Picture this: You’ve just started your new position at a company that provided an exceptional interview experience. They told you that the team you’re joining is full of close-knit, friendly people and assured you that you’d fit in perfectly. But, as your first day draws to an end, all you’ve received is a short name exchange with your new manager and a large pile of important paperwork, leaving you feeling disheartened and unmotivated.
This scenario isn’t uncommon for new staff. According to Officevibe research, 51 percent of employees think their company’s onboarding process could be improved. Insufficient employee onboarding leads to many recent hires actively searching for jobs early on in their role. In fact, over 30 percent of new team members quit their jobs within the first six months of employment, per Zipdo. That’s why it’s vital to ensure your incoming workforce feels welcome and supported.
First Impressions Make a Difference
You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. When employees start their new roles, they’ll most probably be making assessments on their working environment, resource accessibility and the attitudes of their managers and coworkers.
New hires expect a positive journey in the initial stages of their employment and, if they are satisfied with the onboarding stage, your company maintains a higher chance of retaining those workers. Further statistics from Zipdo found that 69 percent of employees were more likely to stay with a company for three years if they received a supportive onboarding experience.
With onboarding having such a strong influence on employee retention, it’s important to put processes in place to ensure new hires feel valued and recognized early on in their employee journey.
Formulating a Welcome Package
Once you’ve made the right hires, it’s essential to enhance the employee experience to retain those valuable workers. Sending a welcome packet is an excellent way to please recent hires and help them feel comfortable on their first day. But what is a welcome letter or package?
A new employee welcome letter should aim to:
- Evoke a response that gives an employee the sense that they’re going to be happy in their new working environment. Instead of keeping your wording plain and professional, use friendly language to communicate this effectively.
- Inspire new hires to make their mark on the company. Let them know that your organization encourages employees to share their ideas and is willing to take on new perspectives.
- Empower those who have recently started their roles. Provide them with opportunities to integrate with other staff members.
- Assure workers that their teams are there to support them whenever they need it. Encourage them to ask questions and share any frustrations they may experience to achieve a resolution.
- Inform new employees of the staff structure and where to find the best training resources. Without telling employees vital information, how are they supposed to know where to look? Make sure to handle this early on in their journey.
When forming a welcome message, it’s important to cover the following information as part of your new employee orientation to ensure they have everything they need when starting their role. This can include:
- Necessary contacts: Share the necessary contact information, such as emails and phone numbers, of the people that incoming employees can rely on for assistance during their onboarding period.
- Benefits package: An essential part of welcome messages is to inform new hires of the benefits packages in place to support them and their personal needs.
- Resources information: Let employees know where to access your company’s internal systems, including employee handbooks, email systems and file storage.
- Company dress code: Provide your organization’s expectations for business-appropriate clothing and workplace behavior.
When to Send a Welcome Message
After an applicant accepts a job offer, you can plan to send a welcome message right away. Providing the new hire with as much information as possible in advance of their first day can make a big difference in easing their anxiety and helping them feel more confident about starting a new role.
5 Welcome Message Examples
To help you draft your welcome messages, we’ve provided some inspiration on the myriad of variables to consider. Here are five possible approaches, each with its own new employee welcome letter template.
Casual
What to include:
When forming a casual welcome message, aim to use colloquial language to connect with your new hire. This ensures you come across as personable