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Reinduction

Do you still expect them to remember what they were told on Day 1?

The first day in a new job is filled with excitement and anticipation.  In a well run organization the new recruit is shown where the facilities are, how to use the fire extinguisher, told about the market prospects and company plans, introduced to thirty five people, informed about the leave policies and advised on prospects for promotion.  Sure, some of these things are done in the job interview or in the offer of employment and in some organizations orientation takes up to a month. 

But how much of what they were told is still valid for the people working beside you? 

And how much effort has been put into ensuring that employees are familiar with the revised arrangements? 

And how much of what they were told did they understand, anyway?

The first day in a new job is filled with excitement and anticipation.  Does that line seem familiar?  It should it was the induction line for this article.  But how many of the other characteristics of an effective induction program that you have just read about can you remember?  The answer doesn't matter, because the list was there to create an impression, just as a good induction program for new employees should be.  The objectives of induction may be summarized as:

• To introduce the new recruit to the company
  
• To expedite the recruit's role as a productive member of the work team through familiarity
  
• To make existing work team members aware of the new person's role in the team
  
• To outline the position in more detail than is possible in pre-employment activities.

All are worthy objectives, but human nature being what it is, the focus of the new entrant's attention will in many cases be somewhere other than on the information being presented. 

• Have I made the right decision? 
  

• Will I ever get up to speed on this?
  

• Where are the facilities?
  

These are just some of the questions that are going through the mind of the new employee.  A well managed induction program can do a great deal to ensure that all appropriate questions are answered, but is it reasonable to expect that the information presented on day one will be remembered for the rest of the employee's working life.  Of course not.  There are all sorts of communication and retraining initiatives available to reinforce this information during the employee's tenure.  Some are applied when the information changes, others when it is necessary to use it.  I would like to propose that reinduction should be one of the processes which can meet these needs.

The Reinduction Concept

The content of a reinduction program is essentially the same as for a sound initial induction program, but the objectives are somewhat different.  They may be summarised as:

1. To revise basic information which it is assumed that all employees know and understand;
   
2. To provide key managers with an opportunity to highlight issues which affect profitability;
   
3. To provide the workforce with an opportunity to highlight potential for improvement;
   
4. To take steps to eliminate the US & THEM mentality that develops over time and replace it with a WE attitude
   
5. To build winning teams through understanding of other employees' roles and responsibilities.

To discuss what your employees need to be reminded of from their first day, contact John Sleigh

John Sleigh has been applying adult learning principles to training design and workplace communication projects since 1988.

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