Not many organizations realize the importance of making their new employees feel welcome, but this has a strong impact on how productive the employee is going to be in future.
We’ve all been at that place where we are nervous about our first day at work but are equally excited. Imagine all that excitement and enthusiasm dying because of feeling unwelcome at your new office; sounds disastrous, doesn’t it?
Everyone at work wants to prove that they are capable of their job and that they belong at their new workplace. Here are a few things you can do to keep their enthusiasm going and to make them feel welcome at their new office!
Be Ready For Them
One of the most common on-boarding mistakes is not being ready for the new hires. Get in touch with them as soon as they receive the job offer and get all the paperwork filled in. Do not wait till their first day at office.
Also be prepared with all the necessary arrangements like setting up their desk with everything they might need (A computer, phone, notepad, pen, business cards etc.) to start their work. Set up all the electronic devices in advance so that it doesn’t consume much of the employee’s time on their first day.
Personalized Welcome Kits
Make employee on-boarding fun and exciting for your new hires by welcoming them with a personalized welcome kit. This kit can consist of goodies like
- Company merchandise (T-shirt, Pen, stationery)
- Handwritten welcome notes
- Employee handbook etc.
This makes the new hires feel that they are truly a part of the organization.
Office Tour
Office tour is one of the most essential things that you should do for a new employee. You do not want them to be lost on their first day looking for the restroom, do you?
So, before this show them around the office. Show them the break room, kitchen, the place where their boss sits and most importantly the restroom. This helps them feel comfortable at their new workplace.
Educate Them About Your Company Culture
What most HR managers miss during on-boarding is, to introduce the new employees to the company culture. Different offices have different workplace cultures; introduce them to your formal culture where you educate them about the policies and rules at work place.
Then introduce them to your informal workplace culture which includes celebration of events, employee engagement activities, team outings etc.
Mentor/ Buddy
Asking for help is hard, particularly when it’s your first day at work. Most companies assign a mentor to the new employee so that they can introduce them to the rest of the team and help the new employee get familiar with their new office.
You can do the same, assign them a mentor who is experienced and is not directly related to the new hire in any way.
Invite Them For Lunch With The Team
Inviting new employees to lunch is an amazing way to get to know them and make them feel welcome. This is one way to help the team get along with their new teammate.
Having casual conversations over lunch helps employees know each other on a personal level and gain an insight into each other’s career ambitions.
Remote Worker Introduction
When introducing the new employees with their team, what most managers tend to forget is, introducing them to the remote employees of the team. The reason being that, remote workers aren’t usually present at the office to be introduced.
Find a way to introduce them to the remote employees, even if it is just through phone or a video call. Introducing remote workers to the new employees makes both the remote workers as well as the new employees feel that they are an important part of the organization.
Start With The Smaller Tasks
Do not scare the new employees with piles of work, start slow. Start with giving them smaller responsibilities, this will help them finish it quickly and efficiently, keeping their excitement and enthusiasm on point. This will help the employee feel positive and come back the next day to work with a sense of belonging which helps them stay productive in future.
Set Short-term Goals
Don’t forget to educate them on what is expected of them at the workplace. Set short-term goals for the new hires and tell them to focus on completing the goals.
Setting workplace goals gives them a sense of direction which helps them stay productive in the new work environment.
Also read: 7 Steps To Setting Workplace Goals And Making Them Happen!
Follow-Up
Talk to them and find out how their first day was at their new workplace. New employees tend to have lot of questions, be patient to answer them. Help them with any remaining paperwork. This follow-up talk will have a positive influence over the new hires and helps them stay productive in a long run.