Have you ever started a job with a company where your first few minutes there were chaotic? Maybe your supervisor ran around trying to explain things to you but was caught up in the melee of the job or worse you reported on your first day and they didn’t have anything set up for you.
Maybe you went directly into training and that gave some structure to your day. That is until you got out of training.
These scenarios make a new employee feel undervalued and reflect poorly on the business.
The better an employee feels about that first day the more they’re going to dig in and learn the necessary steps of the new job. That’s why it’s incredibly important to make sure their initial experience is memorable. You can do this in several ways.
9 Easy Tips for Making an Employee Feel Welcome
Be Ready
Except in the case of extreme emergencies, chances are you’ve known about the new employee and their start date for about two weeks. There is no reason why you shouldn’t be ready for them. At the minimum, they should have a:
- workspace
- necessary tools they need to do their job such as a computer, business cards, writing utensils, a desk, a chair, a hard hat, or other critical pieces to the posiition
- a place to put their things that feels secure
If for some reason you know ahead of time that you will not be prepared for them with the necessary physical components of their job, then you need to either arrange for some training until you are ready for them or you may want to consider changing their start date. Training can include training for their job as well as an informational session with HR, a team member, a supervisor, or the head of another department they will be working closely with or conbine time with all of them giving the new employee a strong foundation in what they can expect and what is expected of them.
New Employee Packet
The new employee packet doesn’t have to be a giant paper pile. It can easily be an online searchable Wiki that helps answer new employees’ questions. Not only will it give the new employee the ability to find their own answers without disturbing coworkers, it is also a great resource for when co-workers aren’t available.
However, never let any new employee feel like that is the only place they can go for answers. This is simply a secondary source for when others aren’t available or for those employees who prefer to do their own fact-finding and self-paced learning.
A Welcome Gift
There is nothing nicer than a gift on your first day of work. While it takes a little something out of your budget, it is a nice investment in your employee. The welcome gift is effective for two reasons. It makes someone feel welcome (obviously) but it also builds on that excitement of being brand new to a company and wanting to be a part of it.
If you give your new employee a branded promotional item like a t-shirt, they will also be advertising for you when they wear it. It’s likely their friends and family know about their new job but a tee will help rein them. Plus, when they see the branded items the positive feelings they have for your business will be amplified.
Lunch
Taking an employee out to lunch on their first day is a great way to introduce them to the team. It gets the team away from the hustle and bustle and helps them get to know one another on a more personal level. Studies show that people who have friends in the workplace are more engaged and happier at work. So you want to do what you can to cultivate these friendships. Lunch is a good start.
If you can’t get away to take the employee to lunch, don’t leave them to their own devices. They may not know what’s in the area and they may be hesitant to leave the office if no one else is. In this situation, you can either order in and eat as a team or you can provide them with local lunch spots that are nearby in the new employee packet.
If your business gets any discounts from local restaurants include this information as well. For instance, some establishments give discounts to people in the hospitality industry. If your business is in the hospitality industry and your employees qualify for these discounts, make sure new employees know about them as well.
A Mentor
Sometimes the manager or supervisor is too busy to dedicate the needed time to getting an employee on-boarded. If you know this ahead of time, assign the new employee a buddy or a mentor. This person can be a peer or even someone from a different department. Their duty is to act as a helper to this new employee getting them acquainted with things like a tour of the business and necessary introductions. This could also mean introducing them to vendors or business partners outside of the organization. The mentore should be available and willing to take questions from the new employee as they get acquainted.
Rewards
Employees like to be recognized in different ways. It’s important you know whether your new employee enjoys public recognition or something conducted in a smaller atmosphere. At some point in the new employee’s job they will do something to warrant recognition. When that happens, you want to know how they most enjoy being appreciated.
This question of recognition can be added to the employee packet or can be part of an interview conducted by the supervisor or manager, which brings us to the next important part of employee onboarding…
Career Pathing
One of the main reasons people leave jobs (besides management) is the lack of advancement opportunities. Most people who are doing a good job want to be promoted at sometime and receive additional challenges. They want growth.
Many companies think they are too small to offer these opportunities. But sometimes it’s just a matter adding new responsibilities and a slightly different job title as well as a pay increase, if possible.
However, the first day on the job is not the time to talk about future possibilities specifically but it is the ideal time to talk about career pathways that are possible within your business. This should be an open dialogue where the manager discusses the different positions within the business but also asks the question of the new employee as to what they’re most interested in.
Managers should start by asking what the employee liked about the position when they accepted it. By listening to their answers, the manager can get a better idea of what the employee wants to do in the future. This does not mean dictating the next role they will have.
Career pathing doesn’t necessarily mean that Job A turns into Job B. Actually, quite the opposite. By discussing interest with a new employee, the manager can begin to give some thought as to what additional responsibilities may appeal to this new person once they master their current one. For instance, a creative writer may enjoy taking on the responsibility of the newsletter.
This sort of career pathing is very important in smaller businesses because there may not be other formal positions to move into but there are always new responsibilities and challenges that can be presented. Knowing career goals is extremely important to keep your employee challenged and excited about the possibilities within your business.
Email Drip Campaign
Some teams are extremely busy and the employees barely have time to do their own jobs let alone to train someone else. Yet training is essential to the longevity of this new employee’s career with you. That’s why you have to ensure that they feel welcome and learn certain things within the first few weeks of work. If you put these things off, they not only won’t feel good about their new job but they won’t become an effective part of the team.
We mentioned earlier that a new employee handbook or an employee Wiki or frequently asked questions section is helpful. But if you want to really wow your employees, you can create a tip of the day email campaign that fires off to their inbox every day for the first week or so of work. Make sure these tips are digestible, actionable, and interesting. Examples could include “did you know?” facts about your company, industry, team, or job responsibilities.
Gamification
Gamification is using game techniques to entice people to perform desired actions. For instance, let’s say you want your new employee to meet everyone the first day they’re on the job. However, you don’t have the bandwidth to dedicate another employee to ensuring that they meet everyone. Instead, you can create a scavenger hunt or use simple gamification techniques to create a fun activity. For instance, use a piece of paper and star stickers to creat a “get to know your team” scavenger hunt. List facts about every employee without saying who those facts refer to. Then ask your new employee to get signatures of each employee next to “their” fact on a piece of paper.
Bringing on a new employee is a very important part of your business culture. An engaged employee will help you surprise and delight your customers. On the other hand, a disengaged employee can negatively impact customer service and also affect the attitude of their peers.
That’s why engaging them from the very beginning of their time with you is so important. This process should involve a mixture I’m getting to know the team but also giving them the resources they need to do their job and to learn their role. This means that self-learners and people who prefer to work in teams will be taken care of.
At ThinkQuick, we can help you make your new employee feel welcome through promotional marketing materials that will make them feel proud of their new role in your business. We have products that fit all budgets so there’s no need to worry that you can’t afford an employee onboarding gift.
Call us today and we’ll find something that fits your business and your new employee perfectly.
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