significantly in the long run. Design the day around building a relationship with them and being genuinely interested in getting to know them and their personal and professional goals. Don’t assume anything, and demonstrate you are listening and willing to work with them to make the role absolutely what they are looking for. Discuss their career aspirations and talk about potential opportunities to advance later down the track. Also express your availability if they need help and support. Be careful in your use of language and tone, particularly related to any conscious or unconscious bias to gender or culture. Also ensure others in the team are aware of their arrival and the importance of their help to settle in the new recruit.
12 tips on setting up a great induction
1. Their manager greets them personally
The time taken by the line Manager to meet them personally and build a relationship with them will be valued. It will make them feel they have an ally and a support person who appreciates their choosing to take up the position. This will also significantly reduce their stress and increase their ability to engage meaningfully.
2. Introduce them to people as you go
As you work towards their workstation or office, introduce them to others in glowing tones along the way. While they won’t remember everybody’s name, the faces will become progressively familiar, and they will settle in more quickly.
3. Set up the work environment carefully
Ensure the work environment is free of the previous incumbent’s personality, safe and ergonomically sound, and clean and tidy. This will demonstrate you appreciate your employees and their health and well-being. If it’s a hot-desk situation, also show them the lockers to put their personal belongings where they will be secure.
4. Set up a relationship framework
Show them that you are committed to confirming alignment between their goals and aspirations, and yours for them and their role. Demonstrate flexibility and agility so that you can find the best way to work together to mutual benefit. Take them through the rest of the day, company requirements and everything they need to do. Be available and if something urgent comes up, introduce them to someone to be their support person.
5. Introduce them to the team
Take them around the office and introduce them to their colleagues, explaining roles and how their role fits into the ‘puzzle’. This way they will immediately feel included and valued.
6. Appoint them a buddy
While the primary relationship is with their line manager, appoint them a support colleague who will be available to fill in anything they need to know about their role. Get them to accompany the new employee to lunch so they are not on their own and feeling ‘the newbie’.
7. Take them through the benefits and systems requirements
There are likely to be IT set-ups and logins required, safety briefings (on or offline) to complete, policies and procedures to read through, and forms to fill, including for their benefits package such as insurance. Ensure their setting up is the priority of others responsible, with as much as possible completed before they arrive, so they are able to start without delay. Stay close by to ensure they don’t feel overwhelmed and can ask you for any clarifications required.
8. Health and safety and workplace wellness
Show them the policies of the organisation to show how you value a safe, diverse and equal employment opportunities workplace – devoid of bullying or harassment, with reporting of incidents encouraged. Take them through what to do if they feel unwell or stressed, demonstrating how workplace wellness is a priority for your organisation.
9. Set their support network
Help them to feel comfortable about coming to you with any challenges they are facing and let them know who else is available if they would feel more comfortable discussing the challenge with someone else. This may be a buddy, or person responsible for human resources support, and other services available including counselling.
10. Confirm a training plan
Training needs may have been identified during the recruitment and initial interview process; however, demonstrate commitment and action to filling any gaps. Discuss how these needs will be met, for example through a mix of inhouse and external training, and who will set it up for them and when. Also discuss opportunities for additional training to help them fulfil their career goals.
11. Demonstrate willingness to be flexible
While explaining all of the requirements, show them willingness to discuss options to work around other pressures the employee may be facing. Demonstrating openness is the pathway to more creative solutions which will achieve their commitment and productivity and create a more inspiring workplace overall.
12. Show you will provide ongoing support
Avoid ‘quiet quitting’ by showing that you care that they succeed and are there for them while they are under your management. Show them that you are also open to feedback on your own leadership style and will do everything you can to accommodate what they need to succeed.
Start your journey today
These may seem overwhelmingly in support of the employee, not commercial reality. However, this is backwards thinking. We are not machines. We need to connect authentically with our managers and teammates to feel succeed. Managers demonstrating willingness to authentically connect from the first day and provide ongoing support will return substantial dividends in productivity, promotion as a great employer, and the provision of new ideas, stimulating growth. If you find such an approach difficult, book a coaching call today. Let's work together to enable you to be the leader you want to be in the environment you want to create for your employees.
Read more from Helen Shale
Helen Shale, Clinical Hypnotherapist & Master Life Coach
Helen Shale is on a mission to redesign the workplace to reduce the significant and avoidable psychological and physical damage employees are experiencing at all levels internationally. Helen is the originator of 'Connection Engineering in the Workplace', using her 25 years' as an internal communications specialist and the healing skills of Clinical Hypnotherapy to create healthier organisations and happier, more productive people who enjoy having their life back.
