Chapter 13 - V1 Induction and Orientation

Induction and Orientation (Process 11)
13. Induction and Orientation (Process 11)

While an employee may have visited the University for interviews etc prior to being appointed, their
first day and the period immediately after has a big impact on how happy and productive the new
employee will be. There are several facets to this, involving both the department and other University
providers. The department is where the new staff member will be spending the majority of their time,
and the department induction processes are critical to the successful induction of the employee. HEDC
offer a course for new Academic staff, and the Human Resources Division has orientation programmes
for General staff. There may also be a requirement to undertake some Health and Safety induction.
This section of the report looks at this critical period of a new staff members employment and
highlights areas where some improvement can be made
13.1 Process Overview

Process start The employee’s first day
Process end 90 days after the employee’s first day
Frequency When an employee starts
Positions HR Professional Development Team staff
involved Health and Safety Team
HEDC staff
Employee’s supervisor
Key tasks 1. Run orientation/induction for general staff
2. Produce Working at university of Otago Handbook
3. Organise and facilitate academic mentoring group
4. Run confirmation path workshop for academic staff
5. Run teaching workshop for academic staff
6. Run New Academic Staff Conference (NASC) for academic staff
7. Provide advice to new academic staff
Service levels There are no service levels specified and no measurements in place to
determine compliance with expected outcomes
Performance There are no KPIs so no conclusions can be drawn on performance
13.1.1 Sub Processes
Process Code Sub Process

IO02 Running orientation workshops
Conduct and facilitate induction for general staff
IO03 Production of “Introduction to Working at the University of Otago”
Update and produce the working at University of Otago handbook
IO05 Collaborative mentoring group for new staff
Provide support and mentoring to newly appointed academic staff
IO06 HR orientation workshop for confirmation staff
Conduct and facilitate confirmation path workshop for academic staff
IO07 3 day induction (teaching)
Conduct University teaching workshop (annually) for academic staff
Version 2, 11 October 2007 132

Process Code Sub Process

IO09 New Academic Staff Conference (NASC)
Conduct NASC (annually) for academic staff
IO10 Consultancy (with department or new staff)
Provide consultancy advise to academic staff as requested
IO12 1-90 days (service groups and all departments)
The process that departments undertake from the moment an employee starts to 90
days after their start date
IO13 Department on the job training
An example of what one department does when training a new appointee
IO14 Enquiries to book training
How Human Resources respond to enquiries for induction training
IO15 Training requests
The processing of enrolment forms for induction training courses
13.1.2 Methodology
Two workshops were held with HEDC and Human Resources to map out the processes relating to the
services they provide. Departments have a role to play in induction and during the workshop
programme several charts were produced which reflect the process they go through.
New appointees were also interviewed during 12 workshops to get their perspective on how effective
their orientation and induction was. New appointees who were unable to attend workshops were asked
to respond via a structured survey. The survey results are published in a separate chapter but where
applicable information gathered will also be referred to below.
13.2 Key Findings

This section outlines the results of our analysis. Where the analysis is specific to a particular
flowchart it is indicated by a reference to the flowchart in the section heading. On occasions there are
issues with documents supporting the process and if they are not specific to a particular flowchart,
these have been documented separately and include a reference to the document in the section
heading. There are also a number of issues which have been identified during the course of our
investigations which are more general in nature.
13.2.1 Inconsistent use of the terms “induction” and “orientation”

From the workshops it is clear that the terms “induction” and “orientation” are used interchangeably.
It is the view of the Project Team that the majority of what is currently undertaken at the University is
orientation and that no formal induction programme actually exists. While this report uses the
terminology currently used for various training courses, the two terms need to be clearly defined
moving forward.
The recommended definitions are:
• Induction – formal training programmes the employee has to complete before starting work
• Orientation – informal giving of information related to comfort issues (e.g. where to eat lunch).

13.2.2 General staff orientation workshop

Although often referred to as the Induction Programme, there is no formal induction programme at the
University, however Human Resources does run an induction workshop for new staff. The Human
Resources website states that “Attendance is compulsory for all staff who have a contract of twelve
months or more, but staff who have shorter contracts are also welcome to attend provided they have
the support of their department.” Our discussions with staff involved and new attendees would suggest
that staff on shorter contracts are not offered the opportunity to attend.
No. Quick Win

Q13.2.2 The website refers to an orientation “programme” in several locations, but this could be
considered misleading. A single workshop is not a “programme”.
13.2.2.1 No invitation and attendance considered optional

Feedback from the department workshops indicates that attendance at the HEDC course for academic
staff is considered compulsory, however there was no such view in relation to general staff orientation
and induction workshops. This could be exacerbated by the fact that new staff members are not
personally invited to attend. Enrolment is initiated by a request from the department and in many
cases staff miss out because the workshop is not promoted or supported by the department.
Some new appointees interviewed were not even aware that the University provides induction
workshops for new staff. Of those that were aware and had attended the workshop, all found it very
worthwhile to attend. These staff felt that this workshop should be compulsory to all new staff (they
were not aware that it was), and the general consensus of all new appointees was that they would like
Human Resources to take the initiative and personally approach new appointees inviting them to the
workshop.
Human Resources staff interviewed agree that induction should be held for everybody, but don’t feel
that they can provide the number of courses required due to a lack of resources. This is why they don’t
personally invite new staff to the workshops. They also feel a lack of support from the wider
university; some departments are very good and will promote and send their staff to induction, but
there is a perception that other departments don’t see it as important.
No. Quick Win

