5 Ways to Help Your New Employees Feel More Welcome

Rafael Magaña

Senior Director Of Development - Corporate Partnerships, Major Gifts, & Planned Giving

Published May 30, 2020

Making employees feel welcome is an important part of onboarding, which is, in turn, the process of integrating employees into your organization. When new employees feel welcomed, they feel like they are a part of the team faster and they learn what is expected of them quickly. Another benefit of successful onboarding is the prevention of high employee turnover.

Employees who have a negative onboarding experience are much more likely to seek new opportunities elsewhere. Your business will feel this impact directly since it can cost thousands of dollars to replace them. If you would like to retain new employees and improve your company's productivity, you will need to make sure employees feel welcomed from the beginning. Use these five strategies to help new employees feel welcome:

1. Create a First-Day Schedule

Nothing disorients new employees as much as showing up at a new job and realizing that they do not know what they are expected to do or worse still, that there is no one to receive them. To avoid this issue, ensure that there is someone to meet the new employees, show them where their desk is, take them into a meeting with HR and other team members, and generally introduce them to the organization. The employee will feel they are valued members of the organization and reduce the likelihood of feeling like a fish out of water.

2. Provide a Mentor

Assign new employees with a seasoned mentor who can help them learn the ropes and feel more comfortable in their new environment. Assign someone from the department they will be working in who can teach them how to perform the tasks that are expected of them. The mentor should be friendly and willing to teach and preferably someone who is a top performer in the organization so they can set a good example.

3. Have a One on One Meeting with Each New Employee

Sit down with new employees to welcome them to your organization and let them know what is expected of them. Hold this meeting in your office and provide beverages or snacks to put them at ease. Go through their job description and explain the tasks they will be expected to perform, outline how they will be assessed, and generally provide information about their role within your organization.

4. Start with Small and Simple Tasks

Avoid bombarding new employees with difficult tasks and too much work for the first few days. Instead, let them start with simple tasks that help them learn more about their job at a reasonable pace. Once you have caught them up, you can begin increasing their workload so they can begin contributing fully to the achievement of your organizational goals.

5. Make a Welcome Basket

A welcome basket is a great way to make new employees feel great about joining your organization. Gifts also help break the tension that they might feel in an unfamiliar environment. Your welcome basket can include treats, vouchers to a coffee shop, and office stationery.

In Conclusion

Making new employees feel welcome on their first and subsequent days is a great way to reduce turnover and improve their productivity. Ensuring that they feel they are an important part of your organization will increase new employees' loyalty and make them more willing to give their best to their jobs.

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Rafael Magaña helps organizations grow. Helps leaders accelerate strategy implementation in their organizations. Specializes in donor-centered Philanthropy. Major Gift Officer -Veritus Scholar. Director of Development & Communications at BREATHE California of Los Angeles County. Director of Development at the Emphysema Foundation of America. Enjoys writing about leadership and management in nonprofit organizations. Founder of Latino Professionals and Latina Professionals. Resides in California.

Follow Rafael on LinkedIn and on Twitter: @RafaelMagana

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are solely my own.