Office of the Commissionerfor Public Employment www.ocpe.nt.gov.au
Preparation ChecklistSection 1: Prior to Commencement
The following tasks should be completed prior to the new employee‘s first day:
Confirm with the new employee’s supervisor or manager
q Workplace buddy role
q Where the new employee’s work area/station is located
q What building/work area the new employee will require access to and if this has been arranged
q IT access has been arranged
q Start, finish and break times
q An appropriate induction has been scheduled At a minimum this should include a safety induction.
q Organise appointments to meet key people on first day/week in the workplace
Section 2: Welcome - first day/week
Meeting Welcome the new employee to the workplace.
q Greet and introduce yourself
share some of your history, family background or personal interests
explain your role within the agency/department and a brief history of your career in the NTPS
engage the new employee in a conversation about why they chose this type of work/position and their goals for the future
q Explain your role as the buddy and the buddy relationship
q Discuss confidentiality within the relationship and process of raising issues of concern
q Ensure new employee has met or scheduled to meet key contacts within workplace
q Discuss the duration of the relationship and establish the frequency, timing and locations of meetings
q Establish preferred methods of communication between meetings
Cover the basics Ask the new employee if they:
Know their start, finish and break times
Have received a uniform (if applicable)
Have access to the building/work area and IT systems
Know the name of their supervisor/manager and have their contact details
Knows when their induction has been scheduled
Parking (if applicable)
Having this conversation over a cup of tea or coffee in the lunch room may help break the ice in a relaxed setting.
Meeting the Boss
Once you have welcomed the new employee to the workplace and established the relationship, it’s time for them to meet with their manager or supervisor.
It’s useful for you to sit in on this meeting so you can clarify any points of uncertainty later. Speak with the manager or supervisor before the meeting to see if they would like you to be present.Topics covered usually include:
Function of the unit/division
Relationship with other units/divisions (if relevant)
New employee role and responsibilities
Work hours and break times
Reporting hierarchy/structure
Probationary period and process
Tour and Introductions
Introductions Meeting a lot of new people can sometimes be a bit overwhelming and remembering names can be difficult. Here are a couple of tips to try:
Prepare a ‘seating chart’ and have the employee take this around with them when making the introductions
Keep the initial introductions brief
Reinforce the introductions at a morning tea later in the day or week
Take the new employee around the workplace and introduce them to the people they will be working with. You should have already introduced them to their manager and supervisor.
When making introductions make a point of identifying the people with additional roles in the workplace such as:
Fire Warden
First Aid Officer
Office Supply Manager
Tour Take the employee on a tour of the workplace, pointing out things like:
Lunch room (coffee, tea, water cooler)
Bulletin boards
Toilets / bathroom
First aid cabinet
Office equipment (fax, photocopier, printer)
Stationery equipment and supplies
The employee’s work area
The Work Environment
Workplace culture
Workplace culture can include many different things and you will need to tailor this topic to your particular work area. Some examples of things you may like to cover are:
Use of email, internet and telephones for private use
Mobile phones in the workplace
Work hours and break times
Smoking policy and designated areas
Social club, morning teas, fundraising activities, lotto syndicates, sports teams, events etc.
Uniforms / dress standards and grooming
General requirements regarding uniforms and dress standards may have been covered during an induction, but it’s a good idea to reinforce them and talk about any standards specific to your work area:
Acceptable/non acceptable dress standards
Any safety restrictions regarding jewellery/hair
Casual dress days
Desk and work area
Explain the protocol for desks and work areas:
Clean desk policy
Displaying personal items
Tidiness of common work areas
How to answer the phone
Work Location and Facilities
Public Transport and Parking
Talk to the employee about their mode of transport. If they will use public transport, it may assist them to provide a street map of the area where the employee’s workplace is located. Help them to mark things such as:
Closest bus stop
Parking options - locations, costs and regulations
Facilities and Services
Have a chat about the facilities and services in your area like:
Favourite places to have lunch
Closest shopping centre
Closest bank or ATM
Closest gym / sporting facilities
Recap
Recap key points covered so far
The new employee has received a lot of new information and met quite a few new people at this point.
Ask the employee to recap things such as:
Their work hours and break times
Arrangements to collect uniforms/keys etc.
The name of their supervisor/manager and their contact details
The name of the First Aid Officer and Fire Warden
It also a good time to reinforce:
Your role as a buddy
How often you will meet
How you can be contacted between meetings
Section 3: Security and Safety
Managers are often required to complete a Safety Induction Checklist with all new staff. The following information should be covered at the agency’s induction, however if not please ensure the new employee is aware of the following:
Building access and security
Explain the security procedures for the building:
What time the building is unlocked / locked
Which areas of the building require security passes / keys
Different types of access to the building (lift / stairs)
Door codes (if applicable)
Emergency Procedures
Describe the emergency procedures for the building:
Explain the emergency evacuation procedures and point out the location of emergency exits and muster points
Explain what types of alarms are used
OH&S Explain the OH&S policy and any relevant OH&S practices in your workplace.
Provide a copy of the OH&S policy or have the employee access and read it from the intranet
Explain employee OH&S responsibilities
Point out the location of any relevant protective equipment
Explain the process for reporting OH&S hazards and incidents and where to find relevant forms
Point out the OH&S display board
Explain where the hazardous goods register is kept
First Aid Explain the procedure to follow should someone require first aid.
Provide a copy of the First Aid policy or have them read it from the intranet
Explain where the First Aid Treatment Register is kept
Ask them to repeat the name of the First Aid Officer, where they are located as well as where the First Aid Cabinet is located.
Business Systems
Show the employee how to log on and use the basic features of:
Agency Intranet
Northern Territory Government telephone directory
My HR
ePASS
Northern Territory Government notice board
Recap
Recap key points covered so far
Take a few minutes to recap what you have covered in this section.
Ask the employee to summarise things like:
Location of the first aid cabinet, emergency exits and evacuation points
OH&S responsibilities
Codes required for building / door access
System logon, ePASS User ID and password
Section 4: Ongoing Meetings
Now that you have welcomed and introduced your new employee to the workplace it’s time to move to the next phase of the buddy relationship.
As already mentioned, the timing, frequency and style of meetings will depend on your new employee’s individual needs. The following sample questions and topics may be used as a guide or a starting point for discussions.
Remember, regardless of how often you decide to meet with the employee, be reliable and consistent.
Quick catch ups In the early stages of the buddy relationship it’s generally a good idea to have a quick catch up every few days or at least once a week.
Topics you can cover might include:
What transport arrangements are they using and have they found convenient parking, bus stop etc.
Are they having any problems getting to work on time
How are they going remembering names and roles
Fortnightly / monthly meetings
After the initial period in the buddy relationship, you should be able to reduce the frequency of meetings to once a fortnight.
Topics you can cover might include:
How are they fitting into the workplace
Have they accessed any online business systems and do they have any questions
Is there any information they have needed and have not been able to find
What aspects of the job are they enjoying the most
Is there anything they have wanted to raise with their supervisor or manager but are unsure how to go about it
As the employee settles into the workplace, you may agree to reduce the frequency of these meetings to once a month.
Final meeting Topics you can cover might include:
Reflect on the progress they have made since starting (remember when you first started and you were so nervous about…)
Share your feelings about the personal rewards you have gained from being their buddy
Encourage them to become someone’s buddy in the future if the opportunity comes up
Offer to be available for assistance after the formal buddy relationship (if you wish to do so)