How to Welcome a New Employee

Welcoming a new employee is not just a formality, it’s a crucial step in ensuring the new hire feels valued from day one. A thoughtful onboarding process can enhance employee engagement, reduce turnover and boost productivity. Welcoming a new hire marks the beginning of their onboarding journey and creates a lasting impression that sets the tone for their entire experience with the company. Here's how to ensure that your new employee feels welcome on their first day.

1. Send an Employee Welcome Pack

One of the most exciting ways to make a new employee feel welcomed is to send a swag box before their first day. Welcome packs often include branded merch such as t-shirts, water bottles, notebooks and pens. Including a personal note from their manager and/or their team can add a special touch. This thoughtful gesture helps keep the excitement high between signing the offer letter and starting their new role and also creates a positive experience for them to share with their friends, family and on social media, helping to boost your employer brand.

2. Send a Welcome Email

A welcome email should convey excitement about the new hire’s arrival and let them know what to expect on their first day. With new employees being expected to complete an average of 54 onboarding activities when joining a company, a well crafted welcome message can ease them into the role and set expectations from the start.

3. Notify the Team

Inform teammates and the wider organisation about the new hire’s role and start date. This can create anticipation and encourage existing employees to reach out. If you use Slack, post an introduction message in key Slack channels tagging the new employee on their first day. This creates excitement for the new hire and provides colleagues with the opportunity to engage with the new hire immediately by commenting and reacting with emojis.

4. Manager 1:1

Whether remote or in the office, be sure that the new employee is greeted personally by their direct manager on their first day. This dedicated time allows the new employee and their manager to get to know each other and establish a positive relationship from the start. Managers should use this opportunity to put the employee at ease and outline the agenda for their first week.

5. Onboarding Buddy

An onboarding buddy is a colleague designated to assist a new employee in navigating their early days at a company. Typically, an onboarding buddy is a tenured employee in the same role or at a similar level of seniority as the new hire. This allows for a more informal relationship and provides an avenue to ask questions to someone who has been through a similar onboarding journey and knows the ins and outs of the role. Pairing up new hires with an onboarding buddy is a great way to help your new hires feel welcomed and build connections from day one, with research showing that new hires with an onboarding buddy experience a 36% increase in employee satisfaction at 90 days compared to those that don’t.

6. Team Lunch

If in an office environment, the most important thing you can do for a new employee on their first day is to make sure that they don’t have lunch alone! The best scenario is to host a team lunch so that the new hire has an opportunity to get to know their team members in a relaxed setting from their first day. This helps the new employee feel connected to their team and the company as a whole.

If the new hire is onboarding remotely, consider sending them a food delivery voucher so that they can order lunch for their first day. This thoughtful gesture will go a long way in creating a positive first impression.

7. Set up 30-60-90 Day Plan

A 30-60-90 day plan maps out the milestones and deliverables for new employees during their first three months of their new role. With 52% of new hires feeling undertraining after their onboarding has wrapped up, it is crucial to provide a comprehensive training program with achievable goals so that new hires feel confident in their role going forwards. Setting clear expectations from day one ensures that new employees are engaged from the get-go and don’t feel lost during their first days and weeks. While it is important not to overwhelm new employees, a key pitfall of onboarding programs is taking things too slowly, with 30% of new hires feeling frustrated with long onboarding processes. Gen Zers in particular are keen to hit the ground running and a great way to do this is to set them up with a 30-60-90 day plan from the first day.

Welcome a New Employee from the First Day

Welcoming a new employee effectively is crucial for fostering a positive workplace culture and ensuring a smooth transition into the team. A warm and structured onboarding process helps new hires feel valued and integrated from day one, boosting their confidence and engagement. This initial experience can significantly influence their long-term job satisfaction and productivity, reducing turnover rates and promoting loyalty. By providing clear expectations, resources, and support, organisations not only empower new employees to contribute meaningfully, but also cultivate an inclusive environment that encourages collaboration. Ultimately, a thoughtful welcome sets the tone for a successful working relationship and strengthens the overall team dynamic.