Everything you need to know about placement and induction of employees. The last step in the procurement of the employees is placing the selected candidates on the right jobs and introducing them to the organisation.
After selection and placement the new employees will be send for induction programme. It is nothing but a programme of welcoming the new comers and introducing him to the people at work, workplace, work environment, practices, policies and purpose of the organization.
So that the new employee feels at home, secure and can understand how his job is important in the total organization.
According to Pigors and Myers, “Placement may be defined as the determination of the job to which a selected candidate is to be assigned, and his assignment to the job.” It is matching of what the supervisor has reason to think he can do, with the job requirements (job demands); it is matching of what he imposes (in strain, working conditions) and what he offers in the form of payroll, with other promotional possibilities etc.
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According to Edwin B.Flippo, “Induction is concerned with introducing or orienting a new employee to the organisation. It is the welcoming process to make the new employee feel at home and generate in him a feeling of belongingness to the organisation”.
Learn about the placement and induction process of employees in any organisation.
Learn about the Placement and Induction of Employees
Placement and Induction of Employees – Significance, Consideration and Techniques
Placement of Employees:
The last step in the procurement of the employees is placing the selected candidates on the right jobs and introducing them to the organisation.
According to Pigors and Myers, “Placement may be defined as the determination of the job to which a selected candidate is to be assigned, and his assignment to the job.” It is matching of what the supervisor has reason to think he can do, with the job requirements (job demands); it is matching of what he imposes (in strain, working conditions) and what he offers in the form of payroll, with other promotional possibilities etc.
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Significance/Importance of Placement:
It is important for both the organisation as well as staff that each employee should be placed on a suitable job. While doing so, the factor to be considered is not only the suitability of the job to the individual. But, initial placement is always a problem because there is little knowledge about the new employee.
Therefore, placement should be done after due considerations of the demands of the job, as well as the social, psychological needs of the individual. An enterprise which has spent a lot of time and money in making a very careful selection may lose due to wrong placement.
Right placement of workers can have the following advantages:
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1. Reduced labour turnover rate.
2. Reduced absenteeism rate.
3. Increased safety of workers and lower accidents.
4. Increased morale of workers.
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5. Better human relations in the organisations.
Placement is not an easy process. It is very difficult to adjust for a new employee who is quite unknown to the job and the environment. For this reason, the employee is generally put on a probation period ranging from one year to two years.
At the end of this probation period, if the employee shows good performance, he is confirmed as a regular employee of the organisation. Thus the probation period or trial period is the transition period at the end of which management takes a decision whether to make the employee regular or discharge him from the job.
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Placement decisions are generally taken by line executives. It is the supervisor who in consultation with higher levels decides the placement of each employee. The personnel department’s role is to advise the line managers about the human resource policies of the company and to provide counselling to the employees.
While taking the placement decision, the following consideration or principles must be kept in mind:
1. Job Requirements:
An employee should be placed on the job according to the requirements of the job such as physical and mental ability, eyesight, hearing, stress etc. The job shouldn’t be adjusted according to the qualification and abilities of the employees.
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Job placement profile charts can be used to match the worker’s physical and mental abilities with the job requirements. This profile chart displays an evaluation of both job requirements and worker abilities for key features of the job so that the management can easily determine how well worker fits a job.
2. Suitable Qualifications:
The job should be offered to only that person who is suitably qualified. Over qualified and under qualified persons might create problems for the organisation in the long run.
3. Adequate Information to the Job Incumbent:
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The employee should be provided with the complete information and facts relating to the job, including the working conditions prevailing in the firm. He should also be made known to the rewards associated with the performance levels.
4. Commitment and Loyalty:
While placing the new employee, an effort should be made to develop a sense of commitment, loyalty and cooperation in his mind so that he may realise his responsibilities better towards the job, the organisation and his associates.
5. Flexibility:
The placement in the initial period may be temporary as changes are likely after the completion of training. The employee may be later transferred to the job where he can do better justice.
