Chapter 13 - V1 Induction and Orientation

8/14/2019 Chapter 13 - V1 Induction and Orientation

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Induction and Orientation (Process 11)

13. Induction and Orientation (Process 11)While an employee may have visited the University for interviews etc prior to being appointed, their

first day and the period immediately after has a big impact on how happy and productive the newemployee will be. There are several facets to this, involving both the department and other University

providers. The department is where the new staff member will be spending the majority of their time,

and the department induction processes are critical to the successful induction of the employee. HEDC

offer a course for new Academic staff, and the Human Resources Division has orientation programmes

for General staff. There may also be a requirement to undertake some Health and Safety induction.

This section of the report looks at this critical period of a new staff members employment and

highlights areas where some improvement can be made

13.1 Process OverviewProcess start The employees first day

Process end 90 days after the employees first day

Frequency When an employee starts

Positions

involved

HR Professional Development Team staff

Health and Safety Team

HEDC staff

Employees supervisor

Key tasks 1. Run orientation/induction for general staff2. Produce Working at university of Otago Handbook3. Organise and facilitate academic mentoring group4. Run confirmation path workshop for academic staff5. Run teaching workshop for academic staff6. Run New Academic Staff Conference (NASC) for academic staff7. Provide advice to new academic staff

Service levels There are no service levels specified and no measurements in place to

determine compliance with expected outcomes

Performance There are no KPIs so no conclusions can be drawn on performance

13.1.1 Sub ProcessesProcess Code Sub Process

IO02 Running orientation workshops

Conduct and facilitate induction for general staff

IO03 Production of Introduction to Working at the University of Otago

Update and produce the working at University of Otago handbook

IO05 Collaborative mentoring group for new staff

Provide support and mentoring to newly appointed academic staff

IO06 HR orientation workshop for confirmation staff

Conduct and facilitate confirmation path workshop for academic staff

IO07 3 day induction (teaching)Conduct University teaching workshop (annually) for academic staff

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Process Code Sub Process

IO09 New Academic Staff Conference (NASC)

Conduct NASC (annually) for academic staff

IO10 Consultancy (with department or new staff)

Provide consultancy advise to academic staff as requested

IO12 1-90 days (service groups and all departments)The process that departments undertake from the moment an employee starts to 90

days after their start date

IO13 Department on the job training

An example of what one department does when training a new appointee

IO14 Enquiries to book training

How Human Resources respond to enquiries for induction training

IO15 Training requests

The processing of enrolment forms for induction training courses

13.1.2 MethodologyTwo workshops were held with HEDC and Human Resources to map out the processes relating to the

services they provide. Departments have a role to play in induction and during the workshop

programme several charts were produced which reflect the process they go through.

New appointees were also interviewed during 12 workshops to get their perspective on how effective

their orientation and induction was. New appointees who were unable to attend workshops were asked

to respond via a structured survey. The survey results are published in a separate chapter but where

applicable information gathered will also be referred to below.

13.2 Key FindingsThis section outlines the results of our analysis. Where the analysis is specific to a particular

flowchart it is indicated by a reference to the flowchart in the section heading. On occasions there are

issues with documents supporting the process and if they are not specific to a particular flowchart,

these have been documented separately and include a reference to the document in the section

heading. There are also a number of issues which have been identified during the course of our

investigations which are more general in nature.

13.2.1

Inconsistent use of the terms induction and orientationFrom the workshops it is clear that the terms induction and orientation are used interchangeably.

It is the view of the Project Team that the majority of what is currently undertaken at the University is

orientation and that no formal induction programme actually exists. While this report uses the

terminology currently used for various training courses, the two terms need to be clearly defined

moving forward.

The recommended definitions are:

Induction formal training programmes the employee has to complete before starting work Orientation informal giving of information related to comfort issues (e.g. where to eat lunch).



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13.2.2 General staff orientation workshopAlthough often referred to as the Induction Programme, there is no formal induction programme at the

University, however Human Resources does run an induction workshop for new staff. The Human

Resources website states that Attendance is compulsory for all staff who have a contract of twelve

months or more, but staff who have shorter contracts are also welcome to attend provided they have

the support of their department. Our discussions with staff involved and new attendees would suggest

that staff on shorter contracts are not offered the opportunity to attend.

No. Quick Win

Q13.2.2 The website refers to an orientation programme in several locations, but this could be

considered misleading. A single workshop is not a programme.

13.2.2.1 No invitation and attendance considered optionalFeedback from the department workshops indicates that attendance at the HEDC course for academic

staff is considered compulsory, however there was no such view in relation to general staff orientationand induction workshops. This could be exacerbated by the fact that new staff members are not

personally invited to attend. Enrolment is initiated by a request from the department and in many

cases staff miss out because the workshop is not promoted or supported by the department.