Q13.2.2.1 Develop a recording mechanism that identifies new employees and tracks attendance at
induction workshops. Regularly report on non attendance and follow-up with personal
invitation.
13.2.2.2 Perception it is only available to Permanent Staff

The orientation workshop is open to all general staff, however some departments appear to have a
policy of not offering it to temporary staff or those that are on short fixed term contracts. New
appointees highlighted that working at Otago University required a certain range of knowledge in
order to do their job effectively. The term of a position should not determine the eligibility of a staff
member to attend an induction or not. Many staff miss out on going on any induction or attend it very
late into their appointment as they were employed on a temporary basis and then at a later date
appointed to the role permanently.

No. Quick Win

Q13.2.2.2 Develop guidelines on appropriate induction and orientation for staff relating to the
position. All staff should receive some OI but the scope will vary with the role type
13.2.2.3 Workshop frequency determined by resources, not need

There is currently no relationship between the number of orientation workshops provided and the
number of new staff being employed. In 2006, 147 general staff attended the 12 workshops offered as
part of the Human Resources Induction Programme. There were however 650 new general staff
employed in the same period, resulting in a total of 503 general staff had not attended an induction as
at the 1st of January 2007. At the start of each year, Human Resources determine how many
workshops will be held for that year based on resources available to run the courses.
General staff new to the University currently experience a three month waiting period to attend the
workshop. New appointees interviewed felt that this waiting period was too long. In their view,
ideally a new staff member should attend an induction session within their first three to five weeks of
employment to get the best results.
One new appointee commented that they were unable to enrol in a staff induction when they needed it.
They instead opted to attend a student induction course which met their needs.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.2.3 Orientation workshops should be run on a regular basis sufficient to provide an
opportunity for all new staff employed within the previous four weeks to attend
13.2.2.4 No formal evaluation or review

The Human Resources induction workshop is not evaluated by those attending it and there does not
appear to be a formal review process. When changes are made to the workshop programme, these are
determined by the facilitators of the course.
Orientation courses in Wellington are based on the workshop run in Dunedin however there is no
indication that any changes made as a result of the review are fed back to Wellington for them to
update their course.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.2.4A Evaluations of the Human Resources Induction workshop should be undertaken
and assessed. Regular reviews of the workshop content should be guided by the
feedback provided.
R13.2.2.4B Where induction workshops are held, either in Dunedin or at campuses outside of
Dunedin, all should be evaluated on a regular basis

13.2.2.5 Paper preferred format for information

Some of the material given out in induction is printed material. New appointees were very appreciative
of this printed material rather than only providing access to electronic versions.
Human Resources is continually evaluating how it provides information to staff and has recently been
considering using electronic means as the primary medium for induction information. However, 90%
of new appointees commented that they often go back to the printed material at their leisure. If the
only format was electronic, they would print it anyway. As this is likely to be while they are at work,
the University is going to incur both the time expense and the printing costs and although there is a
cost to producing centrally, this will be seen as being more supportive of their needs.
It is clear that new appointees have differing needs depending on the situation where they are
reviewing induction information. The Project Team are of the view that the information should be
available both in hard copy and electronically and that consideration should be given to finding a more
cost effective means of hard copy distribution.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.2.5A and Consider distributing the induction pack as a ringbinder. Benefits include:
R13.2.6A • The ability to keep information up to date by simply swapping old pages
for new
• Information can be drip fed to employees at appropriate times to avoid
overloading in the first week
R13.2.2.5B Ask new employees to indicate their preferred method for receiving information
R13.2.2.5C Review induction material in consultation with recently appointed staff
13.2.2.6 “Orientation” refresher courses

Staff attending the process mapping workshops identified the need for ‘induction refresher’ courses for
existing staff, particularly as many roles and functions within the University change over time. They
were of the opinion that having an opportunity to attend refresher courses would assist them and other
staff to be more effective in their positions.
Refresher courses should also be mandatory for Departmental Administrators so that they are aware of
changes occurring within the University and are therefore not providing contradictory advice to new
employees.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.2.6 Create an orientation update course designed for existing staff and departmental
administrators to be run on a regular basis