Proper placement helps to improve employee morale. The capacity of the employee can be utilised fully if he is placed on the job for which he is most suitable. Right placement also helps to reduce labour turnover, absenteeism and accident rates. If a candidate adjusts himself to the job and continues to perform as per expectation, it might mean that the candidate is properly placed.
Induction of Employees:
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According to Edwin B.Flippo, “Induction is concerned with introducing or orienting a new employee to the organisation. It is the welcoming process to make the new employee feel at home and generate in him a feeling of belongingness to the organisation”. It is the first step in a proper communication policy which seeks to build a two-way channel of information between the management and employees.
The new employee, on his joining the organisation, must be helped to get adjusted and acquainted with the fellow employees and the work environment. Rather than leaving him to make his own way through the organisation. It is much better to properly and systematically introduce him to the company, its philosophy, its place in the industry or economy, its major policies etc.
This phase of induction is properly handled by the personnel department. Some large organisations show pictures telling about their history and operation to give a better idea of the company to the new employees who have joined. The new employee is also given the necessary information about canteen, lunch period; rest hours, convenience facilities etc.
A complete induction programme also consists of a follow-up after few weeks to ascertain how well the new employee has adjusted himself with his job and environment. This provides an opportunity to clarify or remove any misunderstanding in him.
But then also, if an employee is not found adjusted after that, it may be the case of wrong selection or wrong placement. It thus, gives an early warning of a later trouble. In any case, the follow-up interview enhances the employee’s satisfaction by demonstrating to him the company’s interest in his welfare.
Contents of Induction Programme:
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Topics to be covered in induction –
1. Company’s history, mission, vision and philosophy.
2. Products and services of the company.
3. Company’s organisation structure.
4. Location of departments and employee services.
5. Employees activities like clubs, credit society.
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6. Personnel policies and procedures.
7. Standing orders.
8. Rules and Regulations.
9. Terms and conditions of services.
10. Grievance procedures.
11. Safety measures.
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12. Benefits and services for employees.
13. Training, promotions and transfer facility.
14. Career advancement schemes.
15. Counselling facility.
Induction Procedure/Techniques:
Induction may be informal in case of small firms and formal may be of duration of two or three weeks in case of large organisations. Induction training should not be too lengthy. It need not necessarily be given on the day when the new employee joins the work, but if a formal course is to be attended after two or three weeks on the job, the initial introduction and the immediately needed information may be given by the superior of the department.
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Orientation procedure consists of the following steps:
1. The new employee should be given a definite time and place to report.
2. The immediate boss or the supervisor should meet and welcome the new employee to the organisation when the latter reports for the duty.
3. Complete information about the vacations, probationary period, working hours, medical leave, suggestion styles etc. should be conveyed to the employee.
4. Departmental orientation should be conducted which include introduction to the department, explanation of the functions of the department, job instructions and to whom he should look for help and guidance when he has any problem.
5. Verbal explanations may also include a wide variety of printed materials, employee handbook, employee manuals, house journals pamplets etc.
6. The induction programme should be handled by the persons who are through with the course contents. The success of the induction course also depends upon the quality of the trainers and their ability to draw out the interest of their listeners.
Placement and Induction of Employees – Principles, Objectives and Process
Placement of Employees:
After the selection of the employees, they are placed on suitable jobs, and the procurement function can be concluded. Placement can be defined as “The determination of the job to which an accepted candidate is to be assigned, and his assignment to that job. It is a matching of what the supervisor has reason to think he can do with the job demands. It is a matching of what he imposes and what he offers in the form of pay role, companionship with others, promotional possibilities etc.”
After selection and placement of the employee he is generally put on probation period ranging from one to two years. During this period his work would be observed. If his work is not satisfactory no confirmation order is given. In special cases he/she may be asked to quit.
A proper placement of workers minimizes employee turnover, absenteeism rate of accidents, improves morale, gives motivation and job satisfaction, improves performance etc.
The term placement means the assigning of specific job rank and responsibility to a newly selected and appointed employee. Basically it is matching of the employee to the job requirement. A right man should be placed on the right job is a real motto.