Some new appointees interviewed were not even aware that the University provides induction

workshops for new staff. Of those that were aware and had attended the workshop, all found it very

worthwhile to attend. These staff felt that this workshop should be compulsory to all new staff (they

were not aware that it was), and the general consensus of all new appointees was that they would like

Human Resources to take the initiative and personally approach new appointees inviting them to the

workshop.

Human Resources staff interviewed agree that induction should be held for everybody, but dont feel

that they can provide the number of courses required due to a lack of resources. This is why they dont

personally invite new staff to the workshops. They also feel a lack of support from the wider

university; some departments are very good and will promote and send their staff to induction, but

there is a perception that other departments dont see it as important.

No. Quick Win

Q13.2.2.1 Develop a recording mechanism that identifies new employees and tracks attendance at

induction workshops. Regularly report on non attendance and follow-up with personal

invitation.

13.2.2.2 Perception it is only available to Permanent StaffThe orientation workshop is open to all general staff, however some departments appear to have a

policy of not offering it to temporary staff or those that are on short fixed term contracts. New

appointees highlighted that working at Otago University required a certain range of knowledge in

order to do their job effectively. The term of a position should not determine the eligibility of a staff

member to attend an induction or not. Many staff miss out on going on any induction or attend it very

late into their appointment as they were employed on a temporary basis and then at a later date

appointed to the role permanently.



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No. Quick Win

Q13.2.2.2 Develop guidelines on appropriate induction and orientation for staff relating to the

position. All staff should receive some OI but the scope will vary with the role type

13.2.2.3 Workshop frequency determined by resources, not needThere is currently no relationship between the number of orientation workshops provided and the

number of new staff being employed. In 2006, 147 general staff attended the 12 workshops offered as

part of the Human Resources Induction Programme. There were however 650 new general staff

employed in the same period, resulting in a total of 503 general staff had not attended an induction as

at the 1st of January 2007. At the start of each year, Human Resources determine how many

workshops will be held for that year based on resources available to run the courses.

General staff new to the University currently experience a three month waiting period to attend the

workshop. New appointees interviewed felt that this waiting period was too long. In their view,

ideally a new staff member should attend an induction session within their first three to five weeks of

employment to get the best results.

One new appointee commented that they were unable to enrol in a staff induction when they needed it.

They instead opted to attend a student induction course which met their needs.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.2.3 Orientation workshops should be run on a regular basis sufficient to provide an

opportunity for all new staff employed within the previous four weeks to attend

13.2.2.4 No formal evaluation or reviewThe Human Resources induction workshop is not evaluated by those attending it and there does notappear to be a formal review process. When changes are made to the workshop programme, these are

determined by the facilitators of the course.

Orientation courses in Wellington are based on the workshop run in Dunedin however there is no

indication that any changes made as a result of the review are fed back to Wellington for them to

update their course.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.2.4A Evaluations of the Human Resources Induction workshop should be undertaken

and assessed. Regular reviews of the workshop content should be guided by thefeedback provided.

R13.2.2.4B Where induction workshops are held, either in Dunedin or at campuses outside of

Dunedin, all should be evaluated on a regular basis



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13.2.2.5 Paper preferred format for informationSome of the material given out in induction is printed material. New appointees were very appreciative

of this printed material rather than only providing access to electronic versions.

Human Resources is continually evaluating how it provides information to staff and has recently been

considering using electronic means as the primary medium for induction information. However, 90%of new appointees commented that they often go back to the printed material at their leisure. If the

only format was electronic, they would print it anyway. As this is likely to be while they are at work,

the University is going to incur both the time expense and the printing costs and although there is a

cost to producing centrally, this will be seen as being more supportive of their needs.

It is clear that new appointees have differing needs depending on the situation where they are

reviewing induction information. The Project Team are of the view that the information should be

available both in hard copy and electronically and that consideration should be given to finding a more

cost effective means of hard copy distribution.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.2.5A and

R13.2.6A

Consider distributing the induction pack as a ringbinder. Benefits include:

The ability to keep information up to date by simply swapping old pagesfor new

Information can be drip fed to employees at appropriate times to avoidoverloading in the first week

R13.2.2.5B Ask new employees to indicate their preferred method for receiving information

R13.2.2.5C Review induction material in consultation with recently appointed staff

13.2.2.6 Orientation refresher coursesStaff attending the process mapping workshops identified the need for induction refresher courses for

existing staff, particularly as many roles and functions within the University change over time. They

were of the opinion that having an opportunity to attend refresher courses would assist them and other

staff to be more effective in their positions.

Refresher courses should also be mandatory for Departmental Administrators so that they are aware of

changes occurring within the University and are therefore not providing contradictory advice to new

employees.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.2.6 Create an orientation update course designed for existing staff and departmental

administrators to be run on a regular basis



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13.2.3 Academic staff induction13.2.3.1 The academic conferenceThe Academic conference is held only once a year in July, resulting in two issues:

Staff who start after July have to wait until the following year before they can attend.According to those who were in this position, they were of the view that they had learned

pretty much all they needed to know by the time the conference came around again.

