Preparing for Practice

When a new employee joins the organisation, it is important that they are helped to minimise the feeling of disorientation we all feel when encountering a new environment for the first time. It may be helpful to begin with an initial quick tour round the whole building with a more detailed tour/visit to the area they are likely to spend the most of their working time in following later. As the first week goes on they can go and visit other areas but will at least be familiar and more comfortable in one.

Try to minimise the number of different people you introduce them to particularly in the first day. They should know those people, who they will be working alongside, including service users.

Is there a staff room and does the person have a locker? If yes have you got a key organised? Don't leave the key until after they start as you want to create a good impression and reduce the stress levels as much as you can.

Is there a separate toilet for staff and if so show them where it is?

If staff are expected to answer the telephone then you need to have fairly simple written instructions on how the system works including what to say when they pick it up. Is there a different ring tone for internal calls? What is the policy regarding the making and receiving of personal calls?

The person needs to know is on duty and the people she may have to take instructions from. If they are not all on duty, staff photographs can be helpful as can informing all Managers who the new employee is.

In some settings meals are taken with service users and no charge is made. In others you may have a short paid break or a number of breaks throughout your working time. If there is a set programme then be clear what it is and what time your new employee has for breaks. If they are unpaid then the worker can leave the workplace as long as they are back at the agreed start time.

Do you a have a formal or informal arrangement for tea/coffee or biscuits and how is it paid for? Whatever the system have it clearly spelt out for your new employee.

Probably for you, or your new worker, the single most important issue during their first few days in their new job is establishing the working hours expected of the worker.

Where appropriate, it will be helpful to have the rota there for them to go over with you. Your new employee may or may not be willing to work over and above the agreed hours, have you considered this? For others, clarifying the operating hours of the office will be important, as well as arrangements in place for staff working outwith office hours.

It's important to make sure that new workers are aware of any different arrangements that may be required during holidays and in case of staff absence (eg Does a different rota apply? In some smaller workplaces staff often have to cover for each other at holidays or during sickness etc.).

Is this done by the worker themselves or do they need to give a copy of their timesheet for a member of management to sign? Are they done daily or weekly and is there a set deadline for submitting them? Are overtime or weekend / nights calculated at a different rate or in a different form or separate column? Are there arrangements for recording additional hours worked and claiming time-off-in-lieu?

All of us when we start a new job are often excited and want to tell our family and friends about our new job, the people we work with and the service users we support. There are normally very strict rules that apply regarding confidentiality. The employer must ensure that new staff are clear about what is expected of them.

This also applies to requests for information regarding a service user. Requests may come from a family member or another professional via telephone. All employees, particularly new ones need to be aware of work to your policy and procedures for such circumstances. They need to know it and use it from day one.

Is there a dress policy or a uniform and what are the arrangements for your new employee to get any uniform? If you use a specific supplier you may have to send the person down to get their clothes/uniform. Once they have it, how is it cleaned and are there any arrangements for washing/laundering?

Some workers are not required to wear a uniform. You need to be clear about any dress codes at induction. It is important that new employees are aware of your expectations regarding their appearance at work and understand that, during working hours, are representing their employing organisation. This is especially important for staff who may represent service users in dealing with other organisations or at formal meetings/hearings.

Are large ear rings or nose/facial jewellery allowed? (eg people working with young children should not wear hooped or dangling ear rings. Young children may well pull these) Any ring with a stone as opposed to a band is a known risk of infection and can scratch a vulnerable service user as well as burst a latex glove. Be clear what the rules are at the outset and ensure all staff adhere to them.

For most new employees in social services, a great deal of the training they receive in their early days are health and safety related. The following is a list of workplace specific topics for you to consider. As an employer, you are liable the minute the new person starts and you need to prepare for the new employee coming. Amongst the areas you should be highlighting in the workplace are;

• security measures/right of access
• fire and evacuation procedures
• turning off water, gas or power in an emergency
• food safety
• awareness of procedures for moving hot liquid and food
• first aid facilities
• personal protective Equipment, particularly the provision of gloves and aprons
• infection Control procedures
• storage, handling and use of hazardous chemicals (eg for cleaning)
• mopping up of blood / body fluids
• manual handling policies

Time spent at the outset can prevent difficulties later on. So familiarising workers as early as possible is good practice.

We have to pay much more attention then we did in the past to the movement and handling of equipment and objects; tables/chairs/boxes and other equipment and furniture. Because employers are liable for the actions of their employees it is important to ensure all staff are familiar with manual handling requirements.

Most if not all employers will not let staff lift more than 10 Kilos or just over 20 Pounds. If in doubt, mechanise. This often means instruction in the use of hoists. For many staff this can involve training on what not to do, even when asked by a service user. However there are exceptions. Some social services workers work with very young children, including babies. Moving and handling will show the best ways to deal with the necessity of picking up these very young children. Workers need to be aware of the need to protect their health while at the same time understanding the importance of providing appropriate care and emotional support to babies and young children.

In an emergency, such as a fire it is essential that all the service users are evacuated to the next safety zone and, if instructed, to an evacuation/fire assembly point. New staff need to know what particular fire extinguisher is used for different types of fires. This does not mean instruction on how to use them but what they are for. In almost all buildings, staff have a duty to evacuate the service user. Fire extinguishers are made to protect property ; you are there to protect people . Leave the fire fighting to the professionals. You will need to show your new worker the procedures for calling the fire/emergency services. They should always be printed and should be located beside each telephone with an outside line.

Alongside long established roles such as social work or home care, increasingly services are being developed that take services to service users' own homes or to some form of supported housing. For many staff this increases the risks that they face particularly as they may only make contact with their base on an infrequent basis. If you run such a service what are the arrangements for lone workers? Is there a mobile phone system and how are staff reimbursed for calls they make? Is there a “phone in” system that staff have to call at the end of the working day? What arrangements are there when working with service users who present challenging behaviour and staff may need to go in pairs.

Many organisations now provide specific guidance notes or training for lone workers specifically to deal with the potential difficulties that lone working presents. If you have any then go over them in some detail, brief staff and spell out any risks they have to face and the system for reporting difficulties.

Many employers insist their employees have either a name badge or photographic identification. Arrangements for obtaining the appropriate form of ID for new employees should be made as early as possible in their induction.

Some new employees may have already experienced some form of induction training from the organisation before they arrive at their workplace. Check with them what has been done and arrange any further training required as soon as possible.

Of course your induction is only really the beginning and as the first weeks or month go by, workers will be expected to take in a lot more. To try to fit everything in on the first few days or weeks does not make sense and would be overwhelming. The following areas are examples of areas staff may need to address following their introduction to the organisation:

• relationship with service users : Workers need to understand their responsibilities regarding their relationships with service users and their families. They need to understand professional boundaries
• absence notification procedures : Is there a system for reporting in when you are absent?
• computer access : Increasingly, new technology is being introduced to the workplace. Are there policies and procedures regarding use of this technology? Are staff permitted to send/receive email? Is there an organisational intranet? Do employees have their own email addresses? Is training offered in relation to the use of this technology?