My second week at Pollenizer has revolved around the theme of induction, something particularly relevant given we have just onboarded a new employee this week – Humphrey. I must admit induction is not as interesting as recruitment and the number of processes and tools involved with induction are a lot less than recruitment. However while this may be, induction is definitely crucial to the HRM process as an unsuccessful or neglected induction can leave the new employee isolated or confused about how they fit into the company and whether what they are doing is meaningful.
It is important to note at this point that there is a difference between onboarding and induction. Onboarding is the process involved with preparing for the new employee and is associated with the change management aspects of HRM. It basically involves the preparation of documents, information, and any legalities prior to the employee entering the workplace. Induction on the other hand is all about talent management and is a process that generally spans for a few days and is usually a means of providing new employees with information, support, and guidance so that they can acclimatise to the new work environment.
The purpose of induction is to prepares individuals to fully integrate into the culture of the company and their role so that they can be become productive contributors to the company. induction is also for any employee changing roles, not just new employees. One thing I have learnt at uni, is that one of the major reasons for mergers and acquisitions to fail is that the culture between the two companies are incompatible. I believe this can be applied on a smaller scale and that if new employees are unable to be properly inducted into the company culture, their success in the company is hindered.
This week also looked at focusing on smaller details such as preparing the dishwashing roster and updating the calendar with everyone’s birthdays and work anniversaries. While such tasks may be derided as menial or time filling, in the scheme of things they are important to making sure day to day operations run smoothly. Birthday and Anniversary celebrations are also important as they help foster a sense of community within Pollenizer as well as increasing team happiness, one of the three priorities at Pollenizer. Team happiness is vital to any workplace as happy individuals will often be more productive and efficient. It will also mean that employees can genuinely enjoy going to work and, in line with what I have learnt about self determination theory, move from being extrinsically motivated to being intrinsically motivated, which is viewed as the best outcome for both the employee and the business.