Jayne McCabe, National Leadership and Management Lead at Skills for Care, explores how a great induction supports good mental health and reduces anxiety for new employees.
Starting a new job is a daunting prospect for almost anyone. Regardless of how long you’ve been in the workforce, the idea of meeting new people and taking on new tasks, processes or ways of working is more than enough to trigger anxiety. To me, it makes sense that this concern should be high on the list of priorities for any good employer. Your new staff’s mental health and wellbeing will have a huge impact on how they perform and how likely they are to remain with you throughout this fledgling period.
I will say that most of the time, these worries about being the new person at work are swept aside when we meet our new colleagues and proper support is put in place to allow us to become accustomed to our new surroundings. However, this experience is made much easier when one crucial part of the new job experience is done well: induction.
Your new employee’s first impressions of your organisation will have a big impact on their integration within the team and how happy they are. We know from our Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) data that this initial period is when a person is at higher risk of leaving employment. So, it’s crucial that we treat induction as an opportunity to welcome the new recruit, help them settle in and ensure they have the knowledge and support they need to perform their role confidently. Without this, they’re more likely to feel confused, isolated and have heightened feelings of anxiety around expectations and performance.
A great induction process starts well before your new staff has arrived. For each new member of staff, it’s good practice to ensure they are contacted the week prior to their first day to make sure they have all the details and tools they need to attend their induction. This could include proper access to digital induction platforms (Zoom or Microsoft Teams, for example) or a phone or laptop.
You should also consider the diverse needs of your new staff before they’ve arrived. Do they require any adjustments or accommodations to do their role properly? Is there anything that was agreed prior to their employment that requires time to put in place? If so, these should be addressed well before your new team member begins.
A new starter’s first day should be focused on welcoming them and making them feel comfortable, introducing them to the organisation, job role, processes and colleagues. You also need to establish a schedule of regular contact with the new starter and make sure they know how and when they’ll receive contact throughout the coming weeks and months.
Feedback is a crucial part of any induction process. When you readily invite feedback on your processes, you show that your organisation has a culture that values continuous improvement, and you improve the experience for future inductees. Iterating on your induction will ensure your induction remains effective over time and continues to meet the needs of future team members.
To help support managers and organisations deliver the best induction possible, we’ve created a manager’s induction toolkitimanager’s induction toolkit. This toolkit will support you to offer a robust induction to fully support new starters and ensure you create the right first impression.
The toolkit includes:
- checklists for each stage of induction – first day, week, month and beyond
- lists of activities to consider with signposts to resources and templates which you can tailor
- a ’72-hours out’ checklist to prepare pre-arrival
- guidance on inducting and supporting disabled workers and those with protected characteristics
- guidance on gathering feedback and improving the experience.
Skills for Care and NHS England have also created free-to-access induction materials for anyone new to a role in health and social care.
The ‘National induction for health and social care’ii brings together virtual learning modules and resources to equip new starters with a clear understanding of health and social care, helping to build a sense of belonging and support retention.
It introduces different subjects important to social care, such as how to deliver personalised care, why we have regulation, what roles we might come across in our work and what they do.
All content is available online to use as part of your induction. Users will need to register for a free account to access. You can do this with any email address.
By focusing on a well-structured and thoughtful induction process, you can care for your new staff’s mental health and put them in the best headspace possible to perform in their role. A clear, supportive introduction to the team and role helps alleviate the anxiety that often accompanies starting a new job. Ultimately, investing in a good induction process creates a foundation for happy, engaged staff who are equipped to succeed, and this is what’s required to deliver the best care possible.
