Once you have recruited your dream Visitor Experience team, the next step is planning for their induction training. Delivering a thorough and well thought-through induction is crucial; both to welcoming new colleagues to your organisation and to giving them the tools they need to get started in their new job. However, it's important to know that we shouldn't let the learning stop there: training and professional development should be an ongoing part of any job. We’ll discuss that more in Part 3.

The induction period is of the utmost importance when it comes to setting the right tone for the employee experience. For museums that are open all year round, the period right before new staff start work is the longest uninterrupted period of time you will get to work with your team away from the floor, so it's well worth making the most of it. Most critically, in the induction period, you demonstrate the culture in which you expect your team to work, so the negative impact of delivering a rushed, ill-considered induction period can be huge.

Some museum and heritage organisations I have worked with or for spend up to a couple of weeks on new staff induction, and some as little as a couple of hours! Of course, every situation is different, and you will need to consider the amount of information you need to impart to your new team. One new staff member will obviously take less time, but if I am inducting a new cohort of Visitor Experience staff, I will probably set aside a week. In group inductions you are not only imparting the tools and information new staff need, you are facilitating the formation of important relationships: professional connections between you and your team, between them and their new colleagues, but also personal friendships and relationships that may outlast their time at the museum. It's probably the most valuable week they will spend at the organisation.