Starting a new job can be nerve-wracking. New people, operations, and settings can drastically alter a person’s daily life and routine. To exacerbate the issue, the human mind prefers certainty over ambiguity and new things. It’s a scary first step toward new beginnings.
As a leader, you must make new employees feel comfortable and welcome on their first day. The process doesn’t have to be convoluted. Once you know the basics of onboarding new employees, crafting a process that embraces employee engagement and a positive employee experience can become second nature. Learn how to deliver a great onboarding program to new hires and make them feel welcome as soon as they step foot in the office.
Employees with an effective onboarding experience are 29% more likely to feel satisfied at work, leading to higher productivity and a positive work culture.
But that’s not all: clear communication, solid preparation, and a little hand-holding motivate employees to work harder, which promotes engagement and improves employee retention. Moreover, positively onboarding new employees can persuade 69% of employees to stay with the company for at least three years.
Onboarding officially starts when the selected candidate signs their job offer letter. To make new hires feel welcome, take advantage of the two—to three-week window between offer acceptance and the candidate's start date.
Sending impactful welcome messages during this time engages and excites new employees while affirming that they’ve made the right choice to join your company.
Every word you say matters. Your welcome message inspires employees to share fresh perspectives and empowers them to experiment. Think of it as a “we’ve got your back“ preboarding statement on their first day at work.
Check out a few of these thoughtful welcome messages you can use for onboarding new employees:
Next, send a welcome email informing new employees about what to do before day one. It can include information about the new role, such as salary information, dress code, when to arrive, what to bring, and an onboarding checklist of assignments and goals for the first week.
Other things to include are:
Knowing what to expect eases new hires' first-day anxiety. Your email should be warm and approachable, and employees should understand that they can ask questions anytime. Try to offer assistance and minimize insecurities.
Draft your welcome email to exemplify your brand and work environment. Adding a few high-quality pictures of staff members can help show a positive company culture and provide a soft introduction before the employee’s first day.
To elevate your welcome email for onboarding new employees, make a welcome video featuring employees, the HR team, and upper-level management for a more personal touch.
Getting a head start on admin and other tasks is essential because it makes employees feel appreciated and valued. They can also jump into work without nagging anyone about password details.
This part of onboarding new employees includes giving them access to all the necessary accounts, tools, and resources to do their job. For example, access to Slack and company email, setting up direct deposit for their salary, and downloading employee onboarding software. So, if your employee needs a parking pass or swipe card, it should all be ready on the new hire’s first day.
To streamline these administrative tasks for a successful onboarding, you may want to consider an employee onboarding checklist. If you have the resources or capital, automation can facilitate an effective employee onboarding process without a significant time commitment.
An effective onboarding process isn’t only from HR to employee or upper management to employee. Having current employees offer a welcome message can ingratiate the new hire, improving job satisfaction.
A warm and inviting welcome from team members has a significant impact on new employees. Even small gestures, like a small wave and a friendly smile, contribute to a good first impression. This new hire experience can calm the employee, making their first month in the office enjoyable and welcoming.
Thankfully, you have several welcome formats to invite your new employee into the fold. We recommend one of these methods when you’re onboarding new hires.
The sooner you introduce a new employee to the team, the sooner they’ll feel comfortable and produce their best work. Don’t throw a lot of names and faces at them all at once; create multiple opportunities throughout the day and the remaining week to avoid overwhelming them.
These meetings can be a good bonding opportunity instead of just discussing paperwork and HR requirements as necessitated by a lackluster onboarding plan.
Onboarding new employees should enable them to meet and feel comfortable around new coworkers, whether in-office or virtually. Icebreakers streamline this process, allowing onsite and remote employees to meet new hires, break down barriers, and get to know them beyond simply a name.
We highly recommend playing “Name That Person,” which allows team members to learn many facts about each other simultaneously. Here’s how it works: make everyone write down five surprising facts about themselves on an index card. For example, “I‘ve climbed Mount Kilimanjaro” instead of “I’m married.”
Once everyone is done, put all the cards in a pile and mix them up. Take turns grabbing a card and reading the facts aloud. Your team then decides which employee best fits the description. Keep track of how many things each employee gets right, and give them a small reward at the end of the game.
Set up a small morning meeting with breakfast or virtual coffee for new employees, introducing them to the rest of the team members. Ensure the team meeting setting is casual to open a forum for discussion.
