At the start of a new job many employees feel highly motivated and excited about their future prospects. Unfortunately this idealism doesn't always last and some staff members may find themselves becoming disenchanted with their new jobs. Often, this can be attributed to a lack of support, a failure by the business to communicate key responsibilities, and an overwhelming amount of new information.
The traditional workplace induction isn't something that most people greet with enthusiasm and this may be down to its delivery method. The usual induction to a new job is something that occurs all at once and is effectively an information overload. New employees can quickly become swamped by all of the new information, and they can fail to truly learn and understand the inner workings of your business. This can have huge repercussions on both the happiness of staff members, and the productivity of your business.
Start as you mean to go on
You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you need to retrain staff and provide them with knowledge that you've already tried to communicate. Perhaps you can begin by changing the term induction to orientation – a word more suited to the actual task in hand. Remember, inductions or orientations should focus on the individual and what they need to know. Make sure that you’re providing them with actionable information – not just dry, theoretical concepts about how the business works. Be clear if you want clarity in response from your employees.
It doesn't really matter what term you use to describe the induction process, what does matter is the method of delivery. You need to focus on the new employee and provide them with information and training that is needed for them to be at least competent with their job responsibilities. There should be continuous support, and there should be ample opportunity provided for the learner to assimilate and understand what is being taught.
Keep it simple
An induction doesn't have to be an intensive process; instead it can function as a slow and simple introduction to your business model. If you introduce your employees effectively it can be costly and time consuming, but it will increase knowledge retention rates. A consistent and individual-centric approach isn't easy but the benefits far outweigh the cons.So, the idea of inductions in a business setting is perhaps old and tired but they are no less necessary now than they were before. Now, however, there’s scope to greatly increase the efficacy of an induction process by implementing elearning practices. Let’s consider some of the ways that your business can utilise elearning inductions into its infrastructure.
Timing is important
If you design an online induction course you’ll increase the chances of employees revisiting knowledge discussed. Online induction courses can be made available whenever it suits both your business and the staff members that use it. There’s no excess cost, and learners can use this online resource without taking more time away from your business. No staff member has to be available to talk it through and instead learners can tackle it in their own time.
Not only that, but an elearning course can be consistent, it can have key objectives, and actionable items. In this way your business can monitor its new staff members and understand how well they are progressing through the course. If something isn't working – adapt, and change it.
Encourage productivity through elearning
The basic decision to make then at this point is when to introduce new employees to your online induction. The start day seems like a good idea but it may be worth considering a date even earlier than that. Employees that start a new job with a good understanding of the business and what’s required of them have a much better chance of enjoying it and being productive whilst at work.
Of course another way of using a resource like this is as a sort of test. Use it to see how well an employee would fare if employed long-term by your company. The choice is yours but the actual elearning course is a good idea regardless of how you implement it. It saves time and it provides you with a good understanding of how well your employees understand your company and their role within it.
A pre-induction course isn't practical or realistic to run as a face-to-face session, but as an online course it’s incredibly effective. It can be completed at the learner's convenience and can serve as a bridge between the learner’s job offer and his or her start date.
Elearning induction training defines the job
An ill-defined job can cause stress to the employee but it can also harm productivity within your workplace. There are lots of unknowns for a new employee when it comes to starting a new job – use an elearning course to make everything clear from an early point.
Provide a learner with a guide as to what the time frame is and what will be included throughout. By creating this timetable online you create a central hub that everyone can access easily and quickly. Effectively you’re creating a business resource that will benefit everyone working under your roof – from employee to employer. Create an ongoing programme, one that runs alongside day-to-day tasks, and you’ll find that induction and employee development become an ongoing process.
So, to summarise, here are five clear benefits to using an elearning model for your business’ induction program:
- Timing – it can be implemented whenever it suits your business
- Provides clarity for new employees about their job role/responsibilities
- It can be flexible – bespoke to your employee pool
- Actionable items make it possible to measure efficacy
- Continuous use
