Choose the day and time for the new employee to start. You might like to bear in mind that you and your team are often extremely busy when they first come into work and so are not readily available to meet the newcomer. Perhaps a slightly later start would be preferable.

Choose the day carefully too. Mondays or the day after bank holidays can also be very busy times so pick a day and time when you know that you and anyone who is likely to be involved will be free.

Design an induction plan . This consists of a series of meetings or activities that will help the new employee to settle in quickly and get to know his/her workspace, colleagues and the organisation.

Make a list of all the things that the newcomer needs to know. Typically these fall into three main areas:

Think about the sequence of the induction process: you might want to start with the larger picture (a meeting with one or more senior managers) to give an overview of your business and then move on into the detail of the actual job. Or you might like to get the employee comfortable in his/her workspace and then move on to the larger picture. Consider what sequence and timescale will work best for this particular employee - people who are in their first job or returning to work after a gap may find it easier if you spread the induction over a longer period of time as there is so much to take in. In which case you may wish to concentrate on the immediate needs, and timetable the general background information for later on.

Set aside a specific time when the newcomer can meet all the people in your department.

It is also very useful to appoint someone in your department who can be readily available to the newcomer to act as a 'buddy' and will be his/her first port of call for queries and concerns.

Make absolutely certain that everyone concerned (including your receptionist) knows when the new employee is joining, what he/she will be doing and how this fits in with everyone else in the team. Brief the 'buddy' on what will be expected of him/her.

A few days before the newcomer arrives, send a copy of the induction plan to everyone concerned and, of course, to the new employee.

There is nothing more dispiriting than having to scramble around for basic essential equipment in a new situation where you don't know where anything is kept or who to ask. Here is a little checklist that will help you to prepare the newcomer's work area. (You may well have specific tools or utilities to add to this):

• literature about your organisation
• terms and conditions of employment/employee handbook
• health and safety information
• procedures, manuals and literature
• organisation charts
• passes
• badges
• keys
• desk, filing cabinets etc
• phone/phone lists/contact lists
• mobile phone
• terminal/printers/scanner
• basic stationery items including stapler, hole punch, pens etc
• internet/intranet/email accounts
• building plans
• luncheon vouchers etc.

Check and, where necessary, customise then download the induction checklist . As soon as possible, go through it carefully with the new employee and make sure that he/she understands the plan and why it is needed. Put a signed copy on his/her personnel file.

If the employee is to undergo a probation period this should be discussed and review meetings (perhaps at end of week one, month one and month three) and an end of probation review booked in from the start. Ensure that you use the probationary period well - this is the time when your employee is likely to be the most receptive to constructive feedback and guidance! Ensure that sufficient monitoring of his/her work takes place during this period and any training or coaching is delivered promptly so that the employee can become fully effective in the role as quickly as possible.

Use our template letters to invite the employee to an end of probation review and to confirm the outcome.

Very early on the new starter should be 'walked' through the appraisal cycle so he/she is familiar with the timings, process etc and knows what to expect and what is expected. If individuals work to objectives you could draw up some objectives for the first few months (one or two). This gives the joiner some control over his/her tasks, direction and self-led learning to encourage him/her to be proactive. Objectives can be simple such as "investigate and understand our intranet", "gain a basic knowledge of how to use our email system" or "make contact with and understand the roles of your colleagues in x department".

If you have a particular style or culture it might be useful to position this to the new joiner early on. During recruitment he/she may not have realised things that are obvious to employees such as dress code, parking, lunch rituals etc. There may be more formal aspects too such as style of written communications. Formal rules, regulations, policies and procedures should all be highlighted in the first week. Many employers include these within a handbook which they rely on the new joiner reading. You should check that the handbook has been read and understood and discuss particular aspects such as personal use of the internet and email system, attitude to working hours etc.

• Keep a close eye on the new employee, and make sure that you are available to him/her during the first few weeks. There is no need to featherbed new team members, but it is vital that they feel that you are keeping a weather eye out for them. Even experienced and confident individuals feel unsure in a new situation and keeping their comfort levels high is an essential management task at this point. The relationship that is made in these early days sets the pattern for the months to come.
• Think back to when you were new to the organisation - what were the things that you needed to know?
• Don't schedule a heavy work load for the first week.
• If possible put aside a little time each day for the first few days for a meeting with the newcomer so that you can check how he/she is getting on and whether there are any worries.
• You might want to invite your new recruit to planned meetings so that he/she can get a feel for the organisation, what the key issues are and meet other members of the team.
• A small point, but don't forget to make sure that he/she is looked after for lunch on the first day.
• Many organisations have a leaving party when people depart - why not have a welcoming party to celebrate the newcomer joining the team? It's an excellent way of welcoming someone on board informally.