Induction Management - Strategies, Processes, Results and

Recognition

By

Hari Nair

This is to certify that this article Induction Management -
Strategies, Processes, Results and Recognition is written by
Hari Nair and is an original work of his. This article has not been
published elsewhere and has not been given to any other
publisher for publication. I also agree to have this declaration
published with the article if need be.


An Organization succeeds in building its strengths through a well crafted induction
management. Managing on boarding with structured processes never makes any employee feel
lost in the ocean and an organization is what its people make of it so the very first step is
always the most important step, so TAKE IT NOW


Newly hired employees is generally considered a cost factor until they start contributing and
delivering to its top line, bottom line and towards the tangible results leading to profitability
concerns either directly or indirectly. Induction, Orientation and Training is provided to these
employees to make them comfortable with the organization culture and acclimatizing them and
thus enabling them to perform better. A good induction system helps in the boosting the morale
of the employees resulting in excellent results and becoming a high performing organization.
Generally an ideal induction management processes makes the new joiners and lateral hires
aware of:
History of the Organization
Vision & Mission of the Organization
Value System of the Organization
Product and Process Awareness
Policies and Procedures in vogue
People and People Practices

The purpose of on-boarding or induction process is to make the new joiners and lateral hires
feel that they are not new to the organization. An effective induction system creates a feeling of
oneness between the organization and the employee resulting in better initiative and
performance of the employee to provide Quality results.
A viable model for designing and implementing any good Induction Process can be many or
unique, but all said and done the difference lies mainly in its execution methodology. It is
suggested to just have one date of joining that being 1
st
of each month.
One can categorize the Induction Process into two categories depending upon the target group
wherein a wider range of people work in an organization like Management Trainee, Graduate
Engineer Trainee, J unior Engineer, Engineer, Assistant Manager, Deputy Manager, Assistant
General Manager, and General Manager etc. Thus, the expectation from an induction process
varies from level to level. Keeping this in mind it is suggested to design Induction Process as
below:
05 Days Induction Process and
21 to 23 Days Induction Management

Five Days Induction Process
A Five Days induction process is formulated for the Entry level people to the Engineer level
employees. Generally it is assumed that the skills required in an engineer or a management
graduate is entirely different from what is expected from a General Manager, thus people at
lower level are required to be trained on day-to-day activities. 5 days induction programs are
meant for the people who are joining an organization as a Management Trainee, Graduate
Engineer Trainee, J unior Engineer/J unior Executive, Executive/Engineer etc.
It includes:
Company Introduction
Technical Training
Systems Training
On-J ob Training


The Process for the 5 Days Induction Process can be explained as given below:

5 days induction process generally starts once the joining formalities are over. Suppose a
person is joining on 1
st
of September, and then he has to undergo the joining formalities on day
1 like Issuance of the identity cum attendance card, Medical Checkup, Opening of the Bank
Account etc.
Day 1: Company Introduction & General Awareness

The induction process generally commences on 2
nd
day and they are informed well in advance
about the whole day schedule as they are given the check list of the activities on Day1. The
day starts with the Company Introduction and General Awareness, which includes History of the
Organization, Product Range, Customers, Suppliers and manufacturing Locations. They are
informed about the HR policies and procedures like Shift timing, About Workflow, Leave Policy,
Holidays, mail id and password etc. It takes around a day to cover the above mentioned areas.


Day 2: Technical Trainings

Commence the technical sessions on the manufacturing processes, various processes pertaining
to the manufacturing activity for any product. This is planned for 2.5 days.

Day 3: Systems Trainings

They shall undergo the systems trainings like Quality Management System, Environment
Management Systems, Systems like ISO, TS, etc. It covers why ISO certification is required,
what is its use etc.

Day 4: Common Trainings

After system and technical training they will have to undergo a set of common trainings like
Training on 5s, ERP, Workflow and Web Portal etc.

Day 5: Written Test & Evaluation

After going for the above mentioned, a test can be conducted with the help of which their
learning levels can be judged. After completion of the test and its evaluation, the process can
be considered to be complete. After that on 6
th
day new joiners can be handed over to the
concerned departments.

