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)