13.2.3 Academic staff induction

13.2.3.1 The academic conference
The Academic conference is held only once a year in July, resulting in two issues:
• Staff who start after July have to wait until the following year before they can attend.
According to those who were in this position, they were of the view that they had learned
pretty much all they needed to know by the time the conference came around again.
• According to some Academic staff interviewed, it can coincide with other work commitments
including attendance at conferences related to their academic discipline.
At other workshops where the Academic conference was mentioned, it was clear that the staff
concerned thought that timing and frequency of this conference was an issue that needed to be
addressed.
Academic staff who are Teaching Fellows, Professional Practice Fellows or Assistant Research
Fellows are not eligible to attend this conference. As mentioned above in section 0, to be effective in
your role at Otago University you need to know a certain range of things and the type of position held
should not reflect whether you are eligible to attend an induction or not.
There were two specific issues noted with the process of running the conference itself:
• it is often very difficult to get the Vice Chancellor, two Deputy Vice Chancellors and all Pro
Vice Chancellors together on the same day, although that would probably be difficult at any
time in the year.
• there is no actual coverage of Health and Safety responsibilities at this conference and this has
been highlighted by the HR Health and Safety Team as a gap in the programme. When
teaching, staff should be aware of Health and Safety responsibilities related to lecture theatre
evacuation etc.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.3.1A The conference is well received, however the timing of it is an issue. It should be
held much more regularly and the staff at the workshops suggested four times a
year would be ideal
R13.2.3.1B Investigate what aspects of Health and Safety should be incorporated into the
conference programme and initiate discussion with HEDC to get the required
changes made
13.2.3.2 HR orientation workshop for confirmation path staff (IO06)

Certain academic positions are confirmation path and it is compulsory for these staff to attend a
confirmation path workshop. Ideally, staff would obtain information on the confirmation path
requirements not long after starting employment with the University, but as has been outlined above,
not all staff are able to attend the Academic Conference. To meet the need of those staff, Human
Resources in conjunction with HEDC run separate workshops on confirmation path only (refer to chart
IO06).

In 2006, two Human Resources orientation workshops were held and 35 staff attended. 49 staff also
attended the NASC so at the most 84 staff attended specific training on confirmation path
requirements. A total of 321 academic staff were employed during 2006, and while not all of those
will have been confirmation path appointments, it is clear that some academic staff will have missed
out on this training.
The list of staff to invite is extracted from Talent2, however this list is not always complete. There
have been several occasions where staff have missed out on the sessions because they were not on the
list. This is because they were not set up correctly in Talent2 and there is no auditing undertaken to
ensure that staff that are on the “confirmation path” have the appropriate flags set in Talent2.
The HEDC staff do not have direct access to Talent2 to get information about what staff should be
invited to their conferences; currently they have to request that Human Resources provide them with
the information they require. Staff at the workshop thought this was inefficient and questioned why
HEDC could not have direct access to this information.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.3.2A Investigation be undertaken to determine how best to track information relating to
confirmation path within Talent2; the information stored should be sufficient to
produce a list of all staff currently on confirmation path
R13.2.3.2B Find a way for HEDC to access this information themselves
13.2.3.3 Clarification of confirmation path requirements

As mentioned above, there are workshops available which provide important information to new
academic staff on confirmation. When staff are unable to gain this information from a formal source
such as these workshops, they seek it from other Academic staff. It was apparent from discussions
with some academic staff that they had been disadvantaged by not receiving information on these
requirements from a formal source. This ranged from not having clear timelines for the production of
work to being advised to complete the requirements in a specific way, only to find out after having
completed them, that the actual requirements were different.
There were several staff members who had undertaken considerable amounts of work related to their
confirmation path requirements because they were misinformed around the timeframes. They later
found that the work which they had completed in a term was in fact a year’s worth of requirements.
There is a large amount of administration work required to be undertaken for confirmation path e.g.
have to reformat CVs into the Otago University format. There is no formal administration support
provided to undertake this work so academic staff are wasting a lot of time undertaking these tasks
when they should be spending their time doing research, teaching etc.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.3.3A New academic staff on confirmation path should receive clarification from an
official source on what the requirements and timeframes are. The Project Team
to determine whether this should be by way of written communication or a
workshop in consultation with confirmation path staff, HODs etc
R13.2.3.3B Consider the possibility of formal administration support to academic staff
undertaking confirmation path as a benefit of working at Otago University

13.2.3.4 Support for those new to Otago University academic teaching

There is a three day course (An Inquiry into University Teaching) run by HEDC for academic staff
held in February of each year. The course covers what is required to undertake teaching at the
University of Otago. The NASC also covers similar information but not in as much depth and it is
also an optional component of the NASC. Neither course includes any formal training on health and
safety systems and responsibilities especially in situations like the evacuation process in theatres. Staff
felt this should be included in any academic induction programme.
New appointees discussed several issues around teaching criteria such as peer reviews, tutoring
systems, evaluations by students, understanding the Otago University terminology etc. In a lot of cases
new appointees did not find out what was required for teaching until a few days out from actually
teaching. They said this was particularly stressful and would have appreciated finding out all this
information as part of their induction. It is also important to note that having taught in another
University is not considered to be sufficient introduction and it is considered important that teaching
staff at Otago University receive specific training on the requirements of the University.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.3.4 Academic staff who are teaching need to receive information on the course and
what is expected of them prior to being required to teach. New appointees
suggested the first week was when this was required although it was clear that
some required it even earlier than that. The Project Team for Phase Two needs to
investigate how to achieve this
13.2.3.5 Collaborative mentoring group for new academic staff (IO05)

The HEDC co-ordinates a mentoring group for new academic staff. Staff attending the “Inquiry into
University Teaching” course are advised of this group and it is advertised to academic staff through
the staff bulletin and department administrators. Although some new appointees were unaware that
there was a mentoring programme they could utilise, it would appear that this process on the whole
works well.
No. Quick Win