According to some Academic staff interviewed, it can coincide with other work commitmentsincluding attendance at conferences related to their academic discipline.

At other workshops where the Academic conference was mentioned, it was clear that the staff

concerned thought that timing and frequency of this conference was an issue that needed to be

addressed.

Academic staff who are Teaching Fellows, Professional Practice Fellows or Assistant ResearchFellows are not eligible to attend this conference. As mentioned above in section 0, to be effective in

your role at Otago University you need to know a certain range of things and the type of position held

should not reflect whether you are eligible to attend an induction or not.

There were two specific issues noted with the process of running the conference itself:

it is often very difficult to get the Vice Chancellor, two Deputy Vice Chancellors and all ProVice Chancellors together on the same day, although that would probably be difficult at any

time in the year.

there is no actual coverage of Health and Safety responsibilities at this conference and this hasbeen highlighted by the HR Health and Safety Team as a gap in the programme. Whenteaching, staff should be aware of Health and Safety responsibilities related to lecture theatre

evacuation etc.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.3.1A The conference is well received, however the timing of it is an issue. It should be

held much more regularly and the staff at the workshops suggested four times a

year would be ideal

R13.2.3.1B Investigate what aspects of Health and Safety should be incorporated into the

conference programme and initiate discussion with HEDC to get the required

changes made

13.2.3.2 HR orientation workshop for confirmation path staff (IO06)Certain academic positions are confirmation path and it is compulsory for these staff to attend a

confirmation path workshop. Ideally, staff would obtain information on the confirmation path

requirements not long after starting employment with the University, but as has been outlined above,

not all staff are able to attend the Academic Conference. To meet the need of those staff, Human

Resources in conjunction with HEDC run separate workshops on confirmation path only (refer to chart

IO06).



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In 2006, two Human Resources orientation workshops were held and 35 staff attended. 49 staff also

attended the NASC so at the most 84 staff attended specific training on confirmation path

requirements. A total of 321 academic staff were employed during 2006, and while not all of those

will have been confirmation path appointments, it is clear that some academic staff will have missed

out on this training.

The list of staff to invite is extracted from Talent2, however this list is not always complete. There

have been several occasions where staff have missed out on the sessions because they were not on the

list. This is because they were not set up correctly in Talent2 and there is no auditing undertaken to

ensure that staff that are on the confirmation path have the appropriate flags set in Talent2.

The HEDC staff do not have direct access to Talent2 to get information about what staff should be

invited to their conferences; currently they have to request that Human Resources provide them with

the information they require. Staff at the workshop thought this was inefficient and questioned why

HEDC could not have direct access to this information.

No. RecommendationR13.2.3.2A Investigation be undertaken to determine how best to track information relating to

confirmation path within Talent2; the information stored should be sufficient to

produce a list of all staff currently on confirmation path

R13.2.3.2B Find a way for HEDC to access this information themselves

13.2.3.3 Clarification of confirmation path requirementsAs mentioned above, there are workshops available which provide important information to new

academic staff on confirmation. When staff are unable to gain this information from a formal source

such as these workshops, they seek it from other Academic staff. It was apparent from discussionswith some academic staff that they had been disadvantaged by not receiving information on these

requirements from a formal source. This ranged from not having clear timelines for the production of

work to being advised to complete the requirements in a specific way, only to find out after having

completed them, that the actual requirements were different.

There were several staff members who had undertaken considerable amounts of work related to their

confirmation path requirements because they were misinformed around the timeframes. They later

found that the work which they had completed in a term was in fact a years worth of requirements.

There is a large amount of administration work required to be undertaken for confirmation path e.g.

have to reformat CVs into the Otago University format. There is no formal administration supportprovided to undertake this work so academic staff are wasting a lot of time undertaking these tasks

when they should be spending their time doing research, teaching etc.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.3.3A New academic staff on confirmation path should receive clarification from an

official source on what the requirements and timeframes are. The Project Team

to determine whether this should be by way of written communication or a

workshop in consultation with confirmation path staff, HODs etc

R13.2.3.3B Consider the possibility of formal administration support to academic staff

undertaking confirmation path as a benefit of working at Otago University



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13.2.3.4 Support for those new to Otago University academic teachingThere is a three day course (An Inquiry into University Teaching) run by HEDC for academic staff

held in February of each year. The course covers what is required to undertake teaching at the

University of Otago. The NASC also covers similar information but not in as much depth and it is

also an optional component of the NASC. Neither course includes any formal training on health and

safety systems and responsibilities especially in situations like the evacuation process in theatres. Stafffelt this should be included in any academic induction programme.

New appointees discussed several issues around teaching criteria such as peer reviews, tutoring

systems, evaluations by students, understanding the Otago University terminology etc. In a lot of cases

new appointees did not find out what was required for teaching until a few days out from actually

teaching. They said this was particularly stressful and would have appreciated finding out all this

information as part of their induction. It is also important to note that having taught in another

University is not considered to be sufficient introduction and it is considered important that teaching

staff at Otago University receive specific training on the requirements of the University.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.3.4 Academic staff who are teaching need to receive information on the course and

what is expected of them prior to being required to teach. New appointees

suggested the first week was when this was required although it was clear that

some required it even earlier than that. The Project Team for Phase Two needs to

investigate how to achieve this

13.2.3.5 Collaborative mentoring group for new academic staff (IO05)The HEDC co-ordinates a mentoring group for new academic staff. Staff attending the Inquiry into

University Teaching course are advised of this group and it is advertised to academic staff throughthe staff bulletin and department administrators. Although some new appointees were unaware that

there was a mentoring programme they could utilise, it would appear that this process on the whole

works well.

No. Quick Win

Q13.2.3.5 Include the requirement to provide information on this group as part of the

Academic Induction Checklist to ensure that all staff are aware of the service.

13.2.4 Separate orientation for general and academic staffNew appointees could not understand why there are separate induction programmes for general andacademic staff, particularly as there are topics that are in common to both staff groups. One suggestion

was to run induction programmes per department for any new appointees whether they are general or

academic staff. This was seen as being a way to bridge the gap between academic and general staff

and that by being run in the department, it would avoid the delay currently experienced in attending

the Human Resources run course. The departmental session would cover basic information to get the

staff member quickly oriented within the first week but the expectation is that it would be

supplemented by attendance at the Human Resources orientation.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.4 Consider how departmental orientation within the first week could be achieved



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13.2.5 Training and development information silosOnce a staff member has attended the induction workshop or training courses (either Human

Resources or by other areas of the University) the information is recorded in a database, but that

database is specific to the provider of the course. It is not easy, for the staff member, or those

responsible for staff training and development, to get a complete picture of all the courses etc that a

staff member has attended. There is a module available for Talent2 which may be a possible central

database.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.5 Investigate the requirements for a central training and development database and

evaluate the Talent2 module against those requirements. If suitable, implement

the Talent2 module otherwise look for alternatives

13.2.6 Introduction to Working at the University of Otago bookletThis is available both as a printed booklet and electronic download via the Human Resource website.The material contained in this booklet is very useful to new appointees however it becomes out of date

very quickly. The booklet does not contain any version information however it is clear from the

content (of the version on the website) that it has not been updated since early 2006.

There is no formal process for ensuring the content of this booklet is regularly reviewed. The trigger

for a review appears to be when the stock levels of the printed booklet drop to a point where a re-print

is required. It is a costly exercise to re-produce this booklet each time a reprint is required, and there is

no set budget for this. When required, a budget bid is prepared and if approved, the booklet is

reprinted. When printed, copies of this booklet are distributed to Departmental Administrators to pass

on to any new staff starting in their department. It is unclear what happens when department stock

levels reduce to zero.

New appointees questioned why the booklet needs to be printed so professionally. Their view was

receiving accurate and timely information was more important than how attractively it was presented.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.2.5A and

R13.2.6A

Consider distributing the induction pack as a ringbinder. Benefits include:

The ability to keep information up to date by simply swapping old pagesfor new

Information can be drip fed to employees at appropriate times to avoidoverloading in the first week

R13.2.6B For those who are here on short duration contracts, develop a low cost alternative

to the ringbinder

13.2.7 Department induction processes13.2.7.1 Induction checklist (IO04)Human Resources send an induction checklist to departments each time they appoint a new staff

member (where Human Resources was involved in filling the vacancy). There are two checklists; one

for academic staff and another for general staff.



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This is the only resource that is provided by Human Resources to departments on the subject of

inducting new staff. There is no standard procedure on how the checklist should be used, and there is

no audit process to confirm whether or not it has been completed.

When completed, it should be signed by both the HOD and the staff member. Many of the new

appointees interviewed did not know about the checklist, so it was obviously not completed in theircase. In some instances, other new appointees had been told here is the checklist that you need to go

through and were left to their own devices to find the appropriate staff to induct them in various

topics such as Health and Safety.

Some of the new appointees at the workshops had not had any formal induction to Heath and Safety

requirements because they could not figure out who their Departmental Health and Safety Officer

(DHSO) is and no-one was prepared to introduce them.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.7.1A Checklist should be returned to Human Resources within a specified timeframe

of the new employee starting. Human Resources need to monitor and ensurecompliance and periodically audit

R13.2.7.1B The induction checklist should have a section for the signature of the DHSO to

confirm that health and safety has been covered as part of the induction

13.2.7.2 Variable qualityIt is very obvious from the new appointee feedback that the quality of induction is dependent upon the

department and staff within the department. In some instances, new appointees are still discovering

information on benefits such as superannuation etc nearly 12 months after starting. Training appears

to be another area where there is inconsistency; some new appointees advised that they are stillidentifying required training six to nine months after starting in their position. This is despite the fact

that the identification of training requirements and arranging for the training to be undertaken is

included in the induction checklist. It appears that this is not always followed up.

Human Resources does not provide any formal training, guidelines or other information to department

staff on how to go about inducting a new staff member. Induction has to be specific to the department

concerned so a one size fits all approach will not be viable, however it is clear that Human

Resources could do more in this area.

The workshop process resulted in many variations of the process charts outlining how departments are

currently undertaking orientation and induction. These charts support the statements of newappointees and highlight that the advice and support provided by departments to new appointees in

their first ninety days varies considerably. In many cases, the new appointee spends their first few

days doing the general housekeeping type tasks such as getting access to systems, getting ID cards,

photos taken, tour of the work area, phones, business cards, and organising any special equipment etc.

Departments noted that they would like more guidance and support from Human Resources in

inducting and training new staff in their roles.



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No. Recommendation

R13.2.7.2A Training needs to be provided to appropriate staff on how to deliver departmental

orientation

R13.2.7.2B All new staff should receive a training needs analysis within the first month and

appropriate systems should be put in place to ensure that that training is provided

R13.2.7.2C Investigate how to enable systems access, phones, business cards etc to be readyand waiting when new appointees start

13.2.7.3Lack of formal training programmeThere are no formal training programmes currently provided for staff that lead them through working

at the University. In many cases, new appointees told us that their training consisted of being given

a pile of manuals and policies and being told to read them. More than 80% of new appointees

welcomed the idea of an on the job welcome pack and a programme for learning about the

University and the position. This welcome pack and programme should apply to all positions no

matter what level or term e.g. currently Post Doc Fellows do receive, at best, minimal information andare not included in inductions.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.7.3 and

R13.2.8A

A Welcome Pack be developed for new appointees as well as other support

mechanisms to assist their orientation to the University

13.2.7.4Youre on your own!Many new appointees had negative perceptions about their induction into the University. They arrived

at the University and immediately found themselves alone; There was no-one who was able to show

them the job, no support, no morning tea etc to welcome them, no procedures to follow, no guidelineson what was expected of them, a backlog of work that had not been done while the position was

vacant, and they were expected to deal with all this in an untidy office area. At the end of a day

(sometimes week) like this, they would return home wondering what they had got themselves into.

A few lucky employees had someone who could show them their job. Their view was if they had not

had such great support from the staff around them, then they may not still be in the position. Those

new appointees that had everything organised for them i.e. a planned programme, good support,

procedures and a great welcome to the department, could not say enough positive things about the

University.

When a staff member resigns, some departments will ask existing staff members to take on certaintasks until the replacement staff member comes on board. This option can cause a problem later,

especially when staff have to work out the job for themselves. There have been situations where new

staff have arrived, been taught or worked out for themselves what they understood to be all the tasks

for their job, only to discover later that they have only been doing a third of the job. This has

embarrassed the staff member as they typically find out when their fellow colleagues ask where certain

tasks are at, and they realise that these are new.

When the previous incumbent had transferred to another department, negotiation would occur between

departments as to whether the staff member would be able to provide training to the new appointee.

Some staff felt that departments were not very considerate in allowing the transferee to return to givetraining to the new appointee, especially when there was no handover period.



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No. Recommendation

R13.2.7.4A Consider having buddies to assist new staff members

R13.2.7.4B Departments to ensure capable staff are available to train new appointees

R13.2.7.4C Departments to support a transferee returning to their previous department to

assist with training new appointees

R13.2.7.4D A departmental orientation and induction programme is required and there will bemany aspects of this which will be common to all departments. Human

Resources should create a generic programme which will be able to be extended

to meet departmental requirements. Human Resources to monitor effectiveness

of the programme and ensure that all staff are participating

13.2.7.5Setting expectations and feedback on performanceSome departments will set goals and competency standards for the new appointee to meet, however

the majority of departments do not have any set structure in place for training. Once the new

appointee starts their job, there is no formal assessment/review process for assessing how they arefitting into their role. It can often be some time before the new appointee participates in the PDR

process and up until that point in time they require more regular feedback if they are to grow into their

role.

The PDR guidelines say that if you have a new reviewee, you should meet within the first month to

agree what you expect of them and what support they need to settle into their new position. The

induction checklist goes to the divisional office not Human Resources; Human Resources has no

reporting mechanism to ensure this has been done.

In most cases new appointees had not been introduced to the PDR process until they had been in the

job well over nine months. Very few new appointees had received feedback from their supervisor andhad simply assumed that they were doing a good job. It was the view of the new appointees

interviewed, that everyone, regardless of their position, should receive feedback on their performance.

