Orientation and Placement | Commerce & Accountancy Optional Notes for UPSC PDF Download

Introduction

• Upon the recruitment of an employee, the initial focus shifts to induction or orientation programs, aimed at acquainting the individual with the job, fellow colleagues, and the surrounding environment. Induction, often referred to as orientation, is characterized as a process that guides and counsels employees, familiarizing them with the organization and their job roles. This phase significantly influences job tenure and effectiveness.
• The induction process serves multiple objectives, including creating a positive impression of the organization, fostering attitude development, instilling a sense of belonging, promoting learning, and encouraging teamwork with other employees. It plays a role in minimizing employee grievances, frustration, turnover, and contributes to achieving various training objectives. The induction program elucidates the terms and conditions of employment, communicates specific job requirements, and instills confidence in both the company and the employees regarding their ability to effectively fulfill assigned tasks.
• Regarding the contents of the induction program, it encompasses a broad spectrum of information typically found in the employee handbook or manual. The program's content should be outlined in the form of a checklist specifying the topics to be covered. Evaluation of the program should involve follow-up activities, including interviews with new employees to identify and rectify any gaps in their knowledge and attitude.
• Induction is explicitly a line responsibility, supported by staff advice and guidance. The supervisor, foreman, or manager should undergo training in the induction process. It is crucial to ensure that they do not entirely delegate this significant responsibility to fellow workers. The Personnel Department of the organization should take responsibility for training managers, supervisors, or attendants in induction and periodically evaluating the program. Various induction methods can be employed based on the organization's needs. However, it is essential to note that specific methods are effective for particular categories of employees, which should be determined through thorough research programs. The unit delves into the discussion of several effective methods for inducting new employees.

The Importance of Proper Induction

• The term "induction" signifies the installation or initiation of a new recruit into a specific position or job and their introduction to the team comprising the organization's workforce. Induction is the process of familiarizing new recruits with an organization and elucidating their roles within it.
  The induction process primarily focuses on the following aspects:
  • Introduction to the firm, its environment, systems, and people.
  • Introduction to the department, the actual job/work, and its requirements.
• Typically commencing with a guided tour of the premises, induction holds significance as the impressions formed by new employees during this period can shape their perception of the organization for an extended period. Effective induction procedures aid employees in quickly and smoothly adapting to unfamiliar and initially uncomfortable environments. Newcomers aspire to succeed, perform well, be accepted by colleagues, and integrate into the organization, objectives that induction procedures should facilitate.
• In contrast to the negative process of eliminating unsuitable candidates during selection, induction is considered a positive step and is integral to the accomplishment of effective placement. In smaller organizations, the initiation process may be informal, while larger organizations involve a series of steps to help new recruits integrate into the organization, become acquainted with supervisors and colleagues, and achieve personal adjustment to working relationships. The initial weeks or months may pose challenges for new employees in terms of personal adjustment due to various factors such as time-keeping schedules, new supervisors, social structures, workloads, internal cliques, and changes from their previous experiences.
• The policy on induction and placement aims to ensure that new recruits quickly feel and develop themselves as part of the organization.
  This may involve several steps:
  a) Providing a guided tour of the premises and formal/informal introductions to supervisors, fellow workers, and appropriate methods for performing assigned tasks.
  b) Offering vocational guidance for the specific job, trade, skill, or profession, considering changes in job roles, technology, or the environment.
  c) Balancing the interests and aptitudes of individuals against long-term job requirements, requiring those responsible for guidance to possess skills in assessing aptitudes, interests, and related traits. If necessary, the organization's literature should also be provided to the new recruit.

Induction Process

The personnel department and the department where the new recruit is placed should undertake the following activities:

In the Personnel Department:

1. Extend a warm welcome to the organization.
2. Collect any necessary documents and provide relevant information (e.g., details).
3. Explain the company's background, history, and the new employee's role within the group.
4. Outline the responsibilities of the new employee's department and its connections to other departments.
5. Provide the new recruit with a company employee handbook (if available).
6. Highlight specific rules that require particular emphasis.
7. If applicable or necessary, explain the trade union's position in the organization.
8. Discuss employee welfare aspects, including retirement benefits, pension and life assurance schemes, and any other relevant schemes (e.g., sickness benefits, suggestion schemes).
9. Ensure awareness of correct working hours, pay rates, payment schedules, sickness, and holiday entitlements.
10. Emphasize the importance of regular attendance.
11. Explain the type of training the new employee will undergo and discuss career prospects.
12. Address any questions the employee may have.
13. Conduct a brief tour of the organization to provide an overview, concluding in the employee's department. Hand them over to the manager.
14. Utilize a prepared flip-chart showing the organization's sections, if available, to aid in induction.

In the Department:

1. Welcome the new employee to the department.
2. Explain the department's functions.
3. Clarify the tasks the employee will be performing.
4. Ensure awareness of:
   a) The relevance of the employee's work and the department's role in the organization.
   b) Organizational goals and policies.
   c) Relevant procedures.
5. Emphasize the importance of safety, review applicable safety rules, explain procedures in case of accidents, and address fire safety.
6. Introduce the new recruit to the person responsible for their training.
7. If applicable, introduce the trade union representative.
8. Introduce other members of the department.
9. Commence the employee's job training as appropriate.
10. Check the employee's progress during the first day.
11. At the end of the second day, hold a discussion with the trainee to assess progress, ask and answer questions.
12. Check progress at least once on subsequent days, and at the end of the first week, engage in a comprehensive discussion to determine if the employee is adapting to the job and is satisfied with the organization.

