Role of Induction in an Effective People Resourcing Strategy - Coursework Example

Role of Induction  Introduction  The human resources possessed by a company or organization is a great source of competitive advantage. In fact, effective management strategies have been proven to result in organizational advantages such as higher profitability, higher product quality, lower costs in product manufacturing, and less job rotation. In addition to this, employees are also less likely to go against organizational strategies and their implementation. In this paper, the writer would like to discuss the importance of the first step towards achieving a good working human resource pool (Ordonez de Pablos & Lytras, 2008) The economic downturn has shown, through studies, that the human resource department of all organizations should be something that management should orient and take care of since the company’s fate relies on its workforce. That having been said, it is important for the new recruits of the workforce to be familiar with the skills needed in order for them to contribute something towards the overall benefit of the company, as well as themselves (Kiger, 2008) The first step towards achieving an organization’s goal would be the process of induction, the details of which shall be the focus of this paper.   What is Induction?   Induction refers to the process of introducing a new employee or a new member of the organization to the organization itself and its processes, its values, its goals, its rules, and benefits. In other words, the process of induction allows the new member of the company to see what the individual is in for once he/she starts working. It is the responsibility of the company’s management to provide a set of guidelines for their workforce, which in turn shall influence the decisions that the employees make in compliance with the company’s rules and regulations. The process of induction is a way for the organization’s management to implement ethics and compliance within the company, which shall be the driving force towards the company’s processes and ultimately, achieving its goals. It is important for an organization to develop written policies and procedures that talk about the company’s stance on particular matters or issues that are arising or may arise at present or in the future. In addition, it is also the management team’s job to know how to apply such a code in the daily operations of the workforce (Baker, 2008).   The Induction Process  One of the main reasons why an induction process is needed in the first place is that the company should instil trust between the employee and the organization he/she is entering. A certain culture exists in every organization, and trust is the foundation of all cultures in all organizations. Through trust, relationships between an organization’s members are strengthened and the members are able to work in teams, which is very important for the company to reach maximum efficiency. A strong sense of affiliation is that which holds the organization together, and induction is the process where the new member is welcomed into a new environment and a new role (Truskie, 2003). It has been shown that employees in a company have a great effect on the ultimate production result of the organization and its efficiency. However, it is the operations of the management that has a greater effect. The induction process is a crucial process to explain and predict accomplishment within the corporation (Svensson et al., 2006) Each individual who enters the company needs to be provided with extensive and intensive information about the workplace, the environment, his/her co-workers and all the other problems and circumstances that may occur while the employee remains in such an organization.   The induction process varies from company to company and is the first step before actual training of the new employee. For instance, for top company giant, Microsoft, new recruits are provided with ‘buddies,’ who orient them with regards to their job and what to expect while working at the company. The programme teaches these new recruits skills that they need to be equipped with, and the buddy’s job is to serve as the ‘mentor’ of this new employee. The new recruit is kept on the induction programme for around three months, after which he/she is expected to make a meaningful contribution to the company. After this period, the organization should decide whether to retain the employee after the initial contract which states that the employee should remain and work in the company for 12 months (Dillon, 2008). The process of induction basically enables the management to see who among the new recruits could prove to be of immense value for the company and its operations. Effective mentoring calls for both parties being inducted, the participants of which are the mentor and the mentee. For instance, trainee mentors should be constantly reminded to not show off their knowledge to an extent that they are giving a ‘superior’ impression. This cannot only discourage the mentee, but it could also bore him/her. Furthermore, as time progresses, the mentee may be the one who has gained more knowledge and experience than his/her mentor. Therefore, the relationship between the two parties should be based on trust, and somewhat like a friendship, but with an authority barrier involved. The mentees benefit from such a strategy by gaining access to other senior members of the organization through the mentor, and can gain an entire pool of knowledge from the mentor’s suggestions and advice (Kennett, 2008). Other companies opt for a different induction strategy, on the other hand. For instance, induction processes in a company consist of management holding induction meetings for its new employees at least once a month, wherein important members of the organization are invited to speak, so as to inform new members about the industry and the company they are working in. Usually, lunches or dinners courtesy of the company is also provided, which is always a good move since it signals that the company has concern for its employees. The goal of such induction processes allow the new members to interact with the older and more experienced company members, and the induction should not only be informative, but also fun for all participants involved. However, it has been argued that such induction strategies are not as effective compared to induction processes where the new recruit gets to see and experience first-hand what his/her job and future will be all about (Now Live, 2008). In other words, it is through the induction process where these individuals are tested whether they have what it takes to be full-time members of the company. However, on the same note, it is the duty of the management to make sure that they also please their trainees so the trainees are inspired or motivated to work at the company for a longer period of time.   