Q13.2.3.5 Include the requirement to provide information on this group as part of the
Academic Induction Checklist to ensure that all staff are aware of the service.
13.2.4 Separate orientation for general and academic staff

New appointees could not understand why there are separate induction programmes for general and
academic staff, particularly as there are topics that are in common to both staff groups. One suggestion
was to run induction programmes per department for any new appointees whether they are general or
academic staff. This was seen as being a way to bridge the gap between academic and general staff
and that by being run in the department, it would avoid the delay currently experienced in attending
the Human Resources run course. The departmental session would cover basic information to get the
staff member quickly oriented within the first week but the expectation is that it would be
supplemented by attendance at the Human Resources orientation.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.4 Consider how departmental orientation within the first week could be achieved

13.2.5 Training and development information silos

Once a staff member has attended the induction workshop or training courses (either Human
Resources or by other areas of the University) the information is recorded in a database, but that
database is specific to the provider of the course. It is not easy, for the staff member, or those
responsible for staff training and development, to get a complete picture of all the courses etc that a
staff member has attended. There is a module available for Talent2 which may be a possible central
database.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.5 Investigate the requirements for a central training and development database and
evaluate the Talent2 module against those requirements. If suitable, implement
the Talent2 module otherwise look for alternatives
13.2.6 “Introduction to Working at the University of Otago” booklet

This is available both as a printed booklet and electronic download via the Human Resource website.
The material contained in this booklet is very useful to new appointees however it becomes out of date
very quickly. The booklet does not contain any version information however it is clear from the
content (of the version on the website) that it has not been updated since early 2006.
There is no formal process for ensuring the content of this booklet is regularly reviewed. The trigger
for a review appears to be when the stock levels of the printed booklet drop to a point where a re-print
is required. It is a costly exercise to re-produce this booklet each time a reprint is required, and there is
no set budget for this. When required, a budget bid is prepared and if approved, the booklet is
reprinted. When printed, copies of this booklet are distributed to Departmental Administrators to pass
on to any new staff starting in their department. It is unclear what happens when department stock
levels reduce to zero.
New appointees questioned why the booklet needs to be printed so professionally. Their view was
receiving accurate and timely information was more important than how attractively it was presented.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.2.5A and Consider distributing the induction pack as a ringbinder. Benefits include:
R13.2.6A • The ability to keep information up to date by simply swapping old pages
for new
• Information can be drip fed to employees at appropriate times to avoid
overloading in the first week
R13.2.6B For those who are here on short duration contracts, develop a low cost alternative
to the ringbinder
13.2.7 Department induction processes

13.2.7.1 Induction checklist (IO04)
Human Resources send an induction checklist to departments each time they appoint a new staff
member (where Human Resources was involved in filling the vacancy). There are two checklists; one
for academic staff and another for general staff.

This is the only resource that is provided by Human Resources to departments on the subject of
inducting new staff. There is no standard procedure on how the checklist should be used, and there is
no audit process to confirm whether or not it has been completed.
When completed, it should be signed by both the HOD and the staff member. Many of the new
appointees interviewed did not know about the checklist, so it was obviously not completed in their
case. In some instances, other new appointees had been told “here is the checklist that you need to go
through” and were left to their own devices to find the appropriate staff to induct them in various
topics such as Health and Safety.
Some of the new appointees at the workshops had not had any formal induction to Heath and Safety
requirements because they could not figure out who their Departmental Health and Safety Officer
(DHSO) is and no-one was prepared to introduce them.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.7.1A Checklist should be returned to Human Resources within a specified timeframe
of the new employee starting. Human Resources need to monitor and ensure
compliance and periodically audit
R13.2.7.1B The induction checklist should have a section for the signature of the DHSO to
confirm that health and safety has been covered as part of the induction
13.2.7.2 Variable quality

It is very obvious from the new appointee feedback that the quality of induction is dependent upon the
department and staff within the department. In some instances, new appointees are still discovering
information on benefits such as superannuation etc nearly 12 months after starting. Training appears
to be another area where there is inconsistency; some new appointees advised that they are still
identifying required training six to nine months after starting in their position. This is despite the fact
that the identification of training requirements and arranging for the training to be undertaken is
included in the induction checklist. It appears that this is not always followed up.
Human Resources does not provide any formal training, guidelines or other information to department
staff on how to go about inducting a new staff member. Induction has to be specific to the department
concerned so a “one size fits all” approach will not be viable, however it is clear that Human
Resources could do more in this area.
The workshop process resulted in many variations of the process charts outlining how departments are
currently undertaking orientation and induction. These charts support the statements of new
appointees and highlight that the advice and support provided by departments to new appointees in
their first ninety days varies considerably. In many cases, the new appointee spends their first few
days doing the general housekeeping type tasks such as getting access to systems, getting ID cards,
photos taken, tour of the work area, phones, business cards, and organising any special equipment etc.
Departments noted that they would like more guidance and support from Human Resources in
inducting and training new staff in their roles.

