How To Welcome New Members To The Team
First impressions are everything when it comes to welcoming new members to the team. According to a report by the Society for Human Resource Management, 1 in 25 employees leaves their new job because of bad onboarding experiences. The Society for Human Resource Management reported that new employees who went through a carefully curated onboarding program were 58% more likely to be with the same organization three years later. Likewise, organizations with a standard onboarding process saw 50% greater productivity from their new hires.
O.C.Tanner noted that: it is important to do what you can to encourage retention because up to 20% of all turnover occurs within the first 45 days of employment. Similarly, Harvard Business Review reported that 33% of new hires begin to look for a new job within their first six months of starting one.
According to research, A strong, welcoming onboarding is shown to improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%. 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for at least three years if they experienced great onboarding.
As an old staff, making a new employee feel comfortable and familiar with their new working environment is the best way to start a healthy work relationship. This is an important step that can boost employee engagement and build a productive workforce.
Here are a few tips on how to welcome a new member to a team:
- Grant them access to your team knowledge base: A new employee is likely to have a lot of questions about their new job. Giving your new colleagues access to your knowledge management system will help them feel more confident and prepared on their first day.
- Send a welcome message: A warm welcome message can go a long way to make a new team member feel comfortable, it is the perfect opportunity to show the new employee that you are excited to have them join the team and to give them an insight into your company’s culture and communication style.
Examples of a welcome message for new employees or teammates:
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- The entire team of XYZ company is thrilled to welcome you on board. We are so happy that you have become a part of our amazing team.
- Congratulations on being part of the team! The whole company welcomes you and we look forward to a successful journey with you! Welcome!
- A big congratulations on your new role! On behalf of the staff and supervisors, we would like to welcome you to our great team. Starting from today, we are happy and excited to have you join us as a team member.
- A warm welcome to the office! Your remarkable skills will be a great addition to our team and the company. We look forward to a wonderful work experience with you.
- Congratulations on being part of our great team! The entire office welcomes you. We hope to have a long and successful journey together.
- It is a great honor to have you in our company. All of us from XYZ company are very excited to work with you. Welcome aboard!
- Welcome aboard! Our team is pleased to have you with us. Your expertise would be of great use to the company and its success.
- The XYZ company welcomes you today with open arms to be a part of our strong team! We hope that we will achieve greater heights together.
- Prepare their workspace: Do not let new employees feel that they are not relevant. Show them that they are your absolute top priority by making sure that their workspace is ready. That includes their laptop, their desk, and the digital tools they would need.
- Put together a welcome package: As a manager, you can welcome new employees by leaving a welcome package on their desk before they arrive. The package can have a branded office bag with branded stationery or a mug. A welcome package will go a long way to make new employees integrate smoothly into their new work environment.
- Introduce the new member to the team: As a manager, help your new team members to build a great work relationship with their colleagues by making sure that you introduce both parties on the first day or week.
- Mentorship: After your new employee has settled, invite him/her for a one and one meeting with you so that you can give them an introduction to your company culture, clarify your expectations for them, and answer any questions they may have about their new role.
- Be warm and friendly: A new employee might find it difficult to adapt to a new team. Be friendly, break the ice with fun facts about your team.
- Connect with them on social media: As an employer, you can connect with your employees via social media to open up a conversation before the resumption date.
- Create an onboarding document: As an employee, creating an onboarding document is likely the most important step to take whenever you hire a new employee. This document can be a guide to help the employee to know what is expected from him or her by the organization.
Components of the document should include:
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- Goals for the employee’s first 30, 60, and 90 days.
- An outline of the tasks you expect them to execute.
- Any relevant documents, links, calendars, or logins that they will need.
- Meetings they are expected to attend in their first few weeks or regularly.
- Contact information, names, and background of team members and co-workers that they will be working with.
10. Send an email: As an employer, sending an email to your employees before they officially resume will show how happy you are that they are joining the team.
- Go for lunch or Drinks: Everyone likes a free lunch. As an employer or a team leader, one of the effective ways to make your new team members comfortable is by taking them out for lunch. The lunch period is a wonderful time to talk casually and get to know your new team members by learning about their families, hobbies, and other interests. This will foster a healthy relationship between both parties. Knowing how to do this well will set your organization apart from its competition.
- Introduce upstream and downstream colleagues: As an employer, in other to enhance productivity and the free flow of communication, it is important that you introduce your new employees to people at all levels of the organization. This will help the employees understand how their role fits into the organization from the first day.
How Not To Welcome A New Employee To The Team
When a new employee gets the impression that he or she is not welcomed to an organization by other team members, he/she may find it difficult to perform at their best.
The following are ways not to welcome a new employee to the team:
- Gossip: A new employee who is trying to navigate his/her way around the organization does not need to know who is disrespectful, unfriendly, or lazy. They don’t need the details. Allow them to settle in and make their own conclusions about their co-workers.
- Complains: A new employee just resumed work at the office, the least he/she wants to hear is:
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- The cleaner does not clean well.
- Salaries come in late.
- How badly the boss treats the staff.
As an older staff, be conscious of what you tell a new staff, your job is to make them comfortable not uncomfortable.
- Unfriendly attitude: The best way not to welcome a new employee is by being unfriendly. As an employer or an old staff, when you portray an unfriendly attitude towards a new employee, it might be difficult for him/her to adapt to the organization.
In conclusion, as an employer, do not wait till the new employee steps through your office door before you welcome him/her to the team. Giving new employees a warm welcome is not just a nice thing to do. it is a smart strategy that leads to greater productivity and longer retention.
As an employer or a team member, when you make a new employee comfortable from the very first day, it will go a long way to make him or her feel valued. That is why it is important to ensure every new employee’s first day on your team is a memorable one.
