Behind the Wheel
- Welcome
- Introduction
- Planning
- Recruitment
- Selection
- Hiring
- Objective
- Terms and Conditions of Employment
- The Employment Letter
- Hiring and Orientation
- Post Hiring Background Review and Tests
- Comments
- Orientation
- Workbook
- Research Synopsis
Hiring and Orientation
At the time of hiring, it is recommended employees be given a “What Next” or “Next Steps” sheet that outlines the next steps in the recruitment process and beyond. As will be detailed in the next part on Orientation, building employee commitment and satisfaction depends upon a lot more than being able to select for certain required knowledge and abilities effectively. Hiring is the start of orientation and, as such, how it is carried out can strongly influence new employees’ attitudes toward the company and their eventual success on the job. Considerable time and expense has been committed to recruitment and selection, therefore, keeping candidates well informed and providing for a sense of “ceremony” is important to the overall success.
Table 12
Employment Letter or Contract
| • A statement of welcome outlining that the letter is an offer of employment for the position of bus operator/driver. |
| • A statement of the specific terms and conditions of employment that apply to this candidate. |
| • Reference to the terms and conditions of employment either outlined in the collective agreement or “Employee Handbook. ” |
| • A statement that if a medical is required, the offer is conditional on the candidate undergoing a medical examination by a medical examiner of the company’s choice and that the candidate satisfy the medical requirements. |
| • If a drug test is a requirement, it should be noted in the letter of employment. |
| • If applicable, that the offer of employment is conditional on the candidate satisfying the criminal record requirements. |
| • Where it is known, include a commencement date for beginning work or words such as on a date mutually agreed. |
| • The signature of the appropriate company representative and a date. |
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• Provision for the employee to sign the letter back to the company, with a date. The employment letter is a contractual document that can only be amended through the agreement of parties28. Therefore, there is value in keeping it simple. It is not essential that employees sign the letter back to the company at the time it is given to them. In fact, it is better to let them take the letter away along with copies of the terms and conditions of employment, benefit booklets and other relevant materials to review and sign when they feel comfortable with all of the conditions of employment. |
28 The value in separating the conditions of employment into a separate document is that these conditions can be changed without reverting to every employee’s letter of employment and having to change it when conditions change.