Introduction
This literature review is about an induction training programme in the company XYZ. This is an area of concern to many organizations (Adams, 2010). The induction training in the company XYZ is only effective, when it takes place in a number of days. According to Virginia Journal of Education (1997), every task should be clearly explained and the trainees left alone for sometime to practice what has been learned. Nevertheless, the trainer is supposed to check the progress and any other misinterpretation and misunderstanding that may have accrued in the process of induction of the new employees (Virginia Journal of Education, 1997).
Definition of induction training programme
According to Cole (1990), induction training is a process used in welcoming and preparing new employees for their roles in the company, while to Armstrong (2005), it is a mechanism of orientating new employees to the company and their roles and duties to execute. It includes development of practical and theoretical skills (Adams, 2010). This is because all employees deserve the knowledge about their companies (Armstrong, 2005). The process meets the interaction requirements prevailing among the employees. In most cases the induction process in many companies includes safety trainings and issues delivered to the employees (Alvenfors, 2010a).
Ideally, the induction process should include: introduction of the new employees to the most important staff members; safety and health trainings depending on the role in the company; tour around the company buildings to show the new employees fire exits, boardrooms, bathrooms and vital offices such as administration staff and information technology support staff; and how to handle and complete the daily tasks and how to locate the necessary folders (Alvenfors, 2010a). As a research area of my interest, I realized that most trainers do not give enough guidelines to the trainees and that attracted me to this topic area.
Benefits and importance of the induction training programme
The induction training programme is considered to be important to the organization due to the aims and benefits accrued from it. According to Alvenfors (2010b), some of the aims of any induction programme are: to welcome the employees and allow them to understand their duties in the company, to make the new employees settle and make them independently productive (Alvenfors, 2010a). Due to the aim of this research, which is to carry out an intensive study on the induction training programme in the company XYZ, the research will evaluate various methods of carrying out induction process, identify the flaws in the current practices and investigate the significance of the induction training (Adams, 2010).
A stated in Alvenfors (2010a), an advocacy is therefore done to the companies that induction training should consist of a wide introduction of the employees beginning from the chief executive officer to the rest of the vital employees just as stated in the previous paragraphs. Issues, such as human resource concerns, ergonomics and safety are very vital in induction training (Darling-Hammond, 1996). This training is therefore, compulsory to new employees to attend and get notified of the next session (Darling-Hammond, 1996).
This research paper will be looking at the importance of the induction training. It has been a concern in many companies, that induction training programmes may consume much funds compared to the benefits accrued from it (Darling-Hammond, 1996). It is therefore, my interest to address the significance of this process as most employees only execute their duties well after being oriented on what they are supposed to do in the company. In Clement (1995), some of the major benefits of an induction programme stated include: improved morale of the employees, high retention of the newly hired employees and increased productivity (Armstrong, 2005). It is evident from various companies that any well planned induction training programme saves time and money (Adams, 2010). This is because the induction process prevents things like absence due to ignorance of role and frequent hiring replacements (Armstrong, 2005).
The induction training programme is a significant process that brings staff into the company. Clement (1995) argues that induction training sets up employees in the organization and gives a detailed introduction to the work environment (Brown, 2004).
The process of induction training
According to Armstrong (2005), an induction trainer should give guidelines such as personal details to help the employee on training to get hold of them, call back at the trainee to check the progress, give enough training materials, ask for sufficient time adequate for carrying out your role in an effective manner and asking trainee to attend an induction course within the company (Virginia Journal of Education, 1996).
Evidently from Armstrong (2005), for an induction training programme to fully benefit both the employee and the company, advanced planning should be done properly. A well arranged timetable that details the activities to be involved in the induction training programme during a specified time period should be prepared (Cole, 1990). The timetable should include the names of both the parties (trainers and trainees) (Virginia Journal of Education, 1996). The prepared plan should then be circulated to each person involved in advance if possible to ease the time consumed in disseminating information (Darling-Hammond, 1997).
According to Vonnegut (2009), the induction training programme should be made part of the company’s process of knowledge management. This should therefore enable the employees to become integrated members and useful to the company (Virginia Journal of Education, 1996). With all this included in the induction programme, short term staff turn over will be reduced and productivity increased as a result (Cole, 1990). A critical role such as socialization in the company has been played well by this kind of programme in terms of attitudes, performance and company commitments (Vonnegut, 2009).
As will be seen in the study, induction training programme is significant to any company (Adams, 2010). This is because according to Armstrong (2005), it is the first contact with the new recruits and this helps in achieving the benefits such as: preventing frequent staff turn over, identifying work dependency between the management and the employees which increases productivity (Vonnegut, 2009). As well as determining efficiency mechanism in an organization, identify some of the causes of accidents within the company as well as the damages that occur to the company property and identify what make an employee feel important and valued in the company (Alvenfors, 2010b).
Summary of the literature review
In summary, many induction training programmes are somehow wrong about the concept of induction process. According to Bradt (2009), some companies parade their new employees, while everybody else stares in order to learn about the company dealings. Some are just given hefty power point slides to memorize and remember all the information about the company (Bradt, 2009). In some occasions, one is left to receive calls with minimal managerial couching without knowing what to do with them (Adams, 2010). In few instances, some new employees stay without security passes for sometime due to negligence and ending up begging these passes from fellow workers who are sometimes not welcoming (Vonnegut, 2009). This is a wrong notion about the subject and may contribute to some challenges to the new employees and bad attitude (Adams, 2010).
Some people may feel undervalued in such cases (Adams, 2010). Therefore a good induction should be critical in cementing loyalty of the new employees to the company and holding them to the company. According to Adams (2010), an induction training programme should therefore be assessed regularly in terms of the duration it takes, reviewing corporate and training materials, agreement with the new employees by the manager and the training staff (Adams, 2010).
List of references
Adams, A. 2010. Introduction integration. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Web.
Alvenfors, A. 2010a. Importance of integration of new employees. New York: Prentice Hall. Web.
Alvenfors, A. 2010b. Induction Programme. New York: Prentice Hall. Web.
Armstrong, M. 2005. The handbook of human resource management in practice. London: Springer. Web.
Bradt, G. 2009. Speeding up new employees. London: John Wiley & Sons. Web.
Brown, G. 2004. People Management. London: Cengage. Web.
Clement, M. 1995. Getting the Most from a Mentor. New Teacher Advocate, 3(2), pp. 7. Web.
Cole, A. 1990. Helping Teachers Become ‘Real’: Opportunities in Teacher Induction. Journal of Staff Development, vol. II, no. 4: pp. 6-10. Web.
Darling-Hammond, L. 1996. What Matters Most: A Competent Teacher for Every Child. Phi Delta Kappan, 78(3), pp.193-200. Web.
Darling-Hammond, L. 1997. The Right To Learn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Web.
Virginia Journal of Education, 1996. Someone Who’s Been There. Virginia Journal of Education, 90(5), pp. 16-17. Web.
Virginia Journal of Education, 1997. Reaching Up, Branching Out. Virginia Journal of Education, 90(4), pp. 11-15. Web.
Vonnegut, M. 2009. Recruitment, selection and induction. London: John Wiley & Sons. Web.