No. Recommendation
R13.2.7.2A Training needs to be provided to appropriate staff on how to deliver departmental
orientation
R13.2.7.2B All new staff should receive a training needs analysis within the first month and
appropriate systems should be put in place to ensure that that training is provided
R13.2.7.2C Investigate how to enable systems access, phones, business cards etc to be ready
and waiting when new appointees start
13.2.7.3Lack of formal training programme

There are no formal training programmes currently provided for staff that lead them through “working
at the University”. In many cases, new appointees told us that their “training” consisted of being given
a pile of manuals and policies and being told to read them. More than 80% of new appointees
welcomed the idea of an ‘on the job’ welcome pack and a programme for learning about the
University and the position. This welcome pack and programme should apply to all positions no
matter what level or term e.g. currently Post Doc Fellows do receive, at best, minimal information and
are not included in inductions.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.7.3 and A “Welcome Pack” be developed for new appointees as well as other support
R13.2.8A mechanisms to assist their orientation to the University
13.2.7.4You’re on your own!

Many new appointees had negative perceptions about their induction into the University. They arrived
at the University and immediately found themselves alone; There was no-one who was able to show
them the job, no support, no morning tea etc to welcome them, no procedures to follow, no guidelines
on what was expected of them, a backlog of work that had not been done while the position was
vacant, and they were expected to deal with all this in an untidy office area. At the end of a day
(sometimes week) like this, they would return home wondering what they had got themselves into.
A few “lucky” employees had someone who could show them their job. Their view was if they had not
had such great support from the staff around them, then they may not still be in the position. Those
new appointees that had everything organised for them i.e. a planned programme, good support,
procedures and a great welcome to the department, could not say enough positive things about the
University.
When a staff member resigns, some departments will ask existing staff members to take on certain
tasks until the replacement staff member comes on board. This option can cause a problem later,
especially when staff have to work out the job for themselves. There have been situations where new
staff have arrived, been taught or worked out for themselves what they understood to be all the tasks
for their job, only to discover later that they have only been doing a third of the job. This has
embarrassed the staff member as they typically find out when their fellow colleagues ask where certain
tasks are at, and they realise that these are “new”.
When the previous incumbent had transferred to another department, negotiation would occur between
departments as to whether the staff member would be able to provide training to the new appointee.
Some staff felt that departments were not very considerate in allowing the transferee to return to give
training to the new appointee, especially when there was no handover period.

No. Recommendation
R13.2.7.4A Consider having buddies to assist new staff members
R13.2.7.4B Departments to ensure capable staff are available to train new appointees
R13.2.7.4C Departments to support a transferee returning to their previous department to
assist with training new appointees
R13.2.7.4D A departmental orientation and induction programme is required and there will be
many aspects of this which will be common to all departments. Human
Resources should create a generic programme which will be able to be extended
to meet departmental requirements. Human Resources to monitor effectiveness
of the programme and ensure that all staff are participating
13.2.7.5Setting expectations and feedback on performance

Some departments will set goals and competency standards for the new appointee to meet, however
the majority of departments do not have any set structure in place for training. Once the new
appointee starts their job, there is no formal assessment/review process for assessing how they are
fitting into their role. It can often be some time before the new appointee participates in the PDR
process and up until that point in time they require more regular feedback if they are to grow into their
role.
The PDR guidelines say that “if you have a new reviewee, you should meet within the first month to
agree what you expect of them and what support they need to settle into their new position.” The
induction checklist goes to the divisional office not Human Resources; Human Resources has no
reporting mechanism to ensure this has been done.
In most cases new appointees had not been introduced to the PDR process until they had been in the
job well over nine months. Very few new appointees had received feedback from their supervisor and
had simply assumed that they were doing a good job. It was the view of the new appointees
interviewed, that everyone, regardless of their position, should receive feedback on their performance.
New appointees identified the need for some structured training programmes with expected
competencies to be achieved by the end of one, two, three, four, five and six months.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.7.5A Incorporate the requirement for a formal periodic review for new appointees to be
undertaken at small regular intervals over the first six months of employment. In
the case of general staff, this review should be aligned to the PDR process which
will ultimately take over as the performance feedback mechanism. For academic
staff, the review should be developed to meet the specific requirements of their
role
R13.2.7.5B The induction checklist should be monitored by Human Resources to ensure that
the employee has been given clear expectations as to their performance within the
first month

13.2.8 Information to new appointees

A number of new appointees felt overwhelmed with information at induction time. It was their view
that receiving a “Welcome Pack” when they started would have assisted them in absorbing the
information. It was also suggested that once a new staff member has started, they could opt into a
new appointee e-mail list to receive regular announcements each week on topics such as Kiwisaver,
joining the union, joining a club etc.
Some new appointees commented that they did not receive very basic information such as how often
they get paid. This was a particular issue for those that get paid monthly and had unexpected cashflow
issues. Most of the information they require is available on the University website, however new
appointees found it very difficult to navigate and find the right information in a timely fashion. They
often found it easier and quicker to ask someone, but there is no guarantee that they will get the correct
information.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.8A A “Welcome Pack” be developed for new appointees as well as other support
mechanisms to assist their orientation to the University
R13.2.8B The Human Resources website needs to be reviewed and redesigned so that the
information is available and easily accessible
13.2.9 Human Resources support

