Hey All,
I’m due to start a new L&D role in April and from what I know so far it looks like I’ve got a jam packed Induction programme ahead. I’ve also heard that one of the first things I’ll be doing (once the Induction is over!) is to review the current Onboarding/Induction for all the roles across the organisation. Interesting, so this could mean a month doing and thinking about Induction, so I need your help!
If you have been the employee on Induction programme before or had the experience of supporting, managing or creating an Induction programme-
What do you think are the essential ingredients that make a GREAT Induction programme?
I know the structure of an induction programme depends on the size/nature of organisation, type of employee etc and the duration can vary incredibly (I’ve seen a one day Induction before!) but be really good to get your insights and capture some key themes.
Sarah posted a blog recently about how BT are using Facebook in the Induction process to help new employees build relationships used to learn about each other (Group Induction - Facebook getting to know you). This is a great example and certainly one I’d consider for future Induction programmes. If you have similar examples like this then please share!
Thank you
Adam
Replies
As an advocate of Kirkpatricks evaluation I cannot stress enough how important it is to evaluate at all 4 levels.
Remember to begin with the end in mind and speak to your stakeholders on their expectations and how will ROE and ROI be measured.
I held a focus group with key stakeholders to get their input on how the 12 week journey should look, your induction will also be far more credible by involving your stakeholders.
I give the delegates a reaction sheet to complete at the end of the week induction, we then do a 7 day call to evaluate how they have implemented the learning and then a 30 day call followed up with a survey monkey questionnaire.
The businesses main focus is LTO so every quarter I run a report on the LTO figures and compare this to the rest of the estate.
Good luck and if you want any more info let me know.
Emma
I've done my fair share of induction delivery and design Adam and believe it's all about creating a great experience but recognising that it is only induction, there are some interesting points here about this: Few thoughts from me assuming that there IS an induction in place and of course this will vary on the actual job :
For me the organisation as a whole is responsible for creating a great experience and an induction - L&D don't do this on there own which links to Phil's points below.
What are your expectations for your own induction Adam?
Hi Adam,
I could wax lyrical about induction for ages and instead I thought I would share my one (or maybe two) things that I feel MUST be there:
1) Weekly reviews between the line manager and the new employee for at least 6 weeks. This could be Friday PM, Monday AM or frankly any day. What is vital, is that it is weekly. In this weekly review, based on my practice and exerience, successful conversations indlude these things:
- What have you learned over the last week that has got you excited?
- What have you picked up over the last week that has made you worried or nervous?
- Based on what you know so far. what would be your one suggestion of how can we (as a team/business/site/office) improve things for our (internal or external) customers?
- What has happened this week that has made you want to stay?
- What experiences have you had that have made you think you made the wrong decision coming here?
- Where do you want to go next week to find out answers to the questions you have?
I can quote studies galore that show how vital the first six-eight weeks are for someone joining your team/organisation. These questions help reinforce the positive experiences the new person is having (as they are remembering them) and also helps you find out more about what they like/dislike thereby making the leadership/management of that person easier.
It can also be a good idea to tell the new person that these are the questions you are going to ask so they can record inforamtion and prepare for the review meeting. What this also does is; reinformce the experiences and the learning they provide, eases the pressure in the meeting as noone needs to think on their feet and all this makes for a better discussion.
2) Build in spare time for some 'self directed' induction, especially after weeks 1 or 2. This is a follow on from the final question above. Let the person guide themselves in finding out more about the areas of the company and/or what the company does. This creates awareness and responsibility. Both are great for general happiness and engagement as well as making like easier for the manager, they don't have to create a detailed 6-8 week plan. GIve the first 2 weeks then a broad strucutre for weekd 3-6 (or 8) and let them fill the gaps.
I hope that this helps Mr Harwood. If you want to kick some ideas around at any point, let me know.
Phil