You may have your onboarding process down pat for new employees, making sure they fill out all necessary paperwork and get thoroughly trained. But it’s easy to neglect the personal aspect of making a new employee feel welcome. Regardless of how well prepared they are to perform the job, if new employees don’t feel comfortable and happy at your company from the start, it will affect their performance, your employee morale and your bottom line. Just putting in a touch of extra effort can make a huge difference. Here are some tips and ideas for welcoming new employees:
1) Prepare and decorate their workstation
You can put your new hire at ease on their first day by making sure they have all the supplies they need at their desk or workstation. Adjusting to a new job is hard enough, the last thing they need to be worrying about is where to find a calculator or notepad. One of the fun ideas for welcoming new employees is putting together a welcome kit to have at their desk when they arrive; filled with merchandise that has your company logo. Another great idea is to have a handwritten welcome note at their desk signed by all your current employees.
2) Set new employees up with a buddy or mentor
Learning your company culture is just as important for the new hire as learning how to do their job. One of the easiest tips for welcoming new employees is assigning them a buddy or mentor to help them learn the ropes at your company. You can either choose one employee you think they will feel really comfortable with, or choose to rotate multiple employees to help show them around the office, take them to lunch, give them advice, etc.
3) Arrange a happy hour or team outing
One of the ideas for welcoming new employees that everyone at your company can enjoy is throwing a happy hour or fun team outing such as bowling or golf. You can choose to do this before the new hire begins so they will be able to get to know their co-workers in a social setting before they begin their new job, or during the new hire’s first week. Getting to know their co-workers on a more personal level will help put the new hire at ease when they interact with them about work-related matters.
4) Help new employees get familiar with staff members and the company’s history
Getting to know all the staff members they will be working with and remembering all their names can create a lot of anxiety for new hires. Fun ideas for welcoming new employees include creating a photomontage of the staff, with snippets of information about each of them included with their picture. Also, to help employees get familiar with your company’s history and background, consider creating a visually appealing booklet of fun facts about your company.
5) Ask new employees for their ideas right from the get go
Among the effective tips for welcoming new employees is arranging a company meeting during their first week on the job. During the meeting, ask for their input and ideas about what is on the agenda. This will make them feel early on that they are contributing to your company’s success.
Author: Jessica Cody
Jessica Cody, a native of Fairfield County, Connecticut, has a background in online marketing and public relations. Currently, she works at VHMNetwork LLC in the role of Marketing Analyst. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she studied Journalism and Political Science. She is also an avid runner with a passion for the outdoors.