Most new appointees interviewed said that they had no idea what Human Resources does and
wondered what part the Division played in welcoming new staff on board. They had no contact with
Human Resources and wondered what their role was. In their previous workplaces, these staff had
received a visit from Human Resources within the first week of their employment.
The new appointees expected to be able to contact Human Resources, preferably in the form of a ’new
employee’ help desk number. They wanted one point of contact that they could call about any
employee support matter e.g. relocation, childcare, housing, superannuation, tax laws, need a ‘buddy’,
general assistance as English is my second language etc. Instead, once they had started work, they
were left to their own devices.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.9 Investigate and implement ways for Human Resources to be more visible to new
appointees
13.2.9.1No structured support

There is currently a clear lack of structured support provided to new appointees. There is no formal
needs analysis undertaken with the new employee to establish the support programme required for
their first 90 days. In fact, the workshop programme for this project unintentionally provided an
induction (somewhat poor, but better than nothing) for those new appointees who attended. Every new
appointee who attended the workshops left with some new information they had discovered through
hearing other new appointees experiences.

New appointees welcomed the idea of Human Resources co-ordinating a forum with new appointees
every two to three months. The forum would be a chance for new appointees to learn from each other
as well as find out new timely information. It would also enable them to identify any areas where they
were lacking support or information, and provide the means to address that. New appointees also felt it
would be good to have the option of subscribing to a buddy or mentor service.
In one of the new appointee workshops, two participants who were in similar roles but employed in
totally different departments discovered they were trying to deal with the same issues. They left the
workshop to go and set up an informal get together to help each other in their positions. Their view
was that this connecting of people in similar roles should be driven by Human Resources.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.9.1A Departments to undertake a needs analysis of the support required in the first 90
days
R13.2.9.1B Human Resources to investigate and implement a new appointees forum
13.2.9.2 Process Enquiries

Many enquiries received about induction arise at the induction session. Occasionally the Human
Resources Trainer facilitating the induction session will receive enquiries after induction has been
held. The Trainer will refer these enquiries on to the appropriate staff member. In order to alleviate
some of these enquiries, Human Resources now provide in the information pack a contact list of who
does what at Human Resources.
Employees also contact presenters/service providers following the induction session for further
information e.g. superannuation, joining the union etc
Process enquires could be:

• Can you enrol me on…course?
• I can no longer attend…course can you enrol me in the next course?
• I can no longer present at the …..workshop?
• Can I get more supplies of the Otago Handbook to give to staff?
13.2.10 Training
13.2.10.1 Health and Safety
Health and Safety awareness and training varied greatly between departments. There were new
appointees who advised us that they have had no induction at all to Health and Safety or might have
just been shown a video. A lot of staff use computers, and there is no requirement to review the
workstation to ensure that it is safe for the new appointee. The Health and Safety Team can assist in
this by providing ergonomic assessments, but some new appointees were not generally aware of this
service or how to request it.
The University of Otago, Wellington does not have dedicated staff on site to provide advice on
workstation setup. A member of the Health and Safety team located in Dunedin provides this
assistance when they visit. New appointees commented that it was ironic that in a clinical
environment such as the School they had to rely on the support from Dunedin. The issue of Health and
Safety at the University of Otago, Christchurch never came up in discussions.

No. Recommendation
R13.2.10.1A Introduce a formal process to ensure that Health and Safety induction is provided
to all new staff. The Health and Safety Team in Dunedin to audit and ensure all
new appointees receive this within one month of starting
R13.2.10.1B Train a person in all campuses outside of Dunedin so that they can undertake
workstation setup and ensure a safe working environment for computer users
13.2.10.2 Ongoing training opportunities appreciated

New appointees were impressed that staff are encouraged to undertake training to assist them in their
job and in particular attending industry related courses and conferences. Comparing this with other
organisations they had previously worked for they said the University was very generous.
13.2.10.3 Enquiries to book training/training requests (ES24/25)

Training courses provided by Human Resources were well received by the new appointees
interviewed. However, these courses are offered to general staff only and academic staff felt that
some of these courses would be of great value to them as well. Some had tried to get on these courses
but were advised that they are only for general staff.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.10.3 Identify courses which would also be of benefit to Academic Staff and make
these available
13.2.11 Poor communication across the University

New appointees highlighted that communication across the university is very disjointed. It is difficult
to know what e-mail lists to join. The university “all dept” e-mails do not necessarily reach everyone.
New appointees could not understand why the University does not have an intranet. The organisation
intranet is the tool that new appointees have utilised in previous organisations they have worked for.
An informative portal with daily updates would be a way to feed important information across the
University. The portal would need to appeal to varied interests to ensure that staff returned on a
regular basis to receive these updates.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.11A A wide range of e-mail lists be developed to enable easier work-related
communication to all staff within a division or a department. Such lists would be
able to be used directly by the sender rather than relying on dissemination
through administrative staff.
R13.2.11B Develop an opt-in e-mail list to be used to publicise departmental seminars,
concerts etc so that the e-mail lists mentioned in the previous recommendation
are more likely to be utilised for departmental work-related information and
important University-wide communications

