The induction process provides an organisation with the opportunity to welcome new recruits, helping them to settle in, and ensuring that they have the knowledge and support needed to perform their new role. It is also a chance for the employer to begin to tick the necessary boxes when it comes to discharging the various statutory duties that arise during the course of the employment lifecycle, from conducting prescribed right to works checks to safeguarding an employee’s health and wellbeing at work.
The following practical advice for employers, line managers and HR personnel covers the various different employment law and HR aspects of the workplace induction process.
What is the workplace induction process?
Induction at work is the process through which an employee adjusts or acclimatises to their working environment and new position. Often referred to as onboarding, this can cover the whole process from initial contact with the organisation before a person formally joins, through to understanding the ways of working for that organisation and getting up to speed in their job role. Every organisation, both large or small, should have a well-considered induction process that provides a new-starter with a positive and welcoming experience.
Benefits of the induction process
The importance of creating a positive and welcoming experience for new-starters when first joining a business cannot be underestimated, not least in the context of any talent shortage that a business may be experiencing. Over the past few years there has been a significant shift in the UK’s recruitment market and while the employer may once have been the driving force during the hiring process, it seems that the roles have reversed, where the candidates are now often calling the shots. Creating a positive employer brand to attract talent to a business is therefore not always enough, where every effort must be made to welcome the successful candidate on board and ensure that there are no employee regrets.
Effective induction programmes can therefore benefit both employers and employees. For employers, benefits include reducing turnover and absenteeism, and increasing employee engagement and job satisfaction. For employees, a well-designed induction programme enables them to understand more about the organisation, their role and ways of working, and is an opportunity to meet new colleagues, learn from them and get up to speed quickly.
Who is responsible for the induction process?
Responsibility for the different aspects of the induction process in the workplace can vary, depending on nature of the employer’s business, as well as its overall size and structure.
In a broad sense, induction of a specific employee is the line manager’s responsibility, while the design, development and evaluation of the workplace induction policy and programmes is largely the responsibility of HR or anyone tasked with learning and development (L&D) matters in the workplace. As such, HR personnel and any L&D specialists may also implement some parts of the induction process and will likely be the first point of contact the employee has with the organisation. It is these personnel who will often ensure that important information is collected, such as right to work documentation, as well as bank details and payroll data, and that the employee knows what to expect from their induction.
What to include in a workplace induction
There is no strict format when it comes to the workplace induction process, where this can be tailored to the size and resources of the business. However, an effective induction will ensure that an employee integrates well into, and across, their new organisation.
New recruits need to understand the organisation, the culture, the people and what is expected of them in their role, so an effective induction will contain multiple, integrated elements. These elements should include, for example, right to work checks to ensure that the individual is legally entitled to work in the UK and undertake the job role in question, as well as health and safety information required by law, plus practical information on the working environment and facilities. The induction should also familiarise the new employee with the company’s working arrangements relating to time, location and patterns of flexible working, if available, as well as its culture and values. Finally, it should provide information specific to their new role and the people that they will be working with.
The key matters that should be covered as part of an effective workplace induction process either prior to, or shortly after, a new hire starts their job role are set out below.
Right to work checks
All employers are under a duty to prevent illegal working by ensuring those that they recruit to their business have the right to work in the UK and to undertake the work on offer. This means that an employer must conduct a prescribed right to work check on all prospective employees, regardless of their colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, accent, surname or the length of time that they have been resident in the UK.
A right to work check can be conducted either by using the services of an Identity Service Provider (IDSP), by using the Home Office online Right to Work Checking Service or by conducting a manual document check. The way in which a right to work is carried out will depend on the nationality of the new recruit and the way in which any immigration status is held, for example, an online check must be conducted for any migrant workers with an eVisa, while IDSPs can only be used to digitally verify the identity of British or Irish citizens.
The employer could be liable to a civil penalty of up to £20,000 if they are found to be employing an illegal worker and have failed to carry out a right to work check, either correctly or at all. They can also be given a prison sentence of up to 5 years and be ordered to pay an unlimited fine if they are found to be guilty of employing someone who either they knew or had reasonable cause to believe did not have the right to work in the UK.
The right to work check should form part of pre-employment checks and be verified shortly following acceptance of a job offer, where the official guidance from the Home Office advises employers to conduct these checks before employment commences. However, it is important to reassure the successful candidate that this is normal procedure applicable to all new-starters and not because of any concerns about them. In the event that the check reveals a time-limited right to work in the UK, it should also be explained that a follow-up check will be needed in due course, shortly prior to expiry of the person’s existing visa.
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
In addition to a right to work check, other pre-employment checks may need to be undertaken as a part of the recruitment or onboarding process, including a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. A DBS check is a check of a person’s criminal record that is typically required where someone will be working in healthcare or with children.
