7/25/13

http://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/employing/taking-on-staff/staff-inductions

Staff inductions
After you have appointed someone to a position, you need to introduce them to your business and their role.
This process is called a staff induction.

New staff can easily feel overwhelmed when starting a new job. An induction can help them feel comfortable and
understand their duties and your business quickly. Preparing an induction program will help you retain staff and
avoid having to go through the recruitment process again.

Inductions are also useful for existing staff that are changing roles or returning to work after a long absence (such
as maternity or long service leave).

Your staff induction program should help staff understand their responsibilities and your expectations of them. It
must cover essential workplace health and safety information.

This guide explains staff inductions so you can prepare and deliver a staff induction program.

Staff induction programs

Print this page

A well-prepared and comprehensive induction program helps staff quickly understand the responsibilities of their
new role and your expectations of them.

It's important to communicate staffing changes, such as a new staff member starting or an existing one changing
roles, to other staff members. Existing staff can support a new staff member throughout the induction process
(e.g. by explaining key duties and helping set up their workspace).

Inductions will vary depending on whether the staff member is new or they are an existing staff member switching
roles or returning from a long absence.

New staff members

New staff members will need a more comprehensive induction than existing ones. Inductions help new staff
understand the culture of your business and the processes they need to follow.

The first day induction

1/5
7/25/13

The first day for a new staff member at your business is particularly important. You will want to make the new
staff member feel welcome and enthusiastic about their new job.

On a new staff member's first day, you should:

introduce them to their colleagues, managers and supervisors

take them on a tour of your business premises, pointing out important areas such as:
toilets
fire escapes
break rooms
their work area.
provide them with general information on your business, which may include:
a copy of your business's code of conduct
annual reports
your business plan
marketing materials
organisational charts
phone lists.
record essential details, including their:
superannuation account
bank account
tax file number
emergency contacts.
explain employment conditions and policies, including:
work hours and breaks times
smoking
pay details, including when they can expect to be paid
leave entitlements
probation periods for new staff.
provide any necessary work health and safety information, including:
fire and evacuation instructions
details about any training you've planned for them.
explain their duties and have some work for them to do
provide necessary equipment, uniforms, email addresses and computer access details
ask if they have any questions.

Ongoing induction

The ongoing induction for new staff will include specific details about processes, tasks and equipment related to
their role. Some staff may need training as part of their induction. This may be for specific equipment or
processes. You might also have specific workplace health and safety training obligations for inductions,
depending on the role.

Existing staff members

2/5
7/25/13

Existing staff members who are changing roles may need to be taken through an induction to understand their
new duties, processes and workplace health and safety information if it's different from their previous role. In
some cases, existing staff may need additional training before they can move into new roles.

Staff returning to work after a long absence, such as from maternity or long service leave or after injury, may
need a refresher induction to explain any new or updated processes and equipment.

Related links
Learn more about employee rights, awards and entitlements.
Find out about selecting the best candidate for a job.
Learn about what to do when a new worker starts in your business.

Print this page

Last updated
02 July 2013

Managing staff inductions

It's important to manage inductions to make sure that nothing important is missed. After the induction, staff
should understand their role and responsibilities. They should also understand your policies and expectations of
them.

An induction plan should include a checklist of all the elements in the induction, the time frames they need to be
completed in, and a plan for reviewing the staff member's progress.

Staff inductions are an ongoing process, and your plan should cover the first few months a staff member is in a
new role. This includes the period before they start in the role, their first day introduction and a final review once
the induction is complete. Staff can work through the induction plan with their supervisor or manager.

Your plan should include any training (e.g. for specific tasks, processes, equipment and workplace health and
safety).

Inductions for staff with different needs

Your induction program must cater for the needs of various staff. For example, mature-aged workers, graduates,
school leavers and apprentices will have different needs for induction. Their learning processes will also vary.
Considering these different needs will help you get the most out of your induction program.

Your staff induction program must not breach any anti-discrimination or equal opportunity laws.

Induction tools
3/5
7/25/13

Mentoring

Mentoring is a useful tool for staff inductions. You may decide to use an informal mentoring 'buddy' system
where you pair a new staff member, or an existing one who is changing roles, with a more experienced staff
member. The experienced staff member can explain duties and responsibilities to the person in the new role.

Find out more about developing staff through mentoring.

Online inductions

Depending on your business, you might want to develop an online induction program. An online induction
program could include:

an introduction to your business, including its history

details of your organisational structure
information about key policies, including employment conditions and your code of conduct
work health and safety information.

Related links
Read some tips for training apprentices and trainees.

Work health and safety inductions

As an employer, you have a duty of care to your staff and you must make sure your workplace is safe. A key
aspect of keeping your workplace safe is making sure staff understand your work health and safety policies. You
must also make sure they undertake any necessary training before using potentially dangerous equipment or
materials.

New staff are at greater risk of injuring themselves at work than existing staff. For this reason, work health and
safety training should have a high priority in your staff induction program.

Staff returning to work after a long absence will need to revisit your work health and safety policies in case
they've forgotten anything while they've been away. As well as this, you will need to train them on any new
processes. Staff changing roles may also need work health and safety training if they are using equipment,
materials or processes that they are unfamiliar with.

Work health and safety training must be ongoing to reduce the risk of incidents and keep all staff up to date with
your processes. Find out more about keeping your workplace safe.

What to cover in a work health and safety induction

You must conduct a work health and safety induction as soon as practically possible. The induction must cover:

4/5
7/25/13

hazards and risks in your workplace

special equipment, such as personal protective equipment, which may require additional training
safe work practices
work health and safety legislation
emergency procedures:
emergency exits
evacuation instructions and assembly points
fire alarms and fire fighting equipment, such as extinguishers (show locations and demonstrate how
they are used)
first aid and other emergency contacts.

When the induction is complete, get the staff members to confirm that they understood the training. Keep a
record of all work health and safety training.

Find out more about workplace health and safety training.

Related links
Read the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 (Qld) (PDF, 536KB) to find out more about first response
evacuation procedures.
Find out about fire safety training in the workplace.
Learn about your legal obligations for training staff.
Visit the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland website.

5/5