21 to 23 Days I nduction Management: INTRODUCTION TO STRATEGY & QUALITY
SYSTEMS
A Good induction can determine how quickly new joiners settles into the culture and
environment of the organization and the speed with which they develop themselves to reach
their full potential. Giving the employee all they need to know in relation to their time at your
business will further determine its effectiveness.
Most of the Organizations these days give utmost priority to Statistical Analysis. People at
Middle Management and Senior Management are expected to be the master of the Quality
Control Tools. So people joining us either in Middle or Senior management levels are given
training on quality systems and strategies for more than 15 days under the observation of the
people who are expert in this field/area. The Managing Director or the CEO or the COO
becomes a very good mentor and process owner of INDUCTION MANAGEMENT, so THEY
THEMSELVES GET involved into the induction process.

The major area of focus of this process is to train the new joiners on DAILY WORK
MANAGEMENT, CREATIVITY, INNOVATION, PROBLEM SOLVING & ITS APPLICATION and 7
MANAGEMENT TOOLS. After having a brief introduction of all these areas, new joiners are
assigned a project which is generally called as BACK TO BASIC SKILLS (B2B) BUILDING AT
SHOP FLOOR. Under this, they are asked to go to the shop floor and to collect relevant to their
project. They are advised to take the help of the people at shop floor.

The Induction Process in any organization which believes in excellence adheres to the same in a
highly effective way. It is a meticulously planned and tested process which ranges for 21 to 23
days. New joiners are required to attend the process for complete one month. Once they are
through with the process, they are handed over to the concerned departments.

A highly Impactful Induction Management Process will comprise of: Company Introduction
and Departmental Orientation.

1. Company Introduction: Under this head we over the below mentioned topics-
Introduction to company
HR Welcome
Personnel & Admin Guidelines
Quality Management Services
Quality Systems
Product Awareness
EMS
Workflow
5 S
ERP
Employee Suggestion Scheme

2. Department Orientation: It includes the orientation by the individual departments.


The complete process for 21 to 23 Days induction is as explained below:
Day 1: Welcome and General Awareness

It covers topics like Company History, Product Awareness, HR Policies and Procedures,
Shift/Work Timings, Leave Policy, Holiday Plan for the financial year.

Day 2 to Day 5: Departmental Introduction & General Awareness

They are given an opportunity to grasp as much information as needed as in this session they
have to undergo the departmental orientation. Identified faculty from every department
explains the Roles & Responsibility of the department, departmental strengths, about their
customers etc. Every department makes their representation for the same.

Day 6: Introduction with Unit Heads/ Division Heads

The new joiners are given an opportunity to interact with people at top management level. The
session is for one complete day. They are expected to explain about their past experiences,
about their roles & responsibilities etc.

Day 7 to Day 10: Creativity, Innovation & Problem Solving and its application

On day 7, they are trained on the application of the Statistical analysis especially 7 QC Tools, as
statistics is considered as one of the strength of its employees. The people are expected to be
very good and think out of the box while analyzing a problem.

Day 11: MD/ CEO/ COOS welcome & Inaugural and SHE

The Top Management too spends their valuable time for all new joiners who may be backbone
to the organization. People too feel at ease when they interact with the top management. They
are trained on Safety, Health & Environment topics too as we believe in Zero Percent Accident.

Day 12 to Day 15: Back to Basics- Skill Building at Shop Floor

Once they are through with the above formalities, they can ideally be sent to the shop floor to
have a closer view of the processes being followed by the manufacturing or the production
division. It continues for 3 days.

Day 16 to Day 18: Daily work Management and its Application

They are given training on how they need to carry the daily/routine activities. There are experts
from within the organization in this topic; they train the people on the same. Once they are
over with the theoretical part of it, they are told about the practical implications of the same.



Day 19: Seven Management Tools

Good Organizations believe in the statistical analysis, thus they expect their people to be expert
on this. Thus, management has a plan to let them know about the 7 Management Tools that
they are required to follow while proceeding further on any issue.

