Induction is key says the HR profession

We know how important a successful induction program is for both employee and employer.  It is key for retention and at a time where the job market is still suffering this is vital.

A recent survey carried out by XpertHR found that a huge 91% of HR professionals believe that a successful induction process is the most important part of an employee’s training. Yet nearly half of employers surveyed felt that the induction process in their organisation was in need of a major overhaul.

So why are current induction programmes not working?

First Impressions

Once someone has identified you, as the company they would like to work with, they are looking for constant reassurance that they are right!

First impressions are created at the initial point of contact, but they are reinforced every time they experience an interaction with your team. Whether communicating by email, twitter, blog, website, letter, telephone or face to face, your company is sending a message to that individual about who you are and how you value them. If you hold someone in high regard and care how they feel and what they think about you – and   importantly what they will say about you -, then each and every interaction you have with them will be planned and delivered thoughtfully. When people are going through the recruitment     process, they are weighing up all the evidence ‘for and against’ coming on board with you – and the best talent will be doing this with several companies at the same time. They’ll be benchmarking all the companies  they are considering against their ideal and comparing you with your competitors. It doesn’t matter how brilliant your induction process may be, if you lose people during this early part of the process, you’ll never get them there to experience it anyway!

Little things can become big gestures during the first impressions stage. Things like:

Getting on board the right ship

Are you piercingly clear on your current direction?

When did your organisation last re visit your vision?

In such turbulent times it is easy to continue on with your old vision – which was probably set in a better climate – while we are busy getting on with the important things like successfully sailing out of a recession. Your existing team will question your leadership credibility if the purpose, mission and values of the business are no longer relevant – nor realistic. We talk about the importance of engaging the hearts and minds of our people to retain talent and step one of engagement is alignment. How can people align with our goals and direction if they are not clear? Given that 1 in 3 (CIPD survey 2010) or 1 in 4 (PWC survey 2010) of your current workforce would consider a move in 2010/11, its worth working on this as a key part of your talent retention strategy.

But what about talent attraction? 

Onboarding

As buzz words go, ‘on boarding’ is the current chart topper! Having coffee with Alan Whitford (RC Euro) a few weeks ago we were talking about recruitment companies starting to hire talent again as the recession conditions continue to ease up, albeit in a still unpredictable market. He referred to the process as ‘onboarding’ (US term!). Historically attrition rates for 0-6 months in the recruitment sector have not been good! Last year’s CIPD annual survey report from the UK quoted a 20% turnover. However the key parts of the service we should offer new recruits to welcome them on board, start way before they embark on their career in recruitment with you.