New appointees identified the need for some structured training programmes with expected

competencies to be achieved by the end of one, two, three, four, five and six months.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.7.5A Incorporate the requirement for a formal periodic review for new appointees to be

undertaken at small regular intervals over the first six months of employment. In

the case of general staff, this review should be aligned to the PDR process which

will ultimately take over as the performance feedback mechanism. For academic

staff, the review should be developed to meet the specific requirements of theirrole

R13.2.7.5B The induction checklist should be monitored by Human Resources to ensure that

the employee has been given clear expectations as to their performance within the

first month



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13.2.8 Information to new appointeesA number of new appointees felt overwhelmed with information at induction time. It was their view

that receiving a Welcome Pack when they started would have assisted them in absorbing the

information. It was also suggested that once a new staff member has started, they could opt into a

new appointee e-mail list to receive regular announcements each week on topics such as Kiwisaver,

joining the union, joining a club etc.

Some new appointees commented that they did not receive very basic information such as how often

they get paid. This was a particular issue for those that get paid monthly and had unexpected cashflow

issues. Most of the information they require is available on the University website, however new

appointees found it very difficult to navigate and find the right information in a timely fashion. They

often found it easier and quicker to ask someone, but there is no guarantee that they will get the correct

information.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.8A A Welcome Pack be developed for new appointees as well as other supportmechanisms to assist their orientation to the University

R13.2.8B The Human Resources website needs to be reviewed and redesigned so that the

information is available and easily accessible

13.2.9 Human Resources supportMost new appointees interviewed said that they had no idea what Human Resources does and

wondered what part the Division played in welcoming new staff on board. They had no contact with

Human Resources and wondered what their role was. In their previous workplaces, these staff had

received a visit from Human Resources within the first week of their employment.

The new appointees expected to be able to contact Human Resources, preferably in the form of a new

employee help desk number. They wanted one point of contact that they could call about any

employee support matter e.g. relocation, childcare, housing, superannuation, tax laws, need a buddy,

general assistance as English is my second language etc. Instead, once they had started work, they

were left to their own devices.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.9 Investigate and implement ways for Human Resources to be more visible to new

appointees

13.2.9.1No structured supportThere is currently a clear lack of structured support provided to new appointees. There is no formal

needs analysis undertaken with the new employee to establish the support programme required for

their first 90 days. In fact, the workshop programme for this project unintentionally provided an

induction (somewhat poor, but better than nothing) for those new appointees who attended. Every new

appointee who attended the workshops left with some new information they had discovered through

hearing other new appointees experiences.



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New appointees welcomed the idea of Human Resources co-ordinating a forum with new appointees

every two to three months. The forum would be a chance for new appointees to learn from each other

as well as find out new timely information. It would also enable them to identify any areas where they

were lacking support or information, and provide the means to address that. New appointees also felt it

would be good to have the option of subscribing to a buddy or mentor service.

In one of the new appointee workshops, two participants who were in similar roles but employed in

totally different departments discovered they were trying to deal with the same issues. They left the

workshop to go and set up an informal get together to help each other in their positions. Their view

was that this connecting of people in similar roles should be driven by Human Resources.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.9.1A Departments to undertake a needs analysis of the support required in the first 90

days

R13.2.9.1B Human Resources to investigate and implement a new appointees forum

13.2.9.2 Process EnquiriesMany enquiries received about induction arise at the induction session. Occasionally the Human

Resources Trainer facilitating the induction session will receive enquiries after induction has been

held. The Trainer will refer these enquiries on to the appropriate staff member. In order to alleviate

some of these enquiries, Human Resources now provide in the information pack a contact list of who

does what at Human Resources.

Employees also contact presenters/service providers following the induction session for further

information e.g. superannuation, joining the union etc

Process enquires could be: Can you enrol me oncourse? I can no longer attendcourse can you enrol me in the next course? I can no longer present at the ..workshop? Can I get more supplies of the Otago Handbook to give to staff?13.2.10 Training13.2.10.1Health and SafetyHealth and Safety awareness and training varied greatly between departments. There were new

appointees who advised us that they have had no induction at all to Health and Safety or might have just been shown a video. A lot of staff use computers, and there is no requirement to review the

workstation to ensure that it is safe for the new appointee. The Health and Safety Team can assist in

this by providing ergonomic assessments, but some new appointees were not generally aware of this

service or how to request it.

The University of Otago, Wellington does not have dedicated staff on site to provide advice on

workstation setup. A member of the Health and Safety team located in Dunedin provides this

assistance when they visit. New appointees commented that it was ironic that in a clinical

environment such as the School they had to rely on the support from Dunedin. The issue of Health and

Safety at the University of Otago, Christchurch never came up in discussions.



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No. Recommendation

R13.2.10.1A Introduce a formal process to ensure that Health and Safety induction is provided

to all new staff. The Health and Safety Team in Dunedin to audit and ensure all

new appointees receive this within one month of starting

R13.2.10.1B Train a person in all campuses outside of Dunedin so that they can undertakeworkstation setup and ensure a safe working environment for computer users

13.2.10.2Ongoing training opportunities appreciatedNew appointees were impressed that staff are encouraged to undertake training to assist them in their

job and in particular attending industry related courses and conferences. Comparing this with other

organisations they had previously worked for they said the University was very generous.

13.2.10.3Enquiries to book training/training requests (ES24/25)Training courses provided by Human Resources were well received by the new appointees

interviewed. However, these courses are offered to general staff only and academic staff felt that

some of these courses would be of great value to them as well. Some had tried to get on these courses

but were advised that they are only for general staff.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.10.3 Identify courses which would also be of benefit to Academic Staff and make

these available

13.2.11 Poor communication across the UniversityNew appointees highlighted that communication across the university is very disjointed. It is difficult

to know what e-mail lists to join. The university all dept e-mails do not necessarily reach everyone.

New appointees could not understand why the University does not have an intranet. The organisation

intranet is the tool that new appointees have utilised in previous organisations they have worked for.

An informative portal with daily updates would be a way to feed important information across the

University. The portal would need to appeal to varied interests to ensure that staff returned on a

regular basis to receive these updates.

No. RecommendationR13.2.11A A wide range of e-mail lists be developed to enable easier work-related

communication to all staff within a division or a department. Such lists would be

able to be used directly by the sender rather than relying on dissemination

through administrative staff.

R13.2.11B Develop an opt-in e-mail list to be used to publicise departmental seminars,

concerts etc so that the e-mail lists mentioned in the previous recommendation

are more likely to be utilised for departmental work-related information and

important University-wide communications



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13.2.12 Adjusting to the University cultureA common theme from all the new appointee workshops was the difficulty new appointees faced in

adjusting to the University culture. It was identified that if a staff member had not worked in a

University before, the way the organisation operates is very different. Some new appointees were

strongly of the view that there should be an introduction to the University culture when you arrive in

the organisation which covers such things as:

approvals required how to address staff and the correct channels to go through when making contact with other

staff

the processes to be followed for change to be implemented how the University communicates information to staff and departments the organisational structure

Staff at other campuses e.g. Christchurch and Wellington, feel very disconnected from the Dunedin

campus. New appointees commented that they do not understand where their role and department fitswithin the overall structure of the University of Otago.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.12A To ensure that all orientation programmes incorporate of what it is like to work

for the University of Otago

R13.2.12B Investigate and develop a variety of publications to assist with engaging new

staff to the University culture. Some mediums to consider are videos, Second

Life, work blogs and hardcopy

13.2.13 Out of town/international appointeesStaff felt that Human Resources should provide more information to new employees moving to

Dunedin. A FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) site on the Otago University website detailing answers

to commonly asked questions by new relocatees, with links to relevant websites was suggested by

staff. This request was endorsed by international new appointees surveyed. There is more information

about this topic in the Induction/Orientation section of the report.

No. Recommendation

R13.2.13A Feed this back as part of the Revised Relocation Services Project

R13.2.13B Ensure that the needs of out of town/international appointees are taken into

account when redeveloping the Human Resources website



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13.3 Statistical AnalysisIt has been very difficult to obtain statistics on orientation and induction. Both HEDC and the HR

Training Team independently collect information about attendance at courses. They maintain these

records in spreadsheets, but they are not cross referenced to any information in Talent2 or Tangata.

For example, a list of all staff starting at the university and an indication of what (if any) induction

courses they had attended was not available. Similarly, without considerable work, it was not possible

to report by department on how many staff had started versus attended induction.

The project team started the process of cross referencing the information however problems with the

quality of the reference data (from the workload spreadsheets) were found. Enough information was

available to given an indication on how soon after starting a general staff member attended induction

and this is graphed below.

No. of days from start date to attend induction

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1-30days 31-60days 61-90days 91-120days 121-150days Greater than

150days

Figure 13.3-1 Number of days taken from start date to attend induction

Note: Only 147 (23%) general staff employed during 2006 had attended an induction workshop by the

1st

of January 2007, and of those, 50 were cases where the information sources could not be reliably

cross referenced.

As has been mentioned previously, not all staff on confirmation path are flagged correctly in Talent2,

and information on new teaching staff (as opposed to research) is not easily available fromTalent2

either. In order to provide any useful statistical information on Academic induction, considerable work

would have been required to cross reference and verify the information. As can be seen from the table

below, that effort was not justified given the relatively small proportion of academic staff attending

induction courses.



