Starting your new job

When you start your new job, you should have a planned induction period, tailored to the needs of the post which you are taking up, to introduce you to your workplace and role.

Whilst the principles of good induction apply to all roles, the information below is most relevant for those in professional services/technician roles.

Effective induction

should:

  • make you feel welcome, helping you to successfully settle into your new role;
  • enable you to learn the role and perform it well;
  • provide clarity on performance expectations;
  • lead into an effective probation process (see below).

Before your first day at work

  • You must have received the standard contracts, cover letter and attachments.
  • Work permits (if necessary) must have been arranged for you.
  • You should have been told at what time to arrive, what to bring with you, to whom you should report, and (if there are particular clothing requirements relating to health and safety or business needs) what you should wear.

On the first day in post

  • Your line manager should have planned an induction programme, drawing up a programme of events and meetings for you.
  • Practical issues should also have been covered, such as organising the physical space in which you will work, informing other colleagues that a new employee is to join the department.
  • You will need to be shown round the department (especially the location of fire escapes, and facilities for refreshments and toilets), be told about fire and evacuation and reporting procedures, and be given the basic information about your role and the induction process.

By the end of your first few weeks in post

you can expect to understand the following:

  • the function of your role and what is expected of you;
  • who the key members of staff in the department are and what they do;
  • the basic geography and the facilities of the department;
  • training and development needs and how these are to be addressed, including whom to approach should you identify any further induction/development needs;
  • the relationship of the process of induction to the probation and PDR processes, and when your  mid-probationary review meeting will take place.

The length of your probationary period will be stated in your letter of appointment; its purpose is to ensure that anyone taking up a new appointment is, within a reasonable period of time, able to gain a full understanding of the requirements of the post and to achieve a satisfactory level of performance. See Personnel Services’ guidance on probation for more detail.

During probation

As well as regular one-to-one meetings with your line manager, you should have a mid-probation review and an end-of-probation review, both diarised well in advance. 

Once probation is successfully completed

Alongside continuing routine one-to-one meetings with your line manager, you should have a regular (usually annual) personal development review or PDR.