Preparing for Practice

Roles and responsibilities

Senior Management have a responsibility to ensure that all new members of staff are afforded a comprehensive induction. Dependent on the type or level of job, it may be necessary to delegate the practical carrying out of the induction to others, such as managers, line managers or work colleagues.

The role of human resources personnel is to co-ordinate the process of recruitment, selection, and employment. They ensure that legislative requirements are met and that new staff are in possession of relevant employment documentation.

The role of human resources is to facilitate, monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the organisation's induction process.

As the line manager of a new member of staff it is your responsibility to make sure that this person is welcomed to the organisation and their new workplace. In order to effectively and efficiently welcome a new worker a number of tasks are required of you.

The line manager's responsibilities towards the new worker begin as soon as they know who is joining their team.

Prior to the arrival of the new worker is the line manager's responsibility to:

• ensure there is an appropriate workspace
• ensure that the workspace is fully operational
• ensure that the workspace is fully equipped
• ensure that any known special requirements are considered
• advise team members who the new member of staff is and when he/she is joining the team
• ensure that their diary commitments are adjusted, where necessary, to allow them to meet the new worker on arrival
• identify an appropriate and available member of the Team to act as ‘mentor' to the new staff member
• inform the ‘mentor' of their responsibilities
• develop, with the ‘mentor' a local induction programme
• agree, with the ‘mentor' respective responsibilities in inducting the new worker to the Team
• arrange a tour of the workplace for the new worker to take place on the first morning in post
• arrange an appointment for the new worker to meet a relevant Personnel Officer during the first week of employment
• arrange meetings for the new worker with key colleagues and others to discuss mutual and overlapping roles, responsibilities, expectations and requirements
• book a place for the new worker onto Induction Training to take place within the first weeks of his/her employment
• book other essential training requirements

The ‘mentor' is normally an individual within the team who will be a peer of the new worker. The ‘mentor' should have substantial experience within the team and a detailed knowledge of the work requirements of team members.

The 'mentor' is identified in order to make the new worker's move into the workplace more positive. The identified 'mentor' would be responsible for helping the new worker find their way around the workplace, show the new worker the available facilities in the workplace and surrounding area and provide a presence and an informal support. The 'mentor' does not take on board any of the line manager's responsibilities or duties.

The role of the new staff member in the induction process is straightforward – to participate in the induction process fully, making best use of the opportunities offered. Induction should be the starting point for the staff member's ongoing learning and development and therefore, depending on their prior education and training, new staff should use this induction process as a logical point to begin developing their personal development plan.