For breakfast, offer a diverse menu with mouthwatering munchies, healthy options, and delicious beverages. Virtual or onsite coffee is equally effective if a caffeine jolt is more your style.
Send employees Hoppier’s virtual cards to order their favorite breakfast items from millions of vendors like Uber Eats, GrubHub, Starbucks, or Tim Hortons. Create a new program, customize your virtual card design, and voila! Your employees can enjoy a few of their favorite things — delivered right to their doorstep.
Remember when kids would decorate their friends' lockers with streamers and happy birthday decorations? The same rule applies to warmly welcoming and onboarding new employees.
Get team members to decorate the new employee's workspace with a welcome sign, colorful streamers, and anything else that adds a pop of color to the desk. You can add flowers or buy a cake to make the experience even more festive.
If you have a remote workforce, do a virtual version of this. Create a fun Zoom background, or have them wear party hats for a celebratory feel. This may seem silly, but everyone smiles, and the new employee feels like a valued part of the team.
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Good onboarding isn’t just passing along relevant information and an email. It’s an opportunity to showcase the unique mix of fun, workflow, and culture. So, we’ve curated a list of fun and creative ideas for welcoming your new employee virtually or in person.
Your new employee will appreciate freshly brewed coffee with pastries or bagels first thing in the morning. There is nothing better to rejuvenate your senses and prepare for the day ahead!
Hoppier has partnerships with some of the best brands famous for their morning coffee and snacks, including Dunkin', Nespresso, and Starbucks.
A “rookie cookie” program is exactly how it sounds. The new hire is given a stipend to bring in cookies, bagels, donuts, and other treats. Then, they set up the snack display at their desk. Other employees stop by the new hire’s desk to get to know the new employee over some delicious cookies.
In a virtual setting, try Lunch Roulette. This affordable Donut Slack alternative pairs a random worker with a new hire for a virtual coffee or lunch. It’s sure to improve employee satisfaction, camaraderie, and fun throughout the new hire’s first year and beyond.
Remembering employee names and faces can be tedious, especially if you have large teams. To reduce awkwardness, help new employees remember their team members by taking a picture of staff members and writing down their names.
As part of onboarding new employees, partner your new hire with a good-natured or charismatic worker who has been with your company for at least a few months to show them the ropes. Another good tip is to pair them with people in other departments, so they have a familiar face around the office and can learn things beyond their department.
Every company has funny moments and urban legends that eventually become “inside jokes.” This may make the new employee feel awkward and confuse them as they'll have no idea what’s happening.
To avoid this in your company, organize a fun session introducing the new hire to those little details and unique jargon they may not pick up otherwise.
Organize a fun scavenger hunt where the new employee goes through different departments to find items and meet new colleagues. You can also make these items small gifts they can use to do their work, such as office supplies for the desk, snacks, and gift certificates.
If a scavenger hunt feels cumbersome, organize a virtual game night, inviting interaction and friendly competition.
Sending the new employee an unexpected and thoughtful care package will bring a smile to their face and remind them they are valued.
Create a care package for the employee, taking into account their unique style, personality, and hobbies. You can choose from holiday drinks and food, subscription boxes, a healthy work lunch, Christmas decorations, craft kits, and spa boxes. If you’re feeling lost, briefly chat with the new employee to get to know them better and follow up with a check-in now and then.
A post-work virtual theme party can introduce a new hire to other team members outside of training and workplace tasks. After hours, everybody feels relaxed and is more open to getting to know each other on a genuine level — an excellent opportunity for onboarding new employees.
Be sure to send out invites a few days in advance so everyone can free their schedules accordingly. We also recommend encouraging veteran employees to take the initiative and make the new hire more comfortable.
You don’t have to give your employees regular company swag. Instead, make it weird and fun, or choose something culturally significant. Let the new hire in on the joke to make them feel a part of the team.
It's even better if your team decides what to gift, which will boost excitement about welcoming and onboarding new employees. Perhaps a gift card to a popular local restaurant or a voucher to the nearest pizza place would be appropriate.
More than anything, onboarding new employees should be fun!
Get your team together to brainstorm inspiring and practical ideas and messages. Use the ideas we shared above and develop a few of your own. You can also partner with Hoppier to make the experience more personalized and convenient. See it live in action!
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
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