Most people have a story of a poor or badly-organised introduction to a workplace. As the beginning of an employee’s relationship with their new employer, however, getting the induction process right is really important, and an unmissable opportunity to explain what the company’s all about. 

On a mission to find out how to do induction differently, we spoke to three companies from a range of sectors who have all recently revolutionised their induction processes. Coffee company UCC send a ‘culture pack’ to new hires, and establish a strong connection with employees before they even begin. BBC Worldwide have worked with communication company One Fish Two Fish  to develop a truly multimedia approach to induction that introduces employees to their content and brand. Meanwhile, global HR consultancy Mercer have worked with Big Picture Learning  to create a visual representation of their company and strategy, which helps new starters to see where their roles fit in the context of the organisation. 

All of these companies have moved away from a traditional ‘broadcast’ approach, which sees lots of information transmitted to bewildered new starters, to a process that is far more two-way, and that involves interaction, discovery, and conversation. Author and academic Paul Turner discusses the importance of this, and of aligning the induction with the brand and values of the company. He also describes how companies can measure the success of a new approach.  

Share your induction experiences, or let us know what you thought of this episode, using the hashtag #CIPDpodcasts 

Paul Turner, author and academic 
Naomi Godwin, HR Advisor, UCC 
Anna Charleston, Head of HR Operations, BBC Worldwide 
Nicole Black, UK Market Manager, Mercer

Podcast 89: Rethinking staff inductions

The preconditions are present in the U.S. today. If Congress is quiescent and the public listless, Donald Trump can set the country down a path toward illiberalism, institutional subversion, and endemic graft. Full Text can be found here: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/how-to-build-an-autocracy/513872/

How to Build an Autocracy - David Frum - The Atlantic March 2017

The facts on why facts alone can’t fight false beliefs. Read text version here: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/03/this-article-wont-change-your-mind/519093/

This Article Won’t Change Your Mind - The Atlantic - Julie Beck

Extreme libertarians built blockchain to decentralize government and corporate power. It could consolidate their control instead.

Read text edition here: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/05/blockchain-of-command/528543/

Cryptocurrency Might be a Path to Authoritarianism -  The Atlantic - Ian Bogost

A boisterous new age of global children’s entertainment has arrived —and it’s not at all what we adults were expecting.

Raised by Youtube -- The Atlantic -- Alexis Madrigal

The voice revolution has only just begun. Today, Alexa is a humble servant. Very soon, she could be much more--a teacher, a therapist, a confidant, an informant.

Alexa, How Will You Change Us? - The Atlantic - Judith Shulevitz

DJ C.O.R. DAY SHIFT - 89 IBIZA LIVE RADIO

Jazz & Bar 50

Cloudy Sky

Morning Prayer

We are raiding the Audio Long Reads archives and bringing you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week: The ability of statistics to accurately represent the world is declining. In its wake, a new age of big data controlled by private companies is taking over – and putting democracy in peril. By William Davies. Help support our independent journalism at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod">theguardian.com/longreadpod</a>

From the archives: How statistics lost their power – and why we should fear what comes next

Dharma Talk with Dr. Cortland Dahl from January 7, 2021. Recorded via Zoom.

How to Build an Autocracy - David Frum - The Atlantic March 2017

TheAtlantic