Introduction
When someone first starts working for you, both you and they will benefit if you introduce them to their colleagues, explain their new role to them and describe how their work relates to the rest of the business.

As an employer, you have a duty of care to your workers. This includes making sure they can do the job both safely and competently. The best way to help your new employee become familiar with your business and the job they are starting is through an induction process. While there's no legal obligation to carry out an induction, a structured programme helps you to be sure that your new employees get a proper introduction to your business.

The reasons for carrying out an induction

A good induction will help new staff to:

• establish themselves quickly in their job and therefore maximise their productivity

• become motivated to do well and fit into the business early on

• understand any health and safety issues relating to their job - this will not only help to reduce accidents at work but also help you ensure that you are meeting your duty of care obligations under the health and safety legislation

• understand your corporate culture
Investing time in this process will give new workers a good grounding and help them make fewer mistakes in the long run. The highest level of staff turnover is among new workers so it is important that the early period spent with an organisation leaves a good impression. It also makes sense to arrange a basic induction for workers who are changing jobs within the company or returning after a long absence, perhaps through illness.

Before the worker starts - Tell other people that there's a new starter, prepare their working area, organise any equipment necessary and have any documentation ready for them to read.

• Consider providing them with an information pack about the job before they begin.

• Prepare an induction checklist including all the items that need to be covered and what needs to be done when. You can plan for the induction to be spread over a period of days or weeks depending on the nature of the job.

• Make sure that the key people who will be involved in the induction process have been briefed.

• Arrange in advance any instruction or training courses needed, eg on company IT equipment.

Once the worker starts
• Ensure that when they arrive they are made to feel welcome.

• Get one person, ideally the line manager, to take care of a new starter throughout the first day.

• Make sure they know how any office machinery works, and the location of commonly used facilities - eg post room, stationery store, lavatories.

• It is a good idea to get new workers to complete some kind of work on their first day. This can help them relate what they are learning to their job.

• Include informal aspects such as whether the tea, coffee and biscuits are free or whether there is a kitty.

• Ask for feedback during and after the process to check that you haven't missed anything. You might want to give the new starter a checklist and ask them to sign it to show it has been completed. Once you have established a good induction procedure it is useful to set it out in writing and use it whenever a new person starts.

Tailor the induction to the worker
The majority of new staff will need a similar type of induction. However, some starters may need to have a programme which is tailored to take into account their special circumstances.

For example, for school leavers you could perhaps include training as part of their induction. This could be job-specific and/or more generic, eg numeracy and literacy skills. They must also receive adequate information regarding health and safety risks, as young people are often unaware of risks in the workplace.

For people returning to work after a long period away, you should make them aware of major new developments in the workplace, eg re-organisations. If you have introduced new ways of working since they last worked for you, they may need additional training. Directors will need to know more about the finances, strategy and development objectives of the business than other workers.