Induction should be regarded as a comprehensive process, not easily concluded with a brief orientation program. Quick injections of concentrated information may not be effective. The introduction of a new employee to colleagues and immediate supervisors should prioritize creating a comfortable environment. This is crucial for the future, as the employee, once familiar with the job, may have questions or concerns that they might be hesitant to address initially. Establishing comfort with colleagues and supervisors encourages the new entrant to ask questions or discuss any problems encountered during their assigned tasks. Therefore, the induction process needs to be extended over several weeks or months.
Large organizations often initiate the process with a preliminary counseling interview, followed by formal orientation sessions, lectures, and supplementary materials such as literature and audio-visual programs like charts, pictures, slides, and films. The complexity of induction and orientation increases when new employees are posted to other offices or branches nationwide, as is common in large hotel chains.
Follow-up is a continuous and crucial procedure. Induction is incomplete without follow-up, which serves as an audit of the entire process and an evaluation of how successfully a new employee adjusts to the organization.
An induction program typically involves three steps:

• General Orientation by Staff: Provides essential general information about the history and orientation of the firm, aiming to instill pride and interest in the organization among employees.
• Specific Orientation by Job Supervisor: Involves showing the employee the department, their workspace, the location of facilities, and informing them about the organization's specific practices and customs. The goal is to help the employee adjust to their work and work environment.
• Follow-up Orientation by Either the Personnel Department or the Supervisor: Conducted within one week to six months of the initial induction, either by a foreman or a specialist. The purpose is to assess whether the employee is reasonably satisfied with the organization and their work. Through personal talks, guidance, and counseling, efforts are made to address any difficulties experienced by the newcomer.

Placement 

• The actual posting or placement of an employee into a specific job involves an element of experimentation and is often a crucial step for most employees. The department head or supervisor should be willing to accept the new recruit if there is sufficient reason to believe that they can fulfill the job requirements, handle the working conditions and stress, and appreciate the offered benefits like pay, job satisfaction, companionship with fellow workers, and promotion prospects. While it is challenging to align all these factors perfectly, both the personnel department and the line staff must collaborate to achieve the best fit.
• To assess the new employee's compatibility and acceptance by the line, a common practice is to put them on probation for a specified period, during which they are on trial. This probationary period may vary from a few weeks or months to, in some cases, a year or two, especially in government positions.
• If, during the trial period, the new employee is not deemed acceptable to the line department, the personnel department may conduct another interview to explore the possibility of placing them in another job that better suits their qualifications, aptitudes, or previous experience. This second placement is sometimes referred to as "differential placement," which is gaining relevance due to the increasing costs of recruitment and selection, evolving employee attitudes, higher education accessibility, and improving living standards.

Induction as an Integrated Part of Training

• With the exception of a few multinational companies or institutions that adhere to their parent company's practices, systematic methods of regular induction and careful placement of new employees are largely unfamiliar in most organizations. In government, semi-government, public sector, and other autonomous organizations, substantial funds are allocated for advertisements and selection processes. However, after recruitment, new employees are often left to navigate through the complex and lengthy structures of large organizations, where they depend on sometimes ill-equipped, unqualified, and biased supervisors and managers.
• In private organizations, except for a few exceptions, there is generally a lack of time and commitment to what is perceived as unproductive activities. The personnel department's effectiveness is limited without cooperation from line managers and staff.
• Despite a significant shortage of adequately trained individuals, many organizations are either unaware of the need for well-organized induction and placement programs or consider them unnecessary expenditures. Such organizations fail to recognize that without proper induction and training, an employee may only be partially productive in their assigned role.
• Moreover, in the Indian context, legal regulations stipulate that an employee becomes permanent automatically after the probation period, which is typically 15 days in factories and 3 to 6 months in other establishments. Discharging an employee after completing the probationary period is challenging and involves disciplinary actions.
• A well-planned and executed induction program is an integral part of training. The follow-up of a new employee ensures their adjustment to the new environment. If the line department or supervisor takes a genuine and constructive interest in the new employee, their suitability and acceptance as a member of the working group or team are assured.
• From the perspective of industrial psychologists or sociologists, this task may be seen as a challenge in assimilation, which a supervisor might refer to as "teamwork." Management and supervision should demonstrate sensible concern for the proper induction of new workers to achieve positive changes in the new employee's attitude, which is the ultimate goal of training. It is crucial for management to understand that the induction process extends beyond introducing the new employee to their new environment; proper follow-up is essential to ensure the right person is placed in the right job.

Conclusion

This underscored the significance and necessity of a well-organized and systematic induction process for new employees within an organization. It emphasized the importance of methodical induction programs, positioning them as a crucial precursor to formal "training." The unit highlighted the increasing costs associated with employees and the legal regulations in India, emphasizing the need for careful attention during the initial weeks or months. After the probationary period, an employee attains permanent status within the organization, making it imperative to exercise due diligence during this period.