13.2.12 Adjusting to the University culture

A common theme from all the new appointee workshops was the difficulty new appointees faced in
adjusting to the University culture. It was identified that if a staff member had not worked in a
University before, the way the organisation operates is very different. Some new appointees were
strongly of the view that there should be an introduction to the University culture when you arrive in
the organisation which covers such things as:
• approvals required
• how to address staff and the correct channels to go through when making contact with other
staff
• the processes to be followed for change to be implemented
• how the University communicates information to staff and departments
• the organisational structure
Staff at other campuses e.g. Christchurch and Wellington, feel very disconnected from the Dunedin
campus. New appointees commented that they do not understand where their role and department fits
within the overall structure of the University of Otago.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.12A To ensure that all orientation programmes incorporate of what it is like to work
for the University of Otago
R13.2.12B Investigate and develop a variety of “publications” to assist with engaging new
staff to the University culture. Some mediums to consider are videos, Second
Life, work blogs and hardcopy
13.2.13 Out of town/international appointees

Staff felt that Human Resources should provide more information to new employees moving to
Dunedin. A FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) site on the Otago University website detailing answers
to commonly asked questions by new relocatees, with links to relevant websites was suggested by
staff. This request was endorsed by international new appointees surveyed. There is more information
about this topic in the Induction/Orientation section of the report.
No. Recommendation
R13.2.13A Feed this back as part of the Revised Relocation Services Project
R13.2.13B Ensure that the needs of out of town/international appointees are taken into
account when redeveloping the Human Resources website

13.3 Statistical Analysis

It has been very difficult to obtain statistics on orientation and induction. Both HEDC and the HR
Training Team independently collect information about attendance at courses. They maintain these
records in spreadsheets, but they are not cross referenced to any information in Talent2 or Tangata.
For example, a list of all staff starting at the university and an indication of what (if any) induction
courses they had attended was not available. Similarly, without considerable work, it was not possible
to report by department on how many staff had started versus attended induction.
The project team started the process of cross referencing the information however problems with the
quality of the reference data (from the workload spreadsheets) were found. Enough information was
available to given an indication on how soon after starting a general staff member attended induction
and this is graphed below.
No. of days from start date to attend induction
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
0
1-30days 31-60days 61-90days 91-120days 121-150days Greater than
150days
Figure 13.3-1 Number of days taken from start date to attend induction
Note: Only 147 (23%) general staff employed during 2006 had attended an induction workshop by the
1st of January 2007, and of those, 50 were cases where the information sources could not be reliably
cross referenced.
As has been mentioned previously, not all staff on confirmation path are flagged correctly in Talent2,
and information on new teaching staff (as opposed to research) is not easily available fromTalent2
either. In order to provide any useful statistical information on Academic induction, considerable work
would have been required to cross reference and verify the information. As can be seen from the table
below, that effort was not justified given the relatively small proportion of academic staff attending
induction courses.

Total Academic Staff Employed between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2006 321
Number of staff attending Feb 2007 course “Inquiry Into University Teaching” 28
Attendance as % of staff employed 9%
Total Academic Staff Employed between 1 July 2006 and 30 June 2007 485
Number of staff attending New Academic Staff Conference July 2007 76
Attendance as % of staff employed 16%
13.4 Documentation that supports this process

Induction Orientation is supported by several documents (forms, memos etc). Several of these have
already been mentioned in the section above as there are issues with them. This section is intended as
a reference and contains a comprehensive list of all documents associated with the Induction
Orientation process
Note that the Project Team undertook some investigation outside of the workshops and identified a
number of forms (included in this table) that are associated with this process, but were not mentioned
at the workshops.
Code Title Description

DOC 90 Brochures/Information These brochures and pamphlets are put on the table at
available at the general staff the general staff orientation. Participants are free to
induction take / or not whatever they like. This information
includes: University tour (A visitor's guide to the
University of Otago) Otago at a glance, Health and
Safety matters pamphlet, Ethical Behaviour/mediation
pamphlet, University of Otago Campus Map, He
Kitenga - University of Otago research highlights,
Lunchtime Theatre timetable, Tower Insurance
brochure, Unimed information, Marama Hall concerts
& special events, University of Otago library pamphlet,
University of Otago Staff Women's Caucus pamphlet,
AUS membership application form, PSA information,
University of Otago Staff Healthcare scheme poster
(from Southern Cross), IT Training Guide, General
Staff Skills training programme Management &
Supervisory Skills programme, Disability Information
and Support Workshops in 2007, Financial Service
Division's Training Programme, Health and Safety
Training Programme 2007, Employee Benefits,
University of Otago Charter, HR Divisional Contact
List, Introduction to working at the University
DOC 91 HR’s new academic staff This is the agenda for the HR new academic staff
programme agenda programme. It is for confirmation path staff only
DOC 92 Check list for General staff This checklist covers getting the bank authority signed,
induction ID card obtained, H&S advice, training sorted etc


