Induction – or just indemnity?

Duncan Batty, June 2025

Head of Development, EmPower Mental Fitness

As far back as 2014, research by Oxford Economics estimated the cost of replacing an employee earning £25,000 was £30,614.

Both these figures will have increased significantly in the 10 years since publication. It’s fair to say, wherever they have landed, it’s a significant commitment for an organisation .

Critically, though, whilst some of this cost is directly related to recruitment/interviewing, the majority relates to lost productivity – the time lost during absence and the time taken by a new employee to become productive after starting.

The problem is compounded if new employees leave before becoming productive – effectively doubling the cost.

So why, then, are induction programmes so often poorly designed and badly delivered?

In over 25 years of work, my experience is that inductions largely fall into three camps:

1. A ‘meet and greet’ so that people get time to tell you what their job is and, sometimes, tell you how they think you should do yours;

2. A series of mandatory training sessions/lessons designed to indemnify the organisation against things you might then go on to do wrong;

3. An opportunity for your manager to decant expectations and KPIs so you can ‘hit the ground running’.

It might be a day, a week or even longer – but its focus is to tell you what others do, tell you what you’re meant to do, and tell you what you can’t do! It protects the organisation, rather than develops the employee.

No wonder, then, that so many new starters feel a sense of imposter syndrome, stress or overwhelm when induction is designed with short term objectives in mind – get through it, get it done quickly and get them doing ‘real’ work, rather than for the long term – how can we ensure a new starter feels welcome, like they belong, and has the underpinning skills to thrive, progress and – for the employer – repay the initial investment many times over?

Put simply, there’s precious little time devoted to helping a new starter feel like they’ve found somewhere they belong or to equipping them with the tools they need to maintain productivity and resilience in a fast-paced, stressful environment rather than just training them for tasks or issuing objectives.

We can do better.

At EmPower, our programme is built around three fundamental areas: Focus, Connection and Care. These are the three areas our where participants develop their learning and action. Taken together, our participants gain confidence, resilience and a sense of purpose. They are more likely to develop loyalty to their employer, become productive – faster, and thrive when the going gets tough – leading to less periods of low-productivity and sickness and better retention of high-performing employees.

So what if we designed induction with these long-term goals in mind? How would we do it differently if these were our priorities? It might focus on an induction that establishes:

1. You belong here. Here’s where our values overlap and why you’ve made a great decision to join us;

2. Your contribution is important. Here’s how your role fits into the bigger vision and mission of the organisation. We can’t do it without you.

3. We trust you. Here’s what you are empowered to do the decisions you are empowered to take. You’ve got this.

4. You’re wellbeing is important. Take time to build genuine connections with your colleagues and peers and learn what makes you resilient. We’ll support you, but you need to take responsibility.

We’ve been working this stuff for over three years now at EmPower. We know how to help people with that last step. Our programme participants report an average of a over 30% increase in their mental wellbeing*. If you’re wondering, that’s a lot. 10% would be significant.

Given the risk you will be bearing – all £30,000 of it – we’d love support your induction and progression programme. EmPower represents a great investment, and that’s before you being to consider the added value of developing a reputation as an employer that genuinely cares about the wellbeing of their employee and get’s talked about as a great place to work.

I’m willing to bet that you’ll see employees that are more productive, happier and healthier – and a lower bill for lost productivity – with us as a partner.

And, let’s face it, the manual handling mandatory training can wait a few weeks…

*    As measured by Schwarz Scores before, during and after the programme.

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Duncan Batty brings over 25 years of experience in fundraising, leadership, and social impact across the UK charity sector. From supporting young people and volunteers to strengthening our NHS and protecting natural spaces, his career has always centred around making a difference. Now, as a senior leader at EmPower Mental Fitness, Duncan helps individuals and organisations build lasting mental resilience. A graduate of the EmPower programme himself, he knows first-hand the transformational power of investing in emotional fitness — both for people and the workplaces they belong to.

Want to learn more about EmPower Mental Fitness and how we can support you?
Join our free webinar on 19th June by visiting www.em-po.com/events, or reach out directly to Duncan Batty at connection@em-po.com — we’d love to chat.