Day 20 to Day 23: Toyota Production System and Related Exercise

New J oiners are taught on the Toyota production System or their respective production system
and even some exercises too are done while giving these trainings to them.

Day 24: Report Presentation

After completion of the 21 to 23 days induction plan they have to present the findings of the
projects assigned to them. The projects are assigned by the representatives of the committee.
They are evaluated on the basis of the report, its analysis, and implementation of the learning
of the statistical tools taught to them in the induction plan.

After they are done with the presentation, they are ready to move to the concerned department
the same day and requested to be with the concerned department hence.

Differentiators that make the EXTRA

The Induction process that makes the extra is always different. There are certain major factors
that differentiate induction process from others, they are explained as below:

Respect the need of the different audiences: Utility to the People- One size
does not necessarily fit into all and recognizing that different groups of new employees
have different expectations from the process is very essential. Organization need to
cater to the need of the individual while providing them 5 Days and 23 Days training.
Induction process really helps a new joiner in getting the clear understanding of the
process and procedures being followed in the organization. After going through the
induction process they do not find themselves lost in the ocean, things are very clear to
them. They know whom they need to contact, in case of any clarification.
Keep Induction material update: Keep the Induction manual updated on a regular
basis. Many a times what happens is once the manual is finalized it does not get
updated/modified regularly. Thus, we have a separate process owner for the induction
process who keeps on updating the same as per the changes in the business of the
organization.
Knowledge of the Process- There is several processes carried out at a time, so it is
necessary for a new joiner to get the clear understanding of the same. They need to
understand about the process of opening a Bank Account, Issuance of the uniforms,
Attendance cum identity card, about mail id and password, etc.
Awareness about Product: When a person goes for interview, first of all they want to
know about the process and product of the organization. Keeping this in mind, conduct
a full day session for the explanation of the products of the organization as
organizations have a wide range of products. Even let them go to the display room,
where all the products are displayed followed by visit to R&D centre too.
Learning about Policies: When an employee joins, they are very inquisitive and
curious about the policies being followed by the organization. Follow a set of policies
and coach them, to name a few : Work/ shift Timings, Leave Policy, Policy related
to holidays, Mediclaim Policy, Medical Insurance Policy, Performance
Management Policy, Recruitment Policy, Transportation Policy, Transfer
Policy, Policy on Loan,etc. This is the wonderful opportunity for the new joiners to get
everything clarified about the policies.
Understanding the Practices: The induction process at any good organization
should be inclusive of the best practices like Productivity Performance Award, Stay
Interview, Flexi Timing for R&D department, Grievance Procedure, Employee
Engagement Activities, Employee Satisfaction Survey etc.

It is necessary to understand the new joiners perspective too while designing the Induction
process. We need to understand each and every requirement of these internal customers (new
joiners). We should make the Induction Process in such a manner that it can be customized as
and when required.
Effectiveness of the Induction Management:
It is important for any process to continuously evaluate the success of the process and bring
about the necessary modifications that are needed and it also helps to find out how effective it
was in increasing the productivity of the employees. Induction is a process that needs
continuous monitoring and modifications. The effectiveness of the induction process can be
determined with the help of the following processes:
Feedback from New Hires: The best way to know about the effectiveness of the process
is to capture the voice of those people who have attended the session. Organization has
a well defined and structured feedback form which the new hires are requested to fill at
the end of the session. They are asked to write their opinion on the same and if they
want anything to be changed.
A good induction can be determined by how fast new joiners settle into the business and the
speed with which they can reach the full potential. Any good organization evaluates the
effectiveness of the process, once handing them over to the concerned departments. After 3
months, their reporting officers are approached for the performance of the new joiners on the
job. After 6 months we evaluate the performance of the employees and accordingly increase
the salary of the employees, if recommended by the concerned department heads.
Result to the End Users:
The impact of the Induction Process is as listed below:
High levels of motivation and commitment amongst new joiners
Positive influence on existing staffs involved in the induction process
Organization is perceived externally as a good employer, who cares and works hard to
integrate new staff-likely to act as a positive attraction tool for New Hires.
Positive impact on the implementation of the processes and procedures within the
organization.
Involve everyone that you feel essential to create good relations between the new
employee and those that they will have connections with. Make the employee feel
welcome and comfortable in all areas that will involve their presence.


A Snap shot Of Best Induction And Integration Practices
Company
(Size)
Induction Process and
Activities
Other Informal
Process of
Induction
Other Methods
of Integration
Mentoring
HPCL (Large) Induction program seeks
to provide seamless
induction and integration
of a fresher along
personal, professional and
cultural levels into the
HPCL family. They are put
through systematic and
focused training process at
pre-selected ' Learning
Factories' that are model
locations of the company
namely, LPG plant,
refinery, terminal, pipeline
etc.
There is a dinner
with top
management, cricket
games, music nights
and quiz
competitions. The
informal events
expose new
employees to
informal culture of
the organization.
During new
recruits'
interaction with
top management
senior
organization
members share
their experiences
regarding their
personal career
paths and the
new projects that
would help new
joiners enrich
their knowledge
and progress in
their careers.
N/A
Indian Oil
(Large)
New employees undergo a
common corporate
induction module for two
weeks followed by a semi-
structured behavioral
model of 3 days, group
exercises and sessions on
specific subjects. New
recruits also undergo
divisional induction module
for about six weeks in their
respective divisions.
Informal events
consist of evening
get-togethers,
screening of films on
topics such as team
building etc. During
these events senior
officials including
functional directors
share their
experiences.
N/A
The mentors are
trained to help
new recruits
understand their
roles and assist
them in
developing their
own leadership
styles. Different
departments have
their own
mentoring
programs and
practices.
ITW Signode
(Small)
New joiner is contracted a
couple of days before
actual joining to display
interest in welcoming
him/her into the
organization and begin
creating a sense of
belongingness. Employee
is given a joining kit with
welcome note, other
required documents and
product information
through literature, video,
web-based product
training and photographs.
N/A
System for
Integrating New
Employee (SINE)
that uses IT
systems to
introduce the
new recruit to
how things are
done in the
organization and
give them
information and
guidance about
the company, its
policies and
practices.
Trainees are
assigned to
mentors for
duration of 4-5
months. Mentors
are chosen from
senior managers
who have good
people skills and
enjoy developing
others.
J SPL (Medium) An Induction Manual is
provided to all new hires.
The manual serves as a
convenient guide to
acquaint employees with
the organization's vision,
mission, goals and
philosophy, personnel
practices, health and
safety rules, job functions,
methods, timescales etc.
Welcome on Deck' is
organized for lateral
hires across levels
followed by cultural
events and games
specially designed for
the families. Other
informal events
include Yuva to
promote young talent
by providing new
joiners a platform to
showcase their
talent.
To combat any
conflict and role
dilemmas a new
program called
'Sampark' has
been introduced
by HR, which is
forum that offers
speedy redress of
any grievances
wherein
employees can
discuss their
work related
issues. There is
also a 3 day
orientation
program for fresh
entrants on
'know your
organization and
its processes'.
The mentorship
program varies in
duration
depending on the
grade of
employee.
Mentoring for
manager and
below grade runs
for three months,
for senior grades
mentoring is
limited to two
months and for
trainees
mentorship
period is one
year.
Moser Baer
(Large)
Induction includes joining
formalities, plant visit and
quarterly functional
induction , sessions on
overview about the
company's business and its
culture through modules
such as ' know your policy
'and' compensation and
benefit', and company's
vision and values
framework conducted by
top management.
The induction
program is
interspersed with
informal sessions
when employees are
invited to talk about
their experience of
the overall culture in
an informal and
interactive mode.
An informal
leadership
interaction
session for new
recruits with the
senior leadership,
where the heads
discuss the
challenges,
culture, team
camaraderie etc.
These sessions
are also packed
with games for
combining
learning with fun.
Fresh recruits are
allotted internal
mentors from the
same function,
who takes on the
responsibility of
grooming the
individual by
giving them the
right
opportunities and
support.
NTPC (Large) There is an initial week
long induction program
followed by an induction
training program, which
has a mix of classroom
learning and on the job
training. The process is
customized for different
type of employees
classified as executive
trainee, diploma trainee
and artisan trainee.
The orientation
module for executive
trainees includes
theatre workshops in
collaboration with the
National School of
Drama to enhance
employees'
communication skills,
team work etc. Yoga
and meditation
sessions are part of
orientation training
program.

The new
executive trainees
who are put on
on-the-job
training are
attached to
mentors who are
senior executives.
This is done for
effective
socialization and
helping trainees
graduate from
the learning and
training mode to
the executive
mode, taking on
more
responsibility.
Tata Motors
(Large)
For campus recruits, a 2
week formal induction
program to familiarize with
the company, it values,
relevant policies and
functions of different
divisions. For lateral
recruits, there is a five day
induction program. For
senior recruits, the
induction is customized for
each person based on the
profile and requirements.
Recruits are sent for
an outbound training
program. An annual
techno-cultural event
is also organized by
the newly recruited
graduate trainees
themselves.
The process of
integration is
facilitated by
frequent one-to-
one interaction of
new recruits with
HR and plant /
department
heads.

1. Most of the companies have feedback mechanism where a new recruit can give their feedback on Induction
Process.

2. In few organization a management trainee of previous batch who is currently working as manager is
assigned as "Buddy" which gives new joiner a sounding board to informally discuss his/her problems
This acts as an effective tool in learning from experience and hand holding.
Usha Sales Training and Development Institute (USTADI) have been established at Gurgaon
and have started functioning for managing Induction. The objective of this is to have an in-
house Training Institute for training of sales personnel across levels right from induction. This
Institute is envisaged as a Centre of Excellence.
At the individual level, the need to be equipped with the right tools and techniques to meet the
demands of dealers, distributors, customers and service personnel is critical. USTADI aims to
fulfill that need. Training new recruits and upgrading the skills of existing personnel will
increase the competence and confidence in us so that we may approach the J OY of selling.
There is a need to reduce attrition rate by having a well trained sales force. It has been
observed that training should be cross-product so that an individual can be moved from one
product vertical to another. The training should be both in the individuals core functional areas
and behavioral aspects. This is a USP of USHA.
Every new sales recruit will necessarily have to undergo a fixed period of formal training before
stepping out in the field to represent the organisation. All the existing sales personnel will
undergo training at different intervals to upgrade their knowledge and skills. Training should be
standardized, Process Based and Integrated into Performance Management. Their career
progression (promotions/up gradations) will be linked to their undergoing training in specific
capsules through different programmes organised in the Training Institute from time to time for
the new hires and the sales team.
Further the concept of Buddies is also used and practiced at Honeywell India, Maruti Suzuki and
HPCL for facilitating the integration process. Management trainees at Agro Tech Foods are also
assigned a buddy.
A number of other companies like Castrol India, TNPL, IFFCO, Dabur India, Philips Electronics
India and Maruti Suzuki also have mentorship program in place for integrating new employees
smoothly and quickly into the new system.
At Motherson Automotive Technologies and engineering, there is a visioning program called
Power Of Leading Life. Through this and other Management games organized during the
process of induction, new members are briefed about the group and its leads.
The concept of High tea with top management is there in Bosch and Moser Baer a well
appreciated system of induction. Castrol India has a program called the First 6 Months which
is their structured induction program spread over six months.
Induction in TCG Lifesciences is organized after 10 fresh recruits join the organization or say
within a month whereas at TNPL the new joiners are placed on a seven day induction program.
The induction program in ABB is spread over two days and the process is called producing
business ready employees.
There is a structured five day program called STEP (Sales Trainee Entry Programme) for sales
trainees at Agro Tech Foods, during which trainees get lots of insight about company. At Rane
Holdings a brief profile about the person joining the Rane Family is circulated as People News
to all management staff and placed on the notice board. There is Rane Institute for Employee
Development and on the day of joining, employees are also briefed about the objective and
functioning of the institute in addition to the other orientation processes.
At SKF India, there is a joining induction for two weeks and a midterm induction for one week.
Closure of induction, at the end of the one year training period, happens with a rigorous three
day outbound experiential learning. Psychometric tools such as FIRO-B & MBTI are an integral
part of the process, and are used to give new employees an insight into their natural
personality patterns coupled with individual coaching by psychologists on what may hinder their
performance.
HR practices of any organization reflect the care and concern the organization has for its
people. To be a great place to work for is the cherished dream of any organization. In this
write-up I have tried my way to cover out some good practices and highlight the same.
Inadvertently some examples and some concepts and some organizations may have been left
out and please solicit the fact that every aspect cannot be covered.
HR fraternity and HR professionals please acknowledge that learning curve never ever ends.
Need to know how to be a High Performing Organization and wish to know what the leading
organizations do in Best HR Practices then reach me on hari.nair69@gmail.com let us share
and keep the learning curve going on. Broadly an Induction Programme covers:
INDUCTION DETAILS DOMAIN/ CONTEXT
Information on management structure
Information on divisions
Information on activities
Brief on type of clients
Information on quality commitment, mission and objectives.
Information on recognition policies.
Know your
company

J ob Description
Responsibilities
Reporting and hierarchical activity
Welfare and discipline
In-house rules of company
Supplies and supports - technical familiarization of equipment,
tools, chemicals & materials used
Tasks (any level/designation) Why and When
Documentation responsibilities
Work procedures where relevant (Standard Operating Procedure
Manuals)
Know your
job

Tasks (all project levels, operational levels, quality levels)
How-Work procedures where relevant
Safety, hygiene - dos and donts
Know your
customer

Customer type & activities
Customer site details as relevant
Existing problems at customers site related
Cleaning & maintenance
Existing practices as relevant
Objectives, plans and implementation information and
familiarization
People who matter, people who count
Customers in-house rules to be practiced by staff
Welfare and facilities
Work Culture
Work Timings
Reporting within the site
Know your
customer

Profile of customers who would be keen on Using the activities
Profile of decision makers and users
Profile Segmentation
Cities of Potential
Know your
competitor

Others in similar activities
Their weakness and strength
Their clients is relevant
Geographical coverage capacity
Know your
competitor

Our logistics support companies and distributors
Their product and service range
Their service and training personnel contacts
Service and training schedule policies
Geographical coverage capacity
Know your
suppliers

Worksite customer representatives introduction
Worksite UIL colleagues, peers introduction
Worksite demography familiarization
Worksite supports available (belonging to customer /belonging to
company )
Worksite working rules as per customer policies
Security Information and clarity
Work schedules and plans
Know your
Site
Documentation relevant to the customer, nodal office and self.
Individual responsibility.
Adaptability to the site conditions
Adaptability to colleagues, customer representatives
Communication skills for implementing responsibilities
Behaviour, attitude and disciplinary issues (refer Discipline
contents specified in the manual)
Work Knowledge
Safety awareness and practice
Evaluation of work performed
Correction and prevention of error recurrence and counter
measures
Know your
Site

On successful completion of the induction process, and on the recommendation of the Project
head or the immediate reporting authority, the new hire be placed for the normal work and take
charge of his/her responsibilities.


The Author
Mr. Hari Nair is a Young Masters in Public, Personnel
Management & Industrial Relations from Osmania University,
did his Graduation in Commerce and has a Degree in Education
with Psychology also a Diploma in Journalism. Currently he is at
the helm of affairs as Head - Manufacturing HR, SHRIRAM Fuel
Injection Industries Ltd., USHA International Ltd., Balanagar,
Hyderabad and is heading the Manufacturing HR & IR at
Hyderabad, Kolkata and Faridabad. He can be reached by e-
mail hari.nair69@gmail.com and on his Mobile No. +91-98-
102-89047