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Total Academic Staff Employed between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2006 321

Number of staff attending Feb 2007 course Inquiry Into University Teaching 28

Attendance as % of staff employed 9%

Total Academic Staff Employed between 1 July 2006 and 30 June 2007 485

Number of staff attending New Academic Staff Conference July 2007 76Attendance as % of staff employed 16%

13.4 Documentation that supports this processInduction Orientation is supported by several documents (forms, memos etc). Several of these have

already been mentioned in the section above as there are issues with them. This section is intended as

a reference and contains a comprehensive list of all documents associated with the Induction

Orientation process

Note that the Project Team undertook some investigation outside of the workshops and identified a

number of forms (included in this table) that are associated with this process, but were not mentionedat the workshops.

Code Title Description

DOC 90 Brochures/Information

available at the general staff

induction

These brochures and pamphlets are put on the table at

the general staff orientation. Participants are free to

take / or not whatever they like. This information

includes: University tour (A visitor's guide to the

University of Otago) Otago at a glance, Health and

Safety matters pamphlet, Ethical Behaviour/mediation

pamphlet, University of Otago Campus Map, He

Kitenga - University of Otago research highlights,Lunchtime Theatre timetable, Tower Insurance

brochure, Unimed information, Marama Hall concerts

& special events, University of Otago library pamphlet,

University of Otago Staff Women's Caucus pamphlet,

AUS membership application form, PSA information,

University of Otago Staff Healthcare scheme poster

(from Southern Cross), IT Training Guide, General

Staff Skills training programme Management &

Supervisory Skills programme, Disability Information

and Support Workshops in 2007, Financial Service

Division's Training Programme, Health and Safety

Training Programme 2007, Employee Benefits,

University of Otago Charter, HR Divisional Contact

List, Introduction to working at the University

DOC 91 HRs new academic staff

programme agenda

This is the agenda for the HR new academic staff

programme. It is for confirmation path staff only

DOC 92 Check list for General staff

induction

This checklist covers getting the bank authority signed,

ID card obtained, H&S advice, training sorted etc



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DOC 93 Check list for academic staff

induction

Checklist includes things such as bank authority

completed, training received in web kiosk, H&S advice

etc. This checklist is similar to General staff induction

one, the only real variation is in the introduction to

working at the University section where the generalinduction checklist talks about the general staff

orientation, and this one talks about HED

DOC 94 Slides shown at the general

staff orientation

A PowerPoint presentation is the main guiding

document for the general staff induction programme. It

covers the history of the university, what is special

about the university, management structure, research,

teaching, pay & job evaluation, staff entitlements,

kiosk, employee benefits, performance review,

professional development, staff bulletin, ethical

behaviour

DOC 108 HEDC workshops

procedures

This document is very detailed and outlines the steps

required to organise the HEDC conference

DOC 111 New academic staff

conference pack

This information pack given to participants attending

the conference and contains: Brochure "Post graduate

teaching - clinical teaching", Programme 2 page yellow

sheet, List of attendees, Brochure "Higher education

Development Centre", Booklet "Senate Policy on

Assessment of Student Performance", Booklet "The

Teaching and Learning Plan", Booklet spiral bound

"Guidelines for the Evaluation of Teaching 2005"

DOC 112 Invitation letter to newacademic staff conference

NASC

This is an invitation letter sent to all new academicstaff inviting them to the conference. What HEDC staff

have found is that the wording of the invites has a big

impact on the number of acceptances

DOC 113 Enrolment form to NASC This form is available for new staff to complete and

enrol in the conference

DOC 114 New academic staff

conference programme July

This document is an outline of the programme for the

July 2007 conference held on 5th

and 6th

July. This

template is used each year to draw up the programme

for the conference

DOC 115 An introduction to university

teaching folder

This folder contains information about teaching and is

given to all participants attending the new conferencein July. It covers information on What makes a good

teacher, learning theory, course design, lecturing, group

work and evaluation

DOC 116 An Inquiry into university

teaching folder

This folder contains very extensive material and is

given to all participants attending the 3 day teaching

course in February. The course covers the theories of

teaching and learning, teaching practice and evaluating

teaching



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DOC 117 Evaluation from for NASC

2007

Participants attending the new staff conference are

requested to evaluate the course and provide their

feedback. This information is collated and used to

make improvements to the next years conference

DOC 118 Evaluation form for aninquiry into university

teaching

Participants attending the 3 day teaching course held inFebruary each year are requested to evaluate the course

and provide their feedback. This information is

collated and used to make improvements to the next

years teaching course

DOC 151 Introduction to working at

the University of Otago

booklet

The material printed in this booklet is very useful to

new appointees however it becomes out of date very

quickly. It contains information such as; orientation

and induction programmes, University organisational

structure, campus map, HR practices - employment

agreements, appointment procedures, employee

benefits, EEO, Equity, ethical behaviour, Heath and

Safety, Support services, staff development, staff

association, voluntary organisations, recreational and

social facilities

Documents

Chapter 13 - V1 Induction and Orientation