In fact it is not easy to match all these factors for a new employee who is not familiar to the job and working environment. The first placement is to carry with the status of probation period which may be extended from 3 months to 2 years. It is a trial period. If the employees performance is good, will be confirmed, otherwise he will be discharged. This decision will be taken up by the management.
Basic Principles of Placement:
The following basic principles should be kept in mind at the time of placement of a candidate:
(1) Man should be placed on the job according to the requirements of the demands of the job
(2) According to the qualification of the man a job should be offered to him.
(3) New comers should be made aware of the workers conditions prevailing in the industry.
(4) A sense of loyalty, honesty, belonging, co-operation should be developed in him at the time of placement.
Induction of Employees:
After selection and placement the new employees will be send for induction programme. It is nothing but a programme of welcoming the new comers and introducing him to the people at work, workplace, work environment, practices, policies and purpose of the organization. So that the new employee feels at home, secure and can understand how his job is important in the total organization.
Simply induction process is a welcoming process. A new employee is generally a stranger to the people, work place and to the work environment may feel insecure, shy and nervous. An anxiety may cause to him because of not following the prevalent practices and procedures and lack of information, may put him into trouble. All these may develop discouragement, defensive behaviour, and fear amongst the new comers. Induction leads to reduction of all these anxieties.
The term ‘orientation’ is very often used to signify the induction. No difference is however proposed here between induction and orientation, for practically both mean one and the same thing. Sociologists call the orientation a process of socialization consisting of learning new attitudes, norms, and behaviour pattern.
Just as a person entering a new country must learn a new language, and a different set of ways of doing things, so a new employee must learn how to behave, and how to get things done in a new organization. Orientation also is the process of introducing new employees in an organization. It also marks the beginning of the process by which employees are integrated into the organization.
The process communicates the basic organizational philosophy, policy, rules, and procedures. Irrespective of the position which a new employee takes in his workplace, it should be recognized that he/she begins a new life and needs to know the organization, its objectives, functioning, goods manufactured, or services rendered, and the like. This is to make him/her successful on the job. In order to be an asset to the organization, the new employee needs to know the organization, its policies, and procedure.
In the Indian context, this becomes indispensable, particularly where workers come to industry from rural or semi-urban areas. To quote extracts from ILO’s resolution— ‘in order to facilitate and expedite the integration of the newly recruited employee in the enterprise and the group with which he is to work; management should adopt a well thought out induction programme.
Induction procedure is intended to give the newcomer all information he needs about management, work, and philosophy in the new enterprise. Furthermore, they should create an atmosphere which will help the newcomer to become quickly familiar with his new surroundings and to feel at home’.
The information given to newly recruited employees should include such matters as conditions of work, rules of conduct, health and safety regulations, opportunities for training and advancement, worker’s rights and obligations, leisure facilities, welfare service and benefit schemes, the structure and the activities of the undertakings, its products, and the role of the particular job that the newcomer is to occupy within the enterprise.
Definition and Objectives of Induction:
Proper placement and formal induction or orientation of the newly selected employee is the pre-requisite of their successful performance on the given job. Therefore it is necessary to make the newly appointed employees familiar with their jobs, the company, the supervisors and colleagues so they fell at home and perform well their assigned duties.
Definition of Induction:
According to Edwin B Flippo “The induction is the welcoming process to make the new employee feel at home and generate in him a feeling of belonginess to the organization.”
According to Biliimoria B.P. “an induction is a technique by which a new employee is rehabilitated into the changed surrounding and introduced to the policies and practice of the organization. In simple word an induction is the process of receiving and welcoming of an employee when he the first joins a company and giving him the basic information he needs to settle down quickly and happily start the work.”
Induction Process:
The following are the steps in induction process:
(1) Welcoming the New Employees:
The first fundamental step in induction is welcoming the new employees as soon as he joins the organizations and is duly placed on the job and gives basic instruction.
(2) Induction with Immediate Superior:
After welcome of the new employees, the next step is to introduce him with his immediate superior or with his colleagues and briefly explains his duties, responsibilities authorities, work procedure and practices.
