Pre-arrival

Decide if you will be in contact with your new starter before they join. There is no right or wrong answer, but it can help the new starter to feel part of the team and become aware of current developments at an early stage. You may feel that there are some key meetings they would benefit from attending or information that may be helpful to share before they arrive.

For offers of appointment sent out by HR, the information sent out with the accompanying letter is based primarily around employment terms and conditions, together with a number of forms they have to complete such as pre-employment screening and occupational health form. Be ready in case they request help with any of this.

Ensure their workspace - for example, their furniture, phone and IT equipment in an office-based job - is ready and that you know how to obtain their ID card and IT access when they start.

Decide whether you are going to allocate an induction colleague, buddy or mentor. If you decide to allocate this role, you will need to consider their experience, expertise, personality and workload. The exact role may vary, but induction contact is likely to be the new starter's immediate point of contact within the department. As well as providing job specific information and support, they may also provide the new starter with more informal information: an understanding of the culture, the 'unwritten rules' and the way things get done in practice

If an induction colleague, buddy or mentor is identified, agree on responsibilities between them and yourself. As the line manager is normally responsible for ensuring that staff receive an appropriate induction, they should be actively involved in the review of progress, although many of the day-to-day activities may have been delegated.