In all induction processes of all companies, new employees look to older and more experienced workers of the organization as their role models or ‘leaders.’ However, employees want leaders to understand them as unique individuals, who respond to different supervisory methods compared to what the leaders may think or assume. In this light, it is important for the leader, or the mentor to realize that motivation methods that may work for one employee may not necessarily work for the other. This is common sense, and should be the management philosophy of all companies. It is not accurate, nor is it right for the leader to use themselves as models for understanding how to manage their workforce, particularly for new employees, whose behaviour may still be quite unpredictable. Another mistake that a mentor or a leader may want to watch out for would be spending too much time explaining tasks to the trainee, when the trainee is already confident that he/she can handle the assigned task. A lot of times, the new employee already has the ability, capability and the experience to handle whatever assignment is required of him/her, which means that directive behaviour coming from the mentor or leader may be viewed as not only redundant, but also offensive. It is the mentor’s duty to accumulate as much information about the trainee, which is the first step to appreciating and valuing differences. There must also be constant communication between the new members of the organization with the senior members. For instance, when a new policy is made, a consultation with the employees could reveal unknown preferences and needs. In the case of the trainee, he/she is made aware of certain facts or issues about the company which may affect his/her work in the future. In turn, this would also affect future decisions, such as whether the trainee would decide to remain in the company for a longer period of time or not. The induction process is a way for the company’s management to put their best foot forward and show their new employees that they want to be involved in the lives of their trainees, and that the well-being of these individuals is considered as a priority in the company. (Bergen & Soper, 2002). It must be reiterated how communication skills between the management and the new employee is crucial within the organization. In the induction process particularly, the trainee should let the mentor or the leader know what he/she expects from the organization as a whole, and the management as well. The trainee should not be exempt also from receiving benefits that are entitled for regular employees since trainees are also able to contribute to the organization. Reward systems, for instance, show the company’s appreciation and acknowledgment of the work done by those who deserve it. Rewards would include bonuses, salary increases, promotions and even stock awards, usually given to the employee who has shown extraordinary effort in helping the company achieve its goals (Kerr & Slocum, 1987). This means that it is the leader’s job to help the employee in such a way that his/her expectations are met, and in so doing, the company can also benefit by having happy and satisfied employees.   Conclusion  The induction process was created in order to give the new recruit a preview of what he/she should expect upon entering a company. In the same way, the company also benefits from the induction process by screening the recruits and separating those who can actually contribute to the company, between those who have shown to produce poor work. The world today churns millions of graduates all competing against the other for a job, and the economic crisis does not make things easier for the human resource departments of all industries. With such a scenario, companies cannot afford to just hire anyone, and the induction process is a necessary investment of time and effort for these companies to see who is up to the job. Furthermore, the induction process can be seen as some sort of win-win situation. The recruit is able to gain knowledge about an industry he/she is interested in, and the organization is provided with the opportunity to also learn how to effectively manage their workforce. Either way, both circumstances would only spell great advantages for the corporation. After all, if it were not for the employees that help make a company what it is, corporate success and the generation of profits would be unheard of.       References Baker, D. 2008, ‘Designing and implementing ethics into the fabric of your compliance program,’ Journal of Health Care Compliance, pp. 31-36. Bergen, C.W, & Soper, B. 2002, ‘Entrepreneurial leadership styles: what works and what doesn’t,’ The Entrepreneurial Executive, Vol. 2, pp. 1-13. Dillon, F. 2008, ‘Talented brains are always in demand,’ Sunday Times, p. 21. Kennett, M. 2008, ‘First-class coach,’ Management Today, p. 66. Kerr, J. & Slocum, J. 1987, ‘Managing corporate culture through reward systems,’ The Academy of Management Executive, ABI/Inform Global, p. 99. Kiger, P. 2008, ‘Survey: HR still battling for leaders’ respect,’ Workforce Management, ABI/Inform Global, p. 8. ‘Now Live,’ 2008, Personnel Today, ABI/Inform Global, p. 15. Ordonez de Pablos, P. & Lytras, M. 2008, ‘Competencies and human resource management: implications for organizational competitive advantage,’ Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 12, No. 6, pp. 48-56.   Svensson, G. Wood, G. & Mathisen, B. 2006, ‘Reflexive and critical views of leadership performance in corporate accomplishment,’ Journal of Management Development, Vol. 27, No. 8, pp. 879-899. Truskie, S. 2003, ‘Leadership in high-performance organizational cultures,’ Women in Management Review, Vol. 18, No. 6, pp. 338-339.   Read More