DOC 93 Check list for academic staff Checklist includes things such as bank authority
induction completed, training received in web kiosk, H&S advice
etc. This checklist is similar to General staff induction
one, the only real variation is in the introduction to
working at the University section where the general
induction checklist talks about the general staff
orientation, and this one talks about HED
DOC 94 Slides shown at the general A PowerPoint presentation is the main guiding
staff orientation document for the general staff induction programme. It
covers the history of the university, what is special
about the university, management structure, research,
teaching, pay & job evaluation, staff entitlements,
kiosk, employee benefits, performance review,
professional development, staff bulletin, ethical
behaviour
DOC 108 HEDC workshops This document is very detailed and outlines the steps
procedures required to organise the HEDC conference
DOC 111 New academic staff This information pack given to participants attending
conference pack the conference and contains: Brochure "Post graduate
teaching - clinical teaching", Programme 2 page yellow
sheet, List of attendees, Brochure "Higher education
Development Centre", Booklet "Senate Policy on
Assessment of Student Performance", Booklet "The
Teaching and Learning Plan", Booklet spiral bound
"Guidelines for the Evaluation of Teaching 2005"
DOC 112 Invitation letter to new This is an invitation letter sent to all new academic
academic staff conference staff inviting them to the conference. What HEDC staff
NASC have found is that the wording of the invites has a big
impact on the number of acceptances
DOC 113 Enrolment form to NASC This form is available for new staff to complete and
enrol in the conference
DOC 114 New academic staff This document is an outline of the programme for the
conference programme July July 2007 conference held on 5th and 6th July. This
template is used each year to draw up the programme
for the conference
DOC 115 An introduction to university This folder contains information about teaching and is
teaching folder given to all participants attending the new conference
in July. It covers information on What makes a good
teacher, learning theory, course design, lecturing, group
work and evaluation
DOC 116 An Inquiry into university This folder contains very extensive material and is
teaching folder given to all participants attending the 3 day teaching
course in February. The course covers the theories of
teaching and learning, teaching practice and evaluating
teaching


DOC 117 Evaluation from for NASC Participants attending the new staff conference are
2007 requested to evaluate the course and provide their
feedback. This information is collated and used to
make improvements to the next years conference
DOC 118 Evaluation form for an Participants attending the 3 day teaching course held in
inquiry into university February each year are requested to evaluate the course
teaching and provide their feedback. This information is
collated and used to make improvements to the next
years teaching course
DOC 151 Introduction to working at The material printed in this booklet is very useful to
the University of Otago new appointees however it becomes out of date very
booklet quickly. It contains information such as; orientation
and induction programmes, University organisational
structure, campus map, HR practices - employment
agreements, appointment procedures, employee
benefits, EEO, Equity, ethical behaviour, Heath and
Safety, Support services, staff development, staff
association, voluntary organisations, recreational and
social facilities

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Induction and Orientation (Process 11)

13. Induction and Orientation (Process 11)

13.1 Process Overview

13.1.1 Sub Processes

Process Code Sub Process

Version 2, 11 October 2007 132

Process Code Sub Process

13.2 Key Findings

13.2.1 Inconsistent use of the terms “induction” and “orientation”

The recommended definitions are:

Version 2, 11 October 2007 133

13.2.2 General staff orientation workshop

No. Quick Win

13.2.2.1 No invitation and attendance considered optional

No. Quick Win

13.2.2.2 Perception it is only available to Permanent Staff

Version 2, 11 October 2007 134

No. Quick Win

13.2.2.3 Workshop frequency determined by resources, not need

13.2.2.4 No formal evaluation or review

Version 2, 11 October 2007 135

13.2.2.5 Paper preferred format for information

13.2.2.6 “Orientation” refresher courses

Version 2, 11 October 2007 136

13.2.3 Academic staff induction

13.2.3.2 HR orientation workshop for confirmation path staff (IO06)

Version 2, 11 October 2007 137

13.2.3.3 Clarification of confirmation path requirements

Version 2, 11 October 2007 138

13.2.3.4 Support for those new to Otago University academic teaching

13.2.3.5 Collaborative mentoring group for new academic staff (IO05)

No. Quick Win

13.2.4 Separate orientation for general and academic staff

Version 2, 11 October 2007 139

13.2.5 Training and development information silos

13.2.6 “Introduction to Working at the University of Otago” booklet

13.2.7 Department induction processes

Version 2, 11 October 2007 140

13.2.7.2 Variable quality

Version 2, 11 October 2007 141

13.2.7.3Lack of formal training programme

13.2.7.4You’re on your own!

Version 2, 11 October 2007 142

13.2.7.5Setting expectations and feedback on performance

Version 2, 11 October 2007 143

13.2.8 Information to new appointees

13.2.9 Human Resources support

13.2.9.1No structured support

Version 2, 11 October 2007 144

13.2.9.2 Process Enquiries

Process enquires could be:

Version 2, 11 October 2007 145

13.2.10.2 Ongoing training opportunities appreciated

13.2.10.3 Enquiries to book training/training requests (ES24/25)

13.2.11 Poor communication across the University

Version 2, 11 October 2007 146

13.2.12 Adjusting to the University culture

13.2.13 Out of town/international appointees

Version 2, 11 October 2007 147

13.3 Statistical Analysis

No. of days from start date to attend induction

Version 2, 11 October 2007 148

13.4 Documentation that supports this process