When a new employee joins any business, it is important that they undergo a proper induction process. As well as ensuring any legalities are covered, an induction helps the new member of staff to understand the goals and visions of the business. The idea is that it creates a sense of belonging, helping them to feel connected with your business. Remote inductions are going to be even more popular as remote working continues. By taking your employee inductions online now, they will be digitally robust for the future. Here is our employee induction checklist to give you some pointers.

Employee Induction Explained

We will only briefly run through the employee induction, as we went into detail in our blog on ways to revolutionise employee induction training. The length of the induction process does vary, but usually it is completed within the first day or week of employment. Induction often gets confused with onboarding, which is a much longer process. Onboarding involves integrating the new employee into the organisation - setting them up on internal software etc. How you induct a new member of staff will leave a lasting impression on them. Rushing the process will just make them feel like a burden and of very little importance. However, time is often of the essence which is why online employee inductions offer the perfect solution. Allowing you to conduct a consistent induction process that is easy to replicate, engaging for the new employee, and the big bonus is that it doesn’t take up much of your HR department’s time.

Staff Inductions Online

Due to the pandemic physical offices have had to close, and the flexibilities that employees have enjoyed during remote working has meant this could be here to stay. Or at least a hybrid model of working remotely and from the office. This doesn’t mean that recruitment has to stop though, again it is just a case of businesses adapting to this ‘new normal’. By investing in a bespoke induction system you can safely and easily induct new member of staff without them having to physically be at the office.

As well as following the general employee induction checklist, which we will have a look at in a minute, here are some extra points to consider for implementing staff inductions online: 1. Make sure that all the relevant documents, handbooks and policies are available in digital formats. If anything needs a signature from the new member of staff, it is best saving these as a PDF then tools such as Adobe Sign & Fill can be used. 2. Ensure all the necessary equipment and technology needed for the staff inductions are sent to the new employee’s residence. Are they able to log into a portal, or do you need to provide them with an iPad with the induction pre-uploaded? 3. Add a ‘meet and greet’ section into the staff induction online if the new member of staff is going to be working from home for some time. This means they have the opportunity to engage with members of different departments, and it will help with the gradual transition back to the office. 4. Send them a welcome package. Just because they are being inducted remotely, it doesn’t mean the new employee has to miss out on the usual goodies. Personalised gifts are always a winner if you really want to make them feel part of the business from the start.

Employee Induction Checklist

By putting together an employee induction checklist this helps the employee to visualise what they are going to learn. As they will be able to tick off each task as they have completed them, it also helps to keep the employee motivated and on track. Also if they get stuck on any particular part of the induction they will easily be able to see which section they need to go back and either try again or undergo more training. Different sized organisations will have different requirements when it comes to employee induction, but here are some of the essential parts that every organisation needs to include:

A welcome pack that confirms their start date & time, parking facilities and dress code
Employment checks - contract, bank account details, job description, National Insurance information etc.
Socialisation - Introductions with other members of staff, manager meetings, tour of the facilities (this can easily be carried out using video).
Strategic framework - the company's vision and mission statement, values, core philosophies and code of conduct.
Working arrangements - working schedule, breaks, holiday allowances, general resources.
Compliance - health & safety policies, fire procedures, first aid officers, how to report incidents & hazards.

Of course this is a rough guide, and there may well be lots of other things you might want to include in your employee induction. Here at Resolution Digital, we have been creating engaging online inductions for many years so can help guide you on the best things to include for your business. Splitting up training into bitesize learning is the best way to keep your new staff interested in their induction. We also try to include short quizzes throughout in order to consolidate their learning. Why not give us a call today on 01724 376002 to find out more?