(3) To Impart Detail Instructions:
The third and last important step in induction is to give detail information about the company such as company policies, plans, targets objectives, goals, products services, future prospects, working environment, future facilities, salary structure promotional opportunities, transfer facilities etc. At this stage a new comer knows his job and forms opinion about it, of course which is positive and starts integrating himself with the organization his job and the environment.
Induction takes place sometimes within one week to six months from the time of the initial hiring and orientation. It is generally conducted either by foreman or a specialist. Its main purpose is to find out whether the employee is reasonably satisfied or not.
The new comer may ask whether his working hours and pay is satisfactory or not, how he feels about his fellow workers, he has any suggestion towards the changes in the induction procedure or in other company practices. The interviewer records all the answer and his own comments on the employee’s progress.
At the same time the line supervisor also completes an evaluation of the new employees, everything about their strengths and weaknesses and observes whether they are doing well or not. There is no certain duration of induction it depends on the nature and type of job and the employee. Shree B P Billimoria observed that induction has a greater significance in a developing country like India, where the percentage of illiteracy is very high.
There is no model induction procedure, each organization develops its own procedure as per its needs. Induction programme may be formal or informal. After the adequate training employees are prepared for higher position as and when required. Adequate opportunities are provided to the employees for building up their career in the organization itself. The personnel department plays a very vital role in this regard.
Placement and Induction of Employees – Significance, Considerations, Objectives, Benefits and Methods
Placement of Employees:
Placement is the assignment or reassignment of an employee to a new job. It includes the initial assignment of the new entrants and the transfer and promotion of the existing employees.
Placement is not an easy process. It is very difficult to adjust for a new employee who is quite unknown to the job and environment. For this reason, the employee is generally put on a probation period ranging from one year to two years.
At the end of the probation period, if the employee shows a good performance, he is confirmed as a regular employee of the organisation. Thus, the probation period or trial period is the transition period at the end of which management has to take a decision whether the employee should be made regular or discharged from the job.
It is important for both the organisation and the staff that each employee should be placed on a suitable job. While doing so, the factor to be considered is not only the suitability of the individual to the job but also the suitability of the job to the individual. Initial placement is always a problem because of lack of adequate knowledge about the new employee.
Therefore, placement should be made after due consideration of the demands of the job and the social, psychological needs of the individual. A company which has spent a lot of time and money in making a very careful selection may lose due to wrong placement.
Right placement of workers can have the following advantages:
(i) Reduced labour turnover rate.
(ii) Reduced absenteeism rate.
(iii) Increased safety of workers and lower accidents.
(iv) Increased morale of workers.
(v) Better human relations in the organisation.
Considerations in Placement of New Employees:
While taking the placement decision, the following considerations or principles must be kept in mind:
1. Job Requirements:
An employee should be placed on the job according to the requirements of the job such as physical and mental ability, eyesight, hearing, stress, etc. The job should not be adjusted according to the qualifications and abilities of the employee. Job placement profile charts can be used to match the workers physical and mental abilities with the job requirements.
This profile chart displays an evaluation of both job requirements and worker abilities for key features of the job so that management can easily determine how well a worker fits a job.
2. Suitable Qualifications:
The job should be offered to a person who is suitably qualified. Over qualified and under qualified persons might create problems for the organisation in the long-run.
3. Adequate Information to the Job Incumbent:
The employee should be provided with complete information and facts relating to the job, including the working conditions prevailing in the firm. He should also be informed about the rewards associated with various performance levels.
4. Commitment and Loyalty:
While placing the new employee, an effort should be made to develop a sense of commitment, loyalty and cooperation in his mind so that he may realise his responsibilities better towards the job, the organisation and his associates.
5. Flexibility:
The placement in the initial period may be temporary as changes are likely after the completion of training. The employee may be later transferred to the job where he can do better justice.
Proper placement helps to improve employee morale. The capacity of the employee can be utilised fully if he is placed on the job for which he is most suitable. Right placement also helps to reduce labour turnover, absenteeism and accident rates. If a candidate adjusts himself to the job and performs as per expectations, it would mean that the candidate is properly placed.
Induction of Employees:
Once the employee is selected and placed in the appropriate job, the next step is to make him familiar with the job and the organization. Induction is a planned process through which the new recruit is introduced to the job and the organization. In the induction process the new recruit is introduced to the physical and human working environment. Through the induction process the employee is acquainted with the organisational policy, work rules, employee benefits, and daily work routine.
The new recruit is introduced to the fellow employees and his supervisor. It helps the employees to settle down to work quickly. A new recruit may feel shy, insecure and nervous at new work place. A proper induction process removes anxiety, shyness and nervousness and puts the new personnel at ease.
The objectives of systematic induction are:
(a) To build up the new employee’s confidence in the company and in himself, so that he can become an efficient worker.
(b) To give the new employee information and knowledge of the company, its organisation structure and products.
(c) To give him information that he needs, such as the time to break, off for tiffin, where to find the canteen, the wash room, etc., what leave he is entitled to and how to apply for it, and so on.
(d) To foster a close and cordial relationship between the newcomers and the old employees and their supervisors.
(e) To ensure that the newcomers do not form false impression and negative attitude towards the organisation or the job because first impression is the last impression.
(f) To promote among employees a feeling of “belonging” and loyalty to the company.
Benefits of Induction:
The benefits of formal induction are as under:
(i) It reduces new employee’s anxieties and provides him an opportunity to know about the organisation and its people.
(ii) It helps the new employees in knowing the expectations of the organisation and its executives.
(iii) It fosters a uniform understanding among the employees about the company’s objectives, policies, principles, strategies, and what the company expects of its people. The new employees are also interested in learning about the total organisation. Orientation tells them how they and their unit fit into the “big picture”.
(iv) It builds a positive attitude towards the company and its stakeholders. First day is crucial because new employee remembers it for years. A well-managed orientation programme leaves a lasting impression on the mind of the new employee.
(v) It builds and strengthens two-way communication in the company.
(vi) It helps speed up socialisation process by making the new employee understand the social, technical and cultural aspects of the workplace. The new employee becomes a part of the social fabric of the organisation and develops a sense of belongingness.
Contents of Induction Program:
Induction may be informal in case of small firms and formal of the duration of two to four weeks in case of big organisations. Orientation training course should not be too lengthy. It need not necessarily be given on the day when the new employee joins his duties.
But if a formal course is to be attended after two or three weeks on the job, the initial introduction and the immediately needed information should be provided to the new employee by an HR executive and a departmental executive.
An induction program should cover the following topics:
(i) Company’s history, vision, mission and philosophy.
(ii) Products and services of the company.
(iii) Company’s organisation structure.
(iv) Location of departments and employee services,
(v) Employees’ activities like clubs, credit society etc.
(vi) Personnel policies and procedures,
(vii) Standing orders.
(viii) Rules and regulations.
(ix) Terms and conditions of service.
(x) Grievance procedure.
(xi) Safety measures.
(xii) Benefits and services for employees.
(xiii) Training facilities.
(xiv) Transfer and promotion policies.
(xv) Career advancement schemes.
(xvi) Counselling facility.
The following gives us an idea as to how new employees are inducted into the organization:
(1) New employees are shown where they have to work and left to themselves for getting acquainted with fellow workers, company rules, etc.
(2) New employees are taken to the place of work and introduced to the supervisor/departmental heads, who in turn introduce them to their task and fellow workers.
(3) The supervisor informs the new employees about the plant, company rules, nature of product/products, process of production, etc. and
(4) An old experienced employee (sponsor) introduces the new employees to their work and fellow workers.
In many organizations, a booklet is issued, titled as ‘know your company’, or ‘this concerns you’, or aap ki company ki parichay pustika, introducing new employees to the organization and giving relevant information to them.
The information given to various categories of employees at the time of induction is noted to be as follows:
(1) Information about the organization,
(2) Information about the company product/products,
(3) Information about the working rules and regulations,
(4) Information about the company’s benefit plans in operation,
(5) Information about the company’s recreational and educational activities,
(6) Information about the union (if the company is unionized).
It is also noted that in many companies no information about rules and regulations or working and service conditions during inductions are given presumably because these are incorporated in the standing orders and employees are supposed to go through such orders.
The Industrial Employment (standing orders) Act, 1946, applies to those establishments wherein 100 or more workmen are employed or were employed on any day of the preceding 12 months. The objective of the Act is to require employers and industrial establishments to define precisely the conditions of employment for employees and to make the said conditions known to workmen through them. The Act applies to manual, skilled, supervisory, technical, or clerical personnel covered by the definition of workmen in the Act.
Guidelines for Effective Induction Procedure:
For achieving intended results, care should be taken of the following points:
(i) Orientation should be thoroughly planned and those conducting the program should give due attention to specific problems faced by the new employees.
(ii) Supervisors should be trained in the art of orientation of new workers. Thus, induction should be treated as a special duty.
(iii) Human side is the most important part of orientation. Therefore, first of all the new employee should be introduced to the people with whom he will work-his colleagues, superiors and subordinates. A tea party may also be arranged for this purpose.
(iv) The new employee should be informed about the rules that apply to him as well as the specific work situation and job requirements.
(v) Orientation should be a gradual process. The participants should not be overloaded with too much information.
(vi) The supervisions should answer the questions and clarify the doubts that the employee may have about the job and the organisation.
HR Department’s Role and Induction:
Some human resource departments regard induction as a ‘staff’ function, while others place it in the ‘line’. Most companies place the responsibility with the line manager receiving staff assistance. This is perhaps due to the fact that the most important person involved in the orientation process is the supervisor of the new employee. Supervisors generally require special training in this function.
The HR department should not overlook its own responsibility for training all those involved in the orientation process. In a relatively large company, it is especially important that the line manager and personnel specialist coordinate the information content needed by the new employee.
Often new employees receive information that they do not immediately need, and fail to get vital information needed during the first few days of the new job. The contribution of the HR specialist in the orientation process is mainly through the design of the induction programme/course, and conducting the same with the assistance of ‘line’.
Keeping in view the sensitive awareness, anxiety, and the need which new employees reflect, such a task is quite challenging. Further, HR professionals help systematize the process through developing an orientation checklist providing feedback to the process and improving the same. Increasing effectiveness of induction programme through developing suitable communication devices suited to specific type of employees could be another area of their contribution in this regard.
The following activities may be undertaken by the HR departments in the context of induction:
i. Welcome the new recruit to the organization.
ii. Explain what the company does, its history, and his/her (employee) place in the organization.
iii. Give the new recruit a company employee’s handbook.
iv. Explain the new recruit the rules that need specific emphasis.
v. Describe the role of trade union in the organization.
vi. Familiarize the new recruit with the existing welfare and recruitment benefit schemes in the organization.
vii. Explain the importance of regular attendance.
viii. Introduce the new recruit to career/promotion prospects.
ix. Take the new recruits on a brief tour to the different departments in the organization explaining the relationship of his/her department with other departments, and
x. Lastly, hand the new recruit over to the concerned supervisor/departmental head where he/she is supposed to work.
Assignments and Follow-Ups:
The final phase of the orientation programme is the assignment of the new employees to the job. At this point, the supervisor is supposed to take over and continue to orient new employees. One way to assure adequate orientation is to design a feedback system to help assure that the employees have received the required information. Holland and Curtis have designed forms (checklist) that could be used for feedback.
Such a form can be suitably adapted in the Indian situation too. Here, the new employee is instructed to ‘complete the checklist, and then take it to the supervisor, who will go through it with the employee, and give him/her any additional information he may need’. This will be signed both by the employee and the supervisor.
An appointment may be fixed by the orienting group with the employee, say, within a month of employment. Such an appointment by an orienting group provides follow-up opportunity to determine how well the employee is adjusting, and permits evaluation of the orientation programme itself.