How do you like your Induction?

Posted by Adam Harwood on March 13, 2013 at 1:05pm in Learning Design

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

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Replies

Emma Dechoux March 21, 2013 at 9:10pm

Phil and Mike have covered alot of things that I agree with and that would have said. I have been involved in delivering and designing numerous inductions in my organisation and have recently re-designed and launched a new 12 week management induction programme. This involves them spending week 1 on the sales consultants induction learning the role of the people they will be managing, they then spend time in the role alongside completing online modules every week and have access to a new manager community forum (as all our stores are spread across the country). In month 2 they will attend a 1 week management induction which as Mike said has been designed to be as interactive and simulated to their real job as possible. In month 3 they carry on with their online modules and in week 12 they will have their probationary review with their manager.

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
Mike Collins March 15, 2013 at 9:24pm
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 :
- Right people for the right job - good recruitment is essential. If you want someone to pick nuts you don't hire a turkey and if you do pick a turkey then you can make a good guess they will not enjoy the induction with the other squirrels and most likely impact the experience of the overall induction.
- The employee experience should start as soon as the job is offered - Sky use a social network for new joiners to meet existing employees and call it 'getting up to speed' before they even start.
- Day one is usually orientation - building tour, treasure hunt, find out about someone's job - report back to the rest of the group. The most innovative way I have ever thought about this is using QR codes around the building with facts about the building and encouraging people to use their smart phones to discover information in a unique way. You could even do short interviews with members of staff and then work with other groups to create a mashup.
- Vision, values and behaviours - whilst this should be clear throughout the recruitment process it's essential that the tone is set from day one in terms of setting expectations and bringing the org culture to life.
- Product knowledge and skills - this is normally the most classroom orientated but can be done using a host of multimedia - eLearning, podcasts, job aids, wiki's, intranets, video creation, animations, simulations, observations, presentations, talking to people who do the job, job buddy's, listening in, understanding the departments / people you might not work directly, meeting your team and line manager on a regular basis as Phil describes. L&D should facilitate this learning but not spoon feed or stand and deliver.
- Practice Practice Practice Feedback Feedback Feedback Coaching Coaching Coaching
- Induction is the time when we should expect and encourage people to fail and view failure an an opportunity to learn so they can improve - simulations can be handy here or role plays but managing these well is key.
- Any theory needs to be balanced with practical application and induction should be as like the job as possible - induction should not be 2/3/4 weeks sat in a classroom providing a completely difference experience of what the actual job is.
- Support - agree with Phil 100% here. L&D need to be working with the operation or business as closely as possible to ease the transition from induction to the role and recognise that people learn from experience so induction will only take someone so far until they have to do the job to learn how to do. How many times does induction finish and the individual gets handed over and says bye bye to 'training'. When something goes wrong then the usual recrimination are "blame training" or "it wasn't covered in induction"
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?
Phil Willcox March 14, 2013 at 12:21pm

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