You have just completed a massive recruitment process and hired the best candidate for an advertised role – congratulations! But before you sit back and relax, take a moment to consider what sort of induction experience your new employee will receive and whether or not it is good enough.
Research proves that an effective induction program not only makes the new employee feel valued and welcomed, but increases employee engagement and productivity, reduces staff turnover and absenteeism levels, and improves the employer’s brand and operational efficiency.
According to global learning solutions company CommLab India, more than 25% of new employees decide whether to stay with or quit an organisation in their first week, and studies from the Wynhurst Group show that new employees who go through a structured induction program are 58% more likely to be with the organisation three years later. If you want to retain and nurture a happy workforce, an amazing induction experience is vital!
While there are plenty of online checklists you can reference to ensure your employee induction ticks the essential and legal requirements, what about those things you can do on top of the ‘check-boxes’ to create a truly amazing experience? Read on for some inspirational ideas to show how you can make your next employee induction stand out from the rest.
Unwind Before the Grind
Many large companies are now giving new employees a holiday before they start so that they commence their new role feeling refreshed and prepared. Whilst this is great in theory, most businesses do not have the resources of a large multi-national company. But you can still achieve this principle of giving your new employee a relaxed start on a budget. Consider having your new employee start their new role mid-week so that they can ease into it. Ask that they arrive closer to 11am so that they do not have to worry about the busy morning commute or morning office rush on their first day!
Welcome Gift
How wonderful to walk into the office on your first day at work and find a welcome gift waiting for you on your new desk. As the employer, the beauty with this idea is that you can really be as generous, creative or practical as you like! Think classics like a gift box full of branded stationery, chocolates, notebooks, a coffee mug and diary, or vouchers to the local café, a nearby yoga studio or cinema. A handwritten welcome note is also a great way to add an inexpensive personalised touch to the gift. The options here are endless, but the delight it will give your new employee on their first day is priceless.
‘Buddy Up’
Although this sounds like something we all got told to do back in primary school, incorporating a ‘Buddy System’ into your workplace actually makes good business sense. By assigning an experienced employee within the organisation to help acquaint the new employee with the workplace, make introductions, and be there to assist with any day-to-day questions, you are ensuring that your new employee is made to feel comfortable and supported from day one.
Group Get Together
Whether it is a team lunch out, or morning tea in the office; a department or company get together to welcome your new employee during their first week is a great idea. Not only will the new employee feel celebrated and welcomed, it will allow them to get to know the team better in a more casual and relaxed setting. Everyone loves the opportunity to get together over good food!
Game Time
Put a twist on the traditional office tour and introduction to co-workers by ‘game-ifying’ the experience for your new employee. One example from the team at Localwise is to turn a standard (and often pretty boring!) office tour into a scavenger hunt – think cryptic clues that your employee will have to break to lead them to key locations around the office/building. Another idea if you have time, is to set up Bingo cards with facts in each box relating to staff in the office. For example: “Has 5 kids”, “Has been to Thailand”, “Has done a triathlon”. During their first week your new employee will have to speak with their co-workers to cross off the facts and write down the person’s name in each box. Not only will these games bring a sense of fun and enjoyment to their first week, but they will allow the new employee to interact with their new office and co-workers feeling more relaxed and engaged.
Make it about THEM
At the end of the day, everyone likes to feel listened to and valued. So as part of providing them with an amazing induction, take the time to get to know them and really personalise their experience. Find out their interests, values, and hobbies and then find a way you can connect them to these within your company. For example, if you know your new employee loves to play sports, introduce them to the head of the company soccer team. Or if your new employee loves to give back to the community, introduce them to the company’s fundraising group. Another idea is to ask them to answer a series of short, non-traditional questions about themselves and then share their responses within the company (think the weekly email update, on the intranet, in the company online blog etc.). Not only a bit of fun, this also allows other staff to recognise the new employees interests and invites them reach out to connect on shared interests.
For more great tips and inspirational ideas to help keep your employees engaged and happy, read through some of our other blog posts here or to chat to one of our recruitment experts call the GWG office on: (02) 4905 0133.
