Induction: Day One
Help overcome first-day nerves by ensuring your new staff member is familiarised with their environment. Key tasks to complete on day one are to:
- Ensure new team member is met and welcomed
- Introduce them to their working environment
- Get key meetings and events in the diary on day one
- Provide all security/entry essentials
- Give a health and safety briefing
- Provide advice on phone and internet use and dealing with visitors
- Explain work times, breaks and other protocols
- Pass on local knowledge
Ensure new team member is met and welcomed
Ensure someone welcomes the new staff member at the pre-arranged meeting point. You or a colleague should make informal introductions to colleagues around their working area. Ensure they are also introduced to the colleague who will act as their day-to-day advisor.
Introduce them to their working environment
This is an essential familiarisation session and should cover the immediate working environment, plus key department facilities. These include kitchen and washroom, photocopier and printer. If you have a staff, department or building induction guide this can be incorporated into the session.
Get key meetings and events in the diary on day one
This provides a useful structure for the weeks ahead and helps familiarise your new staff member with the way you work. Dates to put in their diary include regular team and group meetings plus key department and UEL events. Remember to add probationary reviews, regular one-to-one meetings and any training or induction events already booked for them (eg, corporate induction, health and safety training).
Provide all security/entry essentials
Arrange a UEL Staff ID Pass as soon as possible and also ensure the new staff member has essential keys and/or swipe cards, car parking cards and windscreen stickers. This is also a good time to highlight additional building security information, including weekend and evening arrangements.
Give a health and safety briefing
Crucial first-day information includes the location of fire exits, plus fire and evacuation procedures. Also see Health and safety for staff with disabilities.
You also need to cover accident and incident reporting, identify on-site first aiders and direct the new staff member to UEL and your School/Service health and safety policy. Also remember to cover personal safety guidelines – bearing in mind any specific risks relevant within your School or Service. For more guidance see the Health and Safety Handbook.
Finally, remember to ensure your new staff member works through the Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Assessment Tool and VDU checklist.
Provide advice on phone and internet use and dealing with visitors
Ensure the new staff member is advised on making and answering phone calls, using the UEL website and dealing with visitors and/or enquiries.
Explain work times, breaks and other protocols
Provide an outline of department protocols, such as break times, phone cover and staff rotas. Add in anything relevant to your department, such as tea clubs.
Pass on local knowledge
Local knowledge makes a big difference when it comes to settling in. From the location of the nearest cashpoint to the shortest queue for lunch, offer useful advice and encourage them to ask questions about UEL facilities and the local area.
