Agenda item

At the meeting of the Committee on 15 June 2017, approval was given to this Committee's next review topic on Employee Induction and Retention at the Council.

The Council's Trainee Internal Auditor was in attendance at the meeting to speak to the Committee at the review's witness session, discussing his experience of the Council's induction process.

Members heard that the Trainee Internal Auditor had been employed at the Council for four months, and the induction involved several stages; the first day at the Council was spent familiarising himself with the organisation and the building, and meeting colleagues who worked within the team. The next stage involved a number of E-Learning modules on the Council's intranet, involving information of the role of local authorities, and what the Council does. Compulsory modules on topics such as health and safety and the Data Protection Act were completed over the next week.

After meeting colleagues, there was further job-specific training, involving a mock internal audit and shadowing of colleagues to learn more about the role. The Committee was informed that there were weekly one-to-one meetings with managers, alongside the Performance and Development Appraisal (PADA) system; there was also due to be an in-depth review at six months following the probation period.

Councillors questioned if an induction or "Welcome to Hillingdon" pack was received before or on starting, and heard that this was not the case. The contract was received before the employee's start date, and most of the information on the Council was received via the E-Learning system. Councillors questioned whether it might be nice for employees to receive a short briefing pack, along with their contract, in the post.

Responding to Members, the Trainee Internal Auditor confirmed that this was his first role at a local authority, and the information regarding local authorities was very comprehensive. However, it was possible that if someone had no knowledge of local government, then it could be a lot of information to take in.

The Committee asked if there was a personal side to the induction, and heard that the Audit department employees had coffee with new starters as a way of introducing themselves.

The Trainee Internal Auditor also told Councillors that information on the code of conduct and benefits of the role, along with other basics, was passed on by the Line Manager on the first day. With regards to other departments, the only opportunity to meet employees from different directorates was at the "Meet the Chief Executive" induction session, however, this was not an opportunity to speak to others who have just started at the organisation. Members heard that the Head of Finance meets with all new starters within the department, but there were no plans to meet other Heads of Service or employees from outside your own department and area.

Councillors agreed that the "Meet the Chief Executive" event was formal and did not give new employees an opportunity to socialise with each other or meet other new starters. It was suggested it may be useful to consider an event, or other format, that would allow new starters to meet others who have joined around the same time as them on a monthly or quarterly basis, as this would encourage networking and help bridge the gaps between departments. Furthermore, it would also give new starters a point of contact in other departments that might be helpful to get work done.

Members questioned the political aspects of the induction, and how much a new starter would have learned from the induction process of the political system and makeup at the Council. It was confirmed that some of this was laid out in the e-Learning system, but the majority was learnt from face-to-face discussions with team members and colleagues.

The Committee commented that it would be helpful to know more information regarding the inductions at different levels of new employees, for example, whether there was a more comprehensive induction for those employees who are Heads of Service or higher grades.

Members also asked whether it was possible to receive login details for the E-Learning modules so that they could use the system and understand better what employees had to do during their induction period.

The Trainee Internal Auditor responded to Councillors' questioning regarding possible improvements that could be made to the induction process, and confirmed that it might be beneficial to have an in-depth review after three months in the role. Currently the review takes place after six months when the probation period ends, but it was suggested that moving this to three months might allow new employees to make adjustments or improvements that could help them in their role earlier in their employment.

The Committee noted that that most employees only meet Councillors at committee meetings, and it might be beneficial to have Members from both parties involved in the induction process too.

Members thanked the Trainee Internal Auditor for attending the meeting and detailing his experiences throughout his induction.

RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the evidence given at the witness session.