Assimilation – ‘The absorption and digestion of food or nutrients by the body or any biological system’. This is one of the descriptions that comes up when you Google the word. I like this description as it clearly describes what a new employee should go through when they join a company. They need to be assimilated into the company. The induction they receive is key to their entrenchment to the company’s culture and corporate strategy. We have noted, especially with small companies that there tends to be an urgent haste in the recruitment process. Once the new recruit is in, it is all systems go and little time is taken to induct him/her into the system. We should realize that a new employee in your organization is like a guest coming into your home – you greet them at the door and welcome them into your home. You work hard at ensuring your guest is comfortable in your home.
As employers, we should ensure the new employees clearly understand the company’s policies, that they are introduced to the personnel in the different departments, and are well inducted to the company’s business strategy so they may understand how they will contribute to its growth. It is also important to get feedback from the new employees on their experience once they conclude the induction program. This will help identify areas in the program that need improvement and evaluate the effectiveness of the program.
I correlate the information given to them during the induction period as the vital nutrients they need to consume to give them a jump-start in becoming productive key assets to the organization.