However, an employer can also ask a prospective recruit to undergo a basic criminal record check, regardless of the job role or industry sector in which they will be working, provided the employer has a suitable policy in place on the recruitment of ex-offenders. This is because employers must treat applicants with a criminal record fairly, and should not discriminate because of a conviction or information that may be revealed by a DBS check. A basic DBS check in the UK will show unspent convictions and conditional cautions.
On-site job orientation
Provided a new recruit has the right to work in the UK and to do the work on offer, and is still considered suitable for the proposed job role based on any DBS check, there will need to be some form of job orientation. This will typically take place on day one of employment, although it is important to recognise the value of the employer brand prior to day one.
This means that throughout the pre-employment stages of the induction process, such as when corresponding with the successful candidate around right to work information and their starting date etc, steps should be taken to ensure that any communications are welcoming and engaging, and reflect a positive employer brand from the outset. This is also a good opportunity to share details of employee network groups, social media platforms and organisational initiatives that new-starters can get involved with early on.
Equally, the orientation itself should be reassuring and inviting, giving the new-starter a guided tour of the workplace and facilities, introducing them to their team, showing them their workspace and administering any paperwork, including security and car-park passes.
A new employee will usually spend a portion of their job orientation reviewing onboarding information like pay and benefits, dress code and conduct at work, and other workplace policies. Time should also be spent with the new-starter discussing the expectations and responsibilities of the role, explaining their daily tasks and who they should report to, familiarising them with the software or equipment they will be using, and getting them better acquainted with the team members they will be working alongside. By having a clear job orientation process in place, and by making this an overall positive experience, this can help new-starters to feel comfortable, confident and ready to contribute valuable work.
For some, often larger, organisations, the induction process will be formalised through a combination of one-to-one discussions and group learning sessions, typically condensed into day one or the first few days of employment. The advantages of using a formal induction course include ensuring that all new recruits are given a consistent positive message portraying a clear employer brand, values and culture, as well as enabling new recruits to socialise with each other and build cross-functional relationships.
In other, often smaller, organisations, orientation and training will be far less formal, involving a brief verbal overview of company standards, procedures and policies, with signposting to the staff handbook or intranet, or providing the employee with online training links that they can work through within a certain timeframe. However, regardless of the format of induction, it is important for the employer to provide practical information on areas of workplace compliance and company policy. The induction process should not be treated as a tick box exercise, although there may be some areas where it is useful for the employer to keep a clear record of the training provided, for example, on cyber security, data protection, workplace security procedures, as well as health and safety training.
A health and safety induction
Health and safety at work, unless the role itself involves in-depth aspects of health and safety for which separate training may be needed, should also form a key part of the orientation process. However, given the importance of the employer’s statutory duty to ensure an employee’s health, safety and welfare at work, these matters warrant separate discussion, where the induction process at work must never disregard such matters.
In the most basic sense, this should involve the new-starter being talked through on-site health and safety, including emergency exits, evacuation procedures, first aid facilities, and accident and incident reporting. The employee must also be instructed on how to work safely on site, and be signposted to the workplace health and safety policy, where the law says that every business must have a policy for managing health and safety at work.
In more complex scenarios, where health and safety issues are relevant to the role a person will be doing, the employee may need to be given specific training on working safely in the context of their new working environment. There may also need to be a specific risk assessment undertaken for that individual, depending on their circumstances. In this way, the employer can then put in place safeguarding measures to control any risks identified. For example, if the employee will be driving or using machinery as part of their job role, the employer must take into account any medical conditions, use of medication, length of shifts etc for that particular individual, taking steps to ensure that they are safe at all times.
Ideally, the induction process, including any health and safety assessment, should be reviewed once the employee has settled in to ensure that their needs are being met, and that they fully understand what is expected of them and they are working safely. All employees should also be encouraged to provide feedback, identifying areas where additional information or training is needed, and highlighting areas for improvement.
Need assistance?
For specialist advice and support with any aspect of your organisation’s HR induction and onboarding procedures, contact us.
HR Induction Process FAQs
What is the induction process at work?
Induction is the process through which a new-starter acclimatises to their working environment and new position. Often referred to as onboarding, this should cover the ways of working for an organisation and getting up to speed in their job role.
What should be included in a workplace induction?
An effective workplace induction process will contain multiple, integrated elements, where new recruits need to understand the organisation, culture and people and what is expected of them in their role, from health and safety matters to their specific working arrangements.
Last updated: 21 February 2024
Author
Founder and Managing Director Anne Morris is a fully qualified solicitor and trusted adviser to large corporates through to SMEs, providing strategic immigration and global mobility advice to support employers with UK operations to meet their workforce needs through corporate immigration.
She is a recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers as a legal expert and delivers Board-level advice on business migration and compliance risk management as well as overseeing the firm’s development of new client propositions and delivery of cost and time efficient processing of applications.
Anne is an active public speaker, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals