Discover how you can use the Analyse-Plan-Do-Review approach to identify what is effective in your current induction process and any gaps or areas for improvement.
Enhance your induction process using these key steps:
Think about where you can find information about how effective your induction process is and gather it all in one place.
Use these questions to identify what is working well with your induction and what you could improve.
- What do you already do to induct new staff and who does it?
- What do the numbers and your analysis tell you about turnover and retention in the induction period and the first year of employment?
- What do you think are the main successes with your induction process?
- What are the issues and what does not work well?
- What do you not cover in your induction that needs to be included?
- What have recent new recruits appreciated about their induction? What do they think could be improved? Use the ‘induction review feedback form’ to gather this feedback.
Reflect on the information
- Are the results what you would have expected?
- What conclusions can you draw from your analysis?
- Do you need any further information to identify any areas for improvement or gaps?
Use your analysis and this toolkit to plan your induction for all new members of staff.
Some elements of the induction process can be standardised, but for different roles, responsibilities and experience some elements will need to be tailored. For example, someone new to care may need very different support from someone who is established, qualified and confident.
This toolkit contains checklists and additional links to enable it to be fully customised to your needs.
Areas to include in an induction plan
Practical aspects:
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Practical information to get started – e.g. what to wear on day one, how they are paid, what if they are sick/late, when and where they are expected to attend their induction.
People aspects:
Top tips for creating an effective induction plan
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Schedule time for individual personal reflection, as well as catch-ups, to reflect on how things are going, what has been useful and what could be better.
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Share what learning and development is expected, how to access it, and things that will end after their probation so your new starter can consider what is the most important and urgent training as they start their role.
Implement your new induction process for every new starter. Give them an induction that is inclusive, collaborative, and compassionate and make the time to give them a positive first impression of your workplace.
This toolkit supports you to develop your own bespoke induction plans for each stage of the induction process from pre-arrival to the end of induction and probationary period.
A comprehensive induction plan will include:
- an induction timetable and schedule of induction activities
- supervision - when, where and how is it done
- peer support - mentoring, coaching, or buddying
- learning and development - both mandatory and optional, to develop skills and knowledge
- where to go for help - building a network that can provide support
- realistic expectations - always give staff realistic expectations of the role.
Regularly reviewing the effectiveness of your induction process ensures you can learn from what works well and improve any areas that are not working well, so you can do everything possible to retain new staff.
You could carry out reviews by:
- encouraging line managers to seek feedback from new starters and staff involved in induction at the end of every induction
- gathering information from all new starters every three-six months to identify any learning and areas for improvement
- annually reviewing your approach to induction alongside other policy and process reviews, and as part of your resource planning process to identify changes that need to be made to meet operational and strategic needs.