Staff Orientation and Induction Policy and Procedures

All persons with leadership and management responsibility for new staff members

Engaging new staff members effectively with the University, their faculty, academic unit or service division

Ensuring that managers, academic heads and staff members understand the importance of orientation and induction, and their responsibilities for these two activities  

1. Staff members joining the University must participate in an effective orientation and induction programme so that they understand the institution, their work environment, and their role and responsibilities

2. All new staff members employed for 20 hours or more a week for a period of 12 months or greater will participate in a full orientation and induction programme

3. All new staff members employed for fewer than 20 hours a week and for less than 12 months will participate in an appropriate induction programme

4. Staff members with leadership and management responsibilities must ensure that all staff members reporting to them participate in an effective orientation and induction programme

5. People and Organisational Development (POD) and the Centre for Learning and Research in Higher Education (CLeaR) must ensure that orientation programmes are available and provided to all new staff members

6. CLeaR will provide orientation for academic staff to teaching and research supervision

7. Faculties, academic units and service divisions must ensure induction programmes are available and provided to all new staff members and that an appropriate induction plan is prepared for each new staff member

8. The new staff member and their immediate manager must ensure attendance and participation in the orientation and induction activities provided

Key responsibilities

1. People and Organisational Development (POD) will:

• schedule and provide the ‘Orientation to the University of Auckland’ for new staff member sessions
• invite eligible new staff to the above sessions and inform the new staff member’s immediate manager
• schedule a Vice-Chancellor’s powhiri for new staff at the beginning of each semester
• invite eligible new staff members to the powhiri
• schedule Marae protocol workshops prior to each powhiri to familiarise new staff with the protocols for the Waipapa Marae
• work with the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Māori) Office to:
  • identify and organise appropriate members of the University staff to facilitate the Marae protocol workshops
  • identify and organise appropriate persons to fulfil the roles of Kaikōrero (Speakers), Kaiārahi (Leading Elder) and Kaihakahoki-i-te-karanga (the women/woman who will return/answer the call from the Hunga Kāinga) on the day of the powhiri
  • ensure the staff guide section of the intranet is kept up to date
  • ensure up to date details of all orientation activities are available through the POD intranet pages and the staff guide section of the staff intranet

2. The Centre for Learning and Research in Higher Education (CLeaR) will:

• schedule and provide a programme for new academic staff that orients them towards their academic responsibilities as teachers, researchers and supervisors at the University
• invite eligible new staff to participate in the programme for new academic staff and inform the staff member’s immediate manager
• ensure up to date details of the orientation programme for new academic staff are available through the CLeaR website

3. Managers/academic heads will:

• attend Powhiri
• ensure staff attend and participate in orientation activities

4. New staff members are expected to:

• attend and participate in the orientation activities provided
• actively seek any other information they require to assist their orientation to the University, including consulting the staff guide section of the staff intranet
   

Red carpet

5. Red carpet is the University’s online tool to welcome permanent and fixed term new hires over 6 months

6. Red carpet allows new hires to access introductory information about the University and ensures that the correct access to University facilities (net access, email, staff ID and access cards) is arranged for the first day of employment

Induction activities

7. It is the responsibility of faculties, academic units and service divisions, in conjunction with the new staff members immediate manager, to ensure those activities and interactions related to induction are available and provided to all new staff members

8. Relevant activities and interactions will be outline for each new staff member in a personal induction plan

9. It is the responsibility of the new staff member’s immediate manager to ensure the plan is prepared

10. A new staff member should be provided with their induction plan either before their first day or within the first few days of taking up their position

The induction plan

11. The individual’s induction plan will vary according to their experience relative to their new role

12. When preparing the induction plan, consideration needs to be given to the three phases that make up an effective induction:

• Pre-arrival (onboarding) - involves the interactions and activities new staff members participate in after accepting their position but before taking it up and actions to be taken by the academic unit or service division before the first day
• Induction to faculty, academic unit or service division - designed to introduce and engage the new staff member to the unit they have joined. This may take place over a period of several months until the staff member is fully familiar with the area in which he or she works and feedback is provided in the first development or performance review (APR or Evolve)
• Induction to position - includes training, in which new staff participate from their first day and is designed to introduce and assimilate the new staff member to their position
   

Orientation activities

Orientation activities are provided through POD and CLeaR. These include the following:

The following definitions apply to this document:

Academic head covers heads of departments, schools and other teaching and research units at Level 3 in the University Organisation Structure

Induction (including onboarding) means that interactions and activities which assist new staff members to take up their position effectively and engage them in the work of the faculty, academic unit or service division they have joined

Orientation means the interactions and activities which welcome and introduce new staff members to the University and engage them with it and its activities

Staff member refers to an individual employed by the University on a full or part time basis

University means the University of Auckland and includes all subsidiaries  

Include the following:

• Academic Staff Collective Agreement
• Relocation Policy and Procedures
• The managers and academic heads guide for inducting new staff
• Leadership framework
• New staff
• Evolve

Owner: Director, Human Resources
Content manager: Associate Director, People and Organisational Development
Approved by: Vice-Chancellor
Date approved: 8 December 2014
Review date: 1 March 2019