Induction: guidance for new starters

Induction: an introduction
Welcome to the University of York. We hope that you have a rewarding and enjoyable
career with us.
The University recognises that its staff is fundamental to its success. The importance of
induction is reflected in our staff development policy, which states that 'all staff (should)
receive an appropriately organised University and local induction in a timely fashion'.
Induction can help you to perform your role successfully, as well as enabling you to
clearly understand what is expected in terms of your performance. Similarly it can help
you settle into your role as quickly and easily as possible. In a relatively large and
complex organisation like the University of York these roles are extremely diverse. Your
induction is also likely to shape how you view your role, as well as your department and
the University as a whole.
Over the next few weeks you are likely to receive a considerable amount of information
and meet a large number of different people. This guide is designed to help you by
outlining the main elements within your induction period as well as explaining your role
in it. It outlines what should take place in your first week and also over the rest of your
period of induction. It also explains how this period links to your period of probation (as
you may be aware, the terms and conditions of most newly appointed staff indicate that
they will be subject to a probationary period).
The guide is particularly relevant to those of you who have recently joined the University,
but much of the information provided may also be relevant if you are moving to a new
role within the University. This is covered in the final section of the guide.

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Who is responsible for your induction?
Your role
At the University of York there is a shared responsibility for staff development between
individuals, line managers and training and development providers. As well as your line
manager, there may be others who will be involved in your induction.
Induction at the University should be 'learner centred'. This means taking responsibility
for your own learning, asking questions (of which there may be many at the start of your
University of York career!) and actively working to ensure that your induction programme
is successfully completed. To ensure that you, the learner, are placed at the centre of
your own induction, your line manager and others involved should help to ensure that it
is tailored to your individual needs. On your part, we seek to place the responsibility for
your successful development with you. You should not feel that induction is just
something done to you or is just a process whereby a considerable amount of
information is passed over to you. It is about you actively contributing to the
achievement of your own induction programme .
This may appear quite daunting, but there will be a number of ways in which you will be
supported in this. As well as having an induction programme, you are likely to receive
an induction checklist [pdf] which identifies the main activities which are likely to be
required as part of your induction. This Checklist is not meant to be an exhaustive one
and may be amended to reflect your own or your departments requirements. Although
many of the activities will focus on the specific requirements of your role, some will help
you to develop an understanding of your own department and indeed of the University
as a whole. With regards to the latter, you may find two channels of information
particularly helpful:
If you have not already done so, familiarise yourself with some of the information
available from the University website. This will be a valuable source of information
during and indeed beyond your induction period. Two areas you may find
particularly useful are York Extra, which provides details of current events,
activities and other information across the University as well as at a more local
level, and the University Plan [pdf]. The latter, which covers the period 2009 19,
expresses the aspirations of the University community and will help you to

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understand our goals and values.
The University Plan is discussed in the central induction event, which you are
strongly encouraged to attend. This programme, which is relevant to all staff that
are new to the University, is held several times a year. Using a mixture of
presentations and activities, it provides an introduction to the University in the
broader context. In addition it will also provide you with an opportunity to meet and
network with new colleagues across the University.
Your managers role
Your line manager will normally have the overall responsibility for your induction, but
others are also likely to be involved in it. Practice will vary according to departments.
Those involved in your induction could include colleagues, other departments and those
involved in centrally co-ordinated inductions, including the central induction event.
In many departments you will be allocated an induction colleague or buddy. His or her
role may vary across departments, but is likely to be your immediate point of contact. He
or she may also provide specific information, support with activities or on-the-job training
and may be able to answer many of the questions you have. In other departments you
may be introduced to a colleague who will provide more of a mentoring role. This may
be a less formal and longer term relationship.
An induction programme should have been put together for you by your manager,
perhaps in conjunction with your induction colleague or buddy. This should provide a
plan showing what exactly you will need to learn and do during your induction period.
As weve seen, this should provide a balance between specific on-the-job training and
broader information regarding the department and the University itself. The programme
should incorporate some of the main elements and activities from the induction checklist
[pdf]. It should be discussed, clarified and agreed with you when you join.

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Induction and probation
Your offer of appointment is likely to have explained that you will be subject to a period
of probation. For many staff this period will be six months, which is the same as the
normal induction period. Details of the probation policy (which applies to all staff), the probation procedure for academic staff
probation procedure for academic staff and the probation procedure for support staff,
including research only and teaching only staff are available online. Its objective is 'to
ensure the University is provided with an opportunity to assess the skills, conduct,
capability and attendance of new staff before deciding whether or not to confirm their
appointment'. If you are unclear about whether or not you are subject to a period of
probation or of its length, please contact your manager or Human Resources.
The probation process should work alongside the induction process. Together they
should help to create a positive and supportive working environment by allowing you to
settle into the University and learn the key elements of the job within a reasonable and
realistic timescale.
The induction programme and induction checklist [pdf] identify what needs to be done.
The Probation Review Form [doc] or other appropriate document should help clarify
how well things need to be done. Part 1 of the Probation Review Form should be
completed and agreed within your first week of joining. Its objectives are to clarify the
performance standards expected of you and identify the support, training and feedback
necessary for you to achieve those standards. After your first week, review meetings
should be held on a regular basis, with the form providing the main support
documentation.

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The stages of your induction
Before you start work
You will receive pre-arrival information from Human Resources or perhaps from the
Department which you have joined. In some cases you may have been in further
contact with your new manager or Department. If you decide you want to find out more
about the University, a good starting point will be the staff pages of the website.
You may be asked in your letter of appointment to provide certain information before
you commence work, for example documentary evidence that you are legally entitled to
live and work in the UK.
Your pre-arrival information should contain details of where you will need to go and who
you will need to report to on your first day. As part of this you will need to be familiar
with how to get to the campus and, if appropriate, where to park.
During the first week
When you start work at the University, what specifically takes place on your first day will
vary depending on your role and the department which you join. In broad terms it will
begin your integration into a new environment with new colleagues. More specifically,
the following is likely to take place on your first day:
You will be introduced to at least some of your new colleagues, including where
appropriate your induction colleague / buddy / mentor
You will be given a tour of your workplace to help you with orientation and made
aware of some basic environmental arrangements such as toilets, lunch and
break facilities, fire procedure etc.
You will need to ensure that you have brought with you or completed all relevant
paperwork, including details relating to payroll and pensions
As well as the Probation Review Form [doc], your induction programme and induction
checklist [pdf] should be introduced at an early stage. These should help answer some
of the basic procedural questions at both departmental and University level, for example,
How do I access my computer?
What should I do if Im sick?

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Over what period is the academic year?
If you feel that any of this information is unclear or is missing, you will need to ask your
manager or induction colleague (if one has been appointed).
In addition to providing you with an understanding of such basic processes and
procedures, your first few days will provide an introduction to the key inputs of the job,
the working arrangements, practices and objectives of your department and information
about the University itself. The latter may include information on certain key policies and
procedures or specific induction material. Staff for example are expected to complete
the online Diversity in the Workplace course (or an equivalent package) and Data
Protection including information legislation package as part of the Universitys statutory
and compliance training provision.
Your induction, both during and after the first week, should help you not just to
understand what is needed and how to develop in your job, but also to settle within the
University as quickly as possible. Staff relocating to York may find the booklet Relocating to York from within the UK
Relocating to York from within the UK to be of value. International staff new to the UK
may find the International Staff Relocation Handbook as well as the International Staff
website to be particularly valuable in providing you with further information. Similarly the
Universitys colleges provide a social community for both staff and students where you
can get to know one another and take part in communal and inter-collegiate activities. If
you have not already joined a college, you may consider doing this.
After the first week
As weve seen, the documentation supporting your induction is the Probation Review
Form [doc], your induction programme and induction checklist [pdf] and we suggest you
keep copies of these. Although the Probation Review Form is designed for support staff,
this or an appropriate Performance Review Form can be used for other staff.
Your introduction to the Probation Review Form (or equivalent document) should have
taken place in your first week. As a result of the meeting with your manager, you should
have agreed specific objectives for the induction period (and also for the whole of the
probationary period where this is longer than six months). To help you to achieve these
objectives and meet the agreed performance standards, development activities and
objectives may have been identified. Although this too should have taken place in the
first week, you may feel a second meeting within the first month may be of value in

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first week, you may feel a second meeting within the first month may be of value in
order to produce a more complete development plan.
Having established the foundations for your induction, it is important to review its
progress. At the minimum reviews should take place every three months, but it is good
practice for you and your manager to schedule in less formal monthly reviews. On an
ongoing basis, as well as your manager, you will have other colleagues to support you.
You may also find helpful some of the supporting information provided in the Staff
Development Resource Centre, for example under Personal Performance you will find
an article called 'Sink or Swim: Surviving the first 100 days in a new job'.
The review meetings have a number of purposes. They can provide an opportunity for
feedback on progress and a discussion on any issues which may have arisen. For some
they can provide an opportunity for reassurance and confirmation that things are on
track. In some cases objectives may need to be amended. This could be for a number of
reasons the priorities of your role may have changed for example or perhaps progress
has been faster or slower than anticipated. At each meeting remember that it is about
you, so you need to be prepared to contribute, ask questions and make suggestions
where appropriate. New development needs or opportunities may also be identified as
you progress.
As well as your suggested attendance at the central induction event, new University
staff in particular roles may have other elements of their induction provided centrally.
New academic staff for example are eligible to register on the Postgraduate Certificate
of Academic Practice (PGCAP). Those with less than three years teaching experience
are contractually required to complete this programme. Finally, if you are in addition new
to certain other specific roles you will need to ensure that you attend the appropriate
additional elements.
The end of the induction period
By the end of your induction period you should feel competent and confident in your
new role and fully integrated into the University. As roles within the University are
diverse and of differing complexity, the length it takes you to reach this point is likely to
vary. Even when you have reached this point, this should not stop you learning or
developing further.
The normal period of induction for staff joining the University is six months. For many

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The normal period of induction for staff joining the University is six months. For many
staff this provides a direct link to their normal probationary period. Although some of you
may feel 'up to speed' in terms of your role before the end of this period, other roles are
more complex and may require a longer learning curve.
If six months is your normal period of probation your manager should confirm verbally if
you have successfully completed your probationary period after the review. You will not
normally receive confirmation from HR of this. If it is decided to extend your
probationary period or your normal period of probation is longer than six months, then
the Probation Review Form [doc] should continue to be used.
If your induction and Probationary periods are successfully completed at the same time,
you will now be subject to the Universitys Performance Review process. This is
'intended to ensure that members of staff have a structured framework for reflecting on
their work, their performance and their development in the context of departmental and
corporate objectives'. In many ways therefore it continues what has taken place so far
within your induction. For many members of staff performance objectives should now be
agreed and set for the next period (of up to twelve months), together with the
identification of any development needs to support them. If you have any development
needs outstanding at the end of your induction period these should be included in the
Performance Review planning for the next period.
We hope that your experience of induction is a positive one. At the end of it we
will invite you to share this with us. This may help to improve the experience of
others.

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Starters new to a role but not to the
University
If you move to a new role from another one within the University, then much of what has
been described so far may still be relevant. The 'learner centred' approach has already
been discussed. Similarly, colleagues other than your line manager may be involved in
your induction. An induction programme may be appropriate, but one that builds on your
existing knowledge of the University, the department and the role. Depending on your
existing level of experience and understanding, you and your manager may agree that
your induction period should be less than 6 months. Similarly, the induction checklist
[pdf] may be of value, although you may have already completed a number of the
activities on it.
The induction programme and induction checklist [pdf], which should be introduced
within your first week in the new role, should provide you with a number of identified
activities, including the key inputs of the job and, if appropriate, a structure for gaining
information about your new department. If you have already successfully completed a
period of probation and are then transferred to a comparable role within a different
University department, another period is not required, unless that new role is
substantially different and requires a new range of skills and attributes. Should you not
already have completed a probationary period, for example you may previously have
been employed in a temporary or fixed term contract where this did not occur, you will
be subject to the normal probationary period for the role.
Whether or not probation applies to you, it is equally important to understand and agree
the standards of performance required in your new role and to agree the support,
training and feedback necessary for you to achieve these standards. Performance
objectives should be discussed and agreed within your first week. Either the Probation
Review Form or the appropriate Performance Review document, which may have been
adapted at a local level, can be used to support your induction period.
Your progress should be reviewed on an ongoing basis, possibly monthly, and
documented where appropriate on the relevant form. These forms should be seen as
supporting your induction and not as a form filling exercise per se more important are
the quality and effectiveness of the discussions at the reviews.
At the end of your induction period, if you are already subject to the Universitys

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At the end of your induction period, if you are already subject to the Universitys
Performance Review process, a new form may be required to agree objectives or
targets for the next period as well as any development needs. Any needs outstanding
from your period of induction should be included in the Performance Review planning
for the next period.
Finally, staff who are new to certain roles within the University, regardless of whether or
not they are new to the University itself, may receive additional agreed elements of
induction based on their own needs and roles. These include:
Heads of Departments: an induction programme is organised on an annual
basis,e.g.for the academic year 2009 10 new academic HoDs will commence the
Strategic Leadership Programme prior to taking up their new role. Additional 'bite
sized' sessions will also be introduced to address some of the more practical
requirements of the role.
College Welfare Teams: a two to three day programme is held before the
beginning of the academic year for those involved in the welfare provision system
within the Colleges. This is available for both new and existing team members.
Chairs and Administrators of Boards of Studies, Graduate School Boards
and Boards of Examiners: a series of induction briefings is available; all staff
taking up these offices are expected to attend.

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