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Making Your New Hire Feel Welcome

There are few events more stressful to a new hire than their first day at work. Helping new employees feel welcome can not only alleviate their stress, but it can lead to them being more productive. While most organizations have thought out and mastered the technical part of bringing on new employees, few do the appreciation and welcome part very well.

An organization only has one chance to make a good first impression with the new hire, and the first few days will leave a lasting impression. Making new employees feel welcome will result in high employee loyalty and retention and will be reflected in your bottom line.
Here are six things an organization can do to make a new hire feel welcome and appreciated:

1. Be Prepared

Get in touch with a new hire as soon as they accept the job offer. Make sure your employees to fill out all their paperwork before they come in on the first day making you and the new employee well prepared for training. Clear and regular communication is essential.
From management down, everyone directly involved with a new hire has a role in making the new person feel welcome.
Once the plan is developed and in writing, have everyone involved implement the plan whenever a new employee arrives. Having a written plan reminds staff of the importance of first impressions and doing a good job of onboarding. Doing this also points out that everyone has an important role to play.

2. Have A Mentor or Buddy System

Whenever a new person is brought on board, assign someone to spend time with them to show them how things work, go for lunch together, and offer support and guidance when needed. Also, make it clear that the mentorship is ongoing so the new hire does not feel lost after a week or two.
While the mentor or buddy would have the main role, other employees should also be encouraged to jump in and do their part to do small things to make the newcomer feel welcome.

3. Give them something to do right away

Start small, but give your new hire some tasks to get moving on right away. Your new hire wants to demonstrate their value to the company, so let them! Give them a light workload the first day, and run through the first week or so. When they go home that night they'll not only feel like they accomplished something, but they'll have an opportunity to digest the next few days of work.

4. Get Excited

Show genuine enthusiasm that they will be a part of the team. Invite them to any employee Facebook groups or networking events before their first day!
You can have a company hat or mug waiting for them at their desk with a hand-written note. The more you know about a new employee the more you are able to personalize the welcome and heighten his/her experience so the gesture is appreciated and remembered.

5. Introduce new hires to the company on a Friday.

A busy Monday morning is not be the best time to take current employees away from their desks to bond with a new hire. Instead, introduce new hires to the team on a Friday when everyone is more relaxed and may have some downtime.
You can set up a small dinner and introduce the new hire to key members of the staff. You should be working to make your office feel like a community. When employees have greater freedom to talk and get to know their new co-worker without sacrificing their work, everyone can make a new employee's first day a good start.

6. Integrate

Immersing a new employee into the organizational culture quickly is the best way to make them feel like valuable part of the team. Encourage the new hire to come up with their own personal plan for what he/she wants to do or accomplish in the future. Make a point of involving them in all of the social and fun activities around the workplace. When in meetings make a point of asking for their input and actively listen to what he/she has to say.
Check in with your new hire before they head home from their first day of work. Ask them how everything went, see if they have any questions or concerns. They'll leave the office knowing that you've got their back, and they'll come in the next day feeling like they belong.