Discover what you should cover during week one of your induction to ensure your new starter feels they've made the right career choice and are getting to know the workplace, team and role better.
During the first week you should focus on:
-
wellbeing support
-
building networks and peer support
-
prioritising mandatory and statutory learning
-
setting expectations through establishing early supervision
-
seek feedback on useful aspects of the induction and anything they are unclear about
-
identifying and managing early concerns.
Word - 32kb
This list can be used to ensure your induction plan covers all the recommended aspects during the first week.
Learn more about what we recommend you focus on around:
Continue to ensure your new starter feels supported and create a sense of belonging during their first week with a particular focus on their wellbeing, their networks and peer support. Evidence shows that ensuring colleagues make time for new starters can significantly affect their early impressions and improve retention.
Wellbeing
Focussing on the emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing of your new staff from the beginning can make a real difference to whether they stay or leave. Let them know wellbeing is a priority and where they can go for support. Make sure that it’s a regular part of your one-to-ones and supervision and is a focus in all your interactions moving forward.
Use our wellbeing resources to support your staff. You can signpost your new starter to these webpages too.
Building networks
During their first week, explain how you connect people into their local and staff networks to help them understand the organisation and communities they will be supporting. These can include:
-
local communities
-
existing staff networks
-
WhatsApp groups
-
social media.
Share information about support groups or networks they can join. These may include the registered manager or deputy manager networks from Skills for Care, or diversity networks in your area.
For those new to the area, provide information about the local community, give a tour of the local area, including places where services may be accessed or where to visit including the supermarket, places of worship, bank, post office and attractions etc.
Peer support
Plan in some time for the peer support to get started, for them to look at how they can support each other and to encourage rapport. Outline your ambitions for the peer support and answer any questions. Find out more about peer support.
In the pre-arrival induction plan you should have identified how your new starter will be supervised and how their performance will be measured during the induction and probationary period.
Be clear with the new starter what the length of the probationary period is and when and how it will be signed off. Sign off should be when the manager believes the member of staff is safe and competent to be confirmed in post.
In week one you should plan in an initial supervision meeting to:
-
explain what supervision is for, how it will be conducted and how their performance will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and at what intervals (usually monthly)
-
set clear expectations of the conduct, values and behaviours, and standards you expect to see
-
go through the job description to check if they have any questions and document that it has been shared with them
-
explain what happens if someone under-performs, and how any concerns about performance will be managed
-
go through relevant probationary or review periods that apply and advise when it’s to be successfully completed by, and when it may need to be extended
-
share feedback about them from their interview and advise of any relevant training to support their development with clear time frames for completion
-
describe how they will receive feedback, how they can give feedback, and how they can request feedback, to support them to learn and improve and highlight the value of feedback to help improvements
-
explain and update any goals, objectives, and performance records
-
introduce the new care workforce pathway for adult social care and how it can support them as they develop their career in care.
Our supervision guide can support you to learn more about supervision and how it can support your new starter.
In week one it’s important to set expectations about any mandatory or statutory learning that your new starter needs to complete. This may be the Care Certificate, Manager Induction Standards, or other role specific learning, such as AAT certification for a finance officer.
Discussions about learning, development and training should cover:
-
what they need to complete and why it’s important to their role
-
how it’s delivered and how to access it (face to face/ online)
-
when it needs to be undertaken and completed - within work hours, on the job, from an office or at home.
-
online skills and technology that they will need to access, understand and use in their role.
Ensure they know you have an open-door policy, explaining what they should do or where to go if they need support or have completed it all.
New starters can also look to other organisations who can provide more specific support and learning opportunities such as: