Introduction
A business will use induction programmes in order to introduce new employees to the
business, through giving them necessary information about the business and their job role to
make sure employees are aware of the business values, and what will be expected of them.
The main purpose of induction training is to effectively support an employee in starting their
job role, as this will give new employees the opportunity to find out more about the business,
the role they will be doing and the team they will be working with. Through induction
programmes new employees will be aware of business processes, where everything within
the business is and what the goals of the business are. Induction programmes are important
for the business to make sure all new employees feel welcome and valued from an early
stage which will help create a positive, strong and lasting first impression on the employee.
A good induction programme will help to develop the individual through preparing them for
the job role they are about to work in, while also benefiting the business through the reduced
staff turnover, improved productivity and staff satisfaction that training will provide the
business with, as trained employees will feel valued by the business due to managers
spending time and money on training individuals. Through a good induction programme,
individuals should have an understanding of what the business culture is like within the
business they want to work in, so that individuals are aware of the values of the business
and understand the way that tasks should be achieved before they start their job in the
business. As well as this, an induction programme will give employees a true understanding
into what the responsibilities of their job role are, so that individuals can make sure they are
going into the job that is right for them. By employees understanding their job
responsibilities, they will be able to effectively prioritise tasks, effectively complete tasks and
have an understanding of why they need to complete each task to help the business
succeed. A good induction programme will also keep employees satisfied, as they will have
the opportunity to get to know the team they are working with before they start their job, so
that they can be settled into the organisation by the time they have to complete their job
responsibilities and understand who they can go to for support and guidance. This will make
new individuals feel supported within the workplace, which will increase staff motivation and
decrease staff turnover as a result, encouraging them to work to the best of their ability. A
final advantage of a good induction programme is that employees will have all the necessary
information to adapt to the working environment of the business, such as understanding
business procedures and policies, like health and safety guidelines and support in working
effectively through learning how tasks are completed within the business, as this will show
employees new ways of doing things which can help them succeed in their chosen role.
However, if an induction programme is not effectively carried out then this will have more of
a cost on the business than a benefit, as the number of customers that a business gets may
be negatively impacted as employees may be lacking the customer service skills they need
to give customers a satisfactory experience when they are shopping at the business. As a
result of poor induction training, employees will be less motivated, less likely to understand
the values of the business and what the business offers and will be less trained on how to
satisfy customer needs. This would likely lead to customers going to another business where
staff have had an effective induction programme and can easily meet the needs of their
customers, reducing in a loss of returning customers and sales for the business with the
poor induction programme. Another cost that a poor induction programme will give a
business is poor reputation. This is due to the fact that a poor induction programme might
not inform employees on how they can manage health and safety risks within the workplace,
, and therefore employees will be more likely to injure themselves which could lead to very
dissatisfied employees and possibly legal consequences for the business as the individual
will not have the knowledge they need to do their job safely without injuring themselves.
Injured employees will also want to take time off work to recover, and this will negatively
impact the efficiency of the business as well as there will be less employees to complete
tasks and help the business achieve their aims and objectives. Another way that the
reputation of the business can be damaged is through employees not being able to meet
customers expectations through the poor induction programme they received, as they might
not know much about what the business has to offer and how they should communicate with
their customers. Furthermore, employees could give bad reviews about the business they
work for as they might not feel valued by their manager if they have been given a poor
induction programme, and this will create a negative review for the business which could put
people off from shopping there or getting a job there in the future. An additional cost of poor
induction programmes is employees will not have a true understanding of what their job role
is, and the responsibilities they will need to complete as part of their role, which will result in
business efficiency being impacted as employees might be confused or unsure about how to
complete the tasks that are expected of them.
In Tesco, the current induction programme is designed for customer assistants, who are
responsible for directing customers in finding the goods and services they have came into
the store for, as well as possibly working on the checkout, or stocking shelves, customer
assistants play an important role in the success of Tesco and therefore Tesco will want to
design their induction programme around customer assistants to ensure that the store is
running successfully in order for Tesco to make a profit. Currently, Tesco’s induction process
involves a range of activities which new employees must complete in order to find out more
about the role they will be doing and if it is the right job for them, discover more about Tesco
and their business values, as well as to reduce workplace stress by new employees having
the opportunity to meet the colleagues they will be working with in the future, and being
taught new and efficient ways of working by them to help new employees succeed at being a
customer assistant within Tesco. Within Tesco’s induction process, new employees will be
expected to complete a range of tasks, from filling out health and safety forms, completing a
tour of the store, receiving till training, meeting the colleagues they will be working with, and
identifying any future training needs to help them exceed in their role at Tesco (TSR, 2022).
This usually lasts for about 4 to 6 hours, but depending on the job size this induction could
take multiple days. One of the current strengths of Tesco’s induction programme is, it has
helped Tesco keep their staff turnover 5.1% below industry average at 29.9% compared to
the industry average of 35% (Personnel Today). This is due to the fact that a successful
induction programme will help to retain staff by ensuring they fit into their new workplace well
and know how to do their job effectively through the mentoring they will receive by either the
manager or other employees. Through an effective induction, employees should feel inspired
to work for a business through learning what the business culture and goals are as new
employees will want to work towards achieving these goals and supporting the business’s
culture, which should make an employee feel motivated to come to work each day and work
their hardest to see the business being successful. This will encourage employees to stay
working within Tesco rather than quitting their jobs to move elsewhere, and as Tesco’s staff
turnover rate is lower than average, this shows that their induction programme is already
effective in keeping employees satisfied. Another strength of Tesco’s current induction
programme is that new employees will get hands-on work experience to discover if the job
