A proper induction for new staff

Recruiting new staff takes up precious time and resources, so once you have found the right person for the job make sure you allocate sufficient time and resources to induct them properly. If you do not, you risk losing the new recruit and having to go through the whole process again.

Often, induction is simply a matter of holding hands for the first few days and then for an hour or two a day in the following weeks. Set a target for when the new recruit should be able to work on his or her own and make them aware of it so they have something to aim for.

During the trial period assess their competence and ability. If someone else is doing the inducting (which is likely to be the case if you employ more than four or five staff) make sure they know what is involved and adjust their working time accordingly.

Do not underestimate the time it takes to do it properly and give the inductor the support he or she needs to look after the newcomer while staying on top of their own work.

Investing time to plan and organise the induction of new recruits delivers long-term benefits of increased morale and productivity. These far outweigh the loss of a few hours of the inductors' time.