Job offers and staff inductions

Preparation is the key to a good staff induction.

Before the worker starts

• Tell other people that there's a new starter, prepare their working area, organise any equipment necessary and have any documentation ready for them to read.
• Consider providing them with an information pack about the job before they begin work - see new starter pack for staff.
• Prepare an induction checklist including all the items that need to be covered and what needs to be done when. You can plan for the induction to be spread over a period of days or weeks depending on the nature of the job.
• Make sure that the key people who will be involved in the induction process have been briefed.
• Arrange in advance any instruction or training courses needed - eg on your IT systems.

Once the worker starts

• Ensure that when they arrive they are made to feel welcome.
• Get one person, ideally their line manager, to take care of a new starter throughout the first day.
• Make sure they know how any office machinery works, and the location of commonly used facilities - eg the post room, stationery store and lavatories.
• It is a good idea to get new workers to complete some kind of work on their first day. This can help them relate what they are learning to their job.
• Include informal aspects such as whether the tea, coffee and biscuits are free or whether there is a kitty.
• Ask for feedback during and after the process to check that you haven't missed anything. You might want to give the new starter a checklist and ask them to sign it to show it has been completed.
• It could be beneficial to provide a mentor for the new employee - this would likely be another member of staff who works within their team and is familiar with the type of work they will be doing.

Once you have established a good induction procedure, it is useful to set it out in writing and use it whenever a new person starts.

Induction templates

To help you devise your staff induction activities, download and use our sample induction plans:

• business induction plan sample (DOC, 19K)
• individual induction plan sample (DOC, 18K)