7 Things you Need to be Doing to Make your New Hire Feel Welcomed at Work

Did you know more than half of employers are thinking of hiring new staff in 2021?

It’s true! The data comes after a tumultuous year, with many employees being put on furlough for short or extended periods of time, or maybe even being made redundant. It’s good to see things looking up in terms of firms plans to add to their teams.

So if you’re among those businesses looking to welcome some new starters to your ranks this year, here’s a round up of the best advice for getting them started with your company so they can hit the ground running and acclimate to their new role as quickly as can be!

1. Get kitted out

One of the first things to have on hand for when your new hire turns up on that very first Monday morning is any and all tools they’ll need for the job. Whether that’s a computer or laptop, mouse and keyboard, notepad and pen, a mobile or landline phone, or some other kind of specialist kit – don’t forget to have it ready for them!

Then there’s always the things to consider for when they’ve turned their equipment on! Make sure you’ve set them up an email address and have acquired passwords for all necessary software before their start date for a smooth onboarding process – and it helps to maintain the super organised company image we’re sure you want to project to newbies too!

2. Prepare their workspace

If your new colleague is going to have their own permanent workspace to sit at for many hours each day, consider getting them some comfort items like a mouse pad, a laptop riser, or a back support for their chair. These things might also be necessary rather than optional – you might have to ask about the individual requirements of the new hire themselves to make sure you’re accommodating for any of their additional needs.

And for a nice touch, why not get them a personalised, branded-up mug with their name on for their first day? Although, make sure to double-check the spelling!

3. Arrange for them to meet the team

Taking your new hire on a tour of their new workplace is always a good idea. Not only is it a requirement for them to know about all the fire exits for health and safety reasons, and a good idea that they know where the kitchen is for their mid-morning brew, it’s a great way for everyone on your team to put a face to the name!

Your new starter might not remember everyone’s name straight away (unless they’re very on the ball!) but a formal introduction breaks the ice for the next time your employees bump into each other by the photocopier.

4. Set some time aside

Onboarding isn’t a walk in the park, although we hope our advice helps make it a little simpler! It’s always best practice to pencil in at least a few hours at the start of the new hire’s first day to help them settle in and get all the necessary paperwork signed, sealed and delivered. After all, you don’t want to do these vital things in a rush! Your new hire will be grateful for not feeling shoe-horned in to an otherwise busy day!

5. Assign them a workplace buddy

We’ve all been there. Your first day of a new job is always a little overwhelming. And feeling like you have no one to ask all of the many questions swimming around your head will only add to the stress! Partner your new hire up with an existing member of the team will take a little bit of the pressure off for a new starter, help calm some of those first day jitters and mean any issues that they come up against get solved in the first few days, rather than months down the line!

6. Shout about them from the rooftops!

Our advice is to send round at least a quick email to all of your staff letting everyone know someone knew is joining them! It’ll be good for those in other departments to stay in the hiring loop, especially if part or all of your workforce is working from home at the moment.

Also, if your business is one that has a presence on social media, and we’re sure we’d be hard pushed to find one that wasn’t in this day and age, why not share the news with your online following? If you have customers or clients who check in with your virtual updates, they might enjoy the feeling of getting a sneak peak behind the scenes – and they might recognise your new employee from the post when they next interact with your business in person.

7. Set up a check in plan

Starting a new job goes well beyond the first day, or even the first week, at a new company. Things can change and evolve every day. It’s a good idea to set up a 30-, 60- and 90-day check in meeting with a new member of staff to see how they’re getting on, what, if any, problems have arisen for them since their first day, and if there are any adjustments that can be made to make their working life easier. After all, keeping your employees happy is a sure-fire way to improve productivity, morale and reduce staff turnover.

Were these tips helpful? What advice would you give to those onboarding new members of staff? Make sure you follow us on social media to share your tips and tricks with us… and maybe we’ll even feature you here on our website!