As a small business, you may feel you do not have the time to spend with new employees, but judging by the potential benefits induction has to offer, you need to reconsider your position and create some time.

What will new employees need to know?  
Depending on the job they have taken on; and the type of employee you have employed, the new employee will need to be aware of:

• Where they will be working
• What equipment they will be operating
• Who they will be working with
• The size of you company and who will be responsible for them
• The terms of employment

You now need to decide on how long it would take for the employee to absorb this information; for example, if your employee needs to collaborate with another member of staff as part of their job, then they will need to meet with this staff member and be shown their work process fully.

If you new staff member is required to use machinery or equipment they are not fully conversed with, it may be wise to set up short training sessions in order for them to use the equipment properly. Staff cannot be held responsibly for mistakes as a result of ineffective or sub-standard training, and you cannot "suppose" other staff members will show new staff members what to do.  You are ultimately responsible so you need to create a course of action.

An Induction plan
Once you decide to take your new employee on, you will have given them a date to start, this might be the right time to conduct your induction process.  Plan the day so it can be both productive and instructive, your aim being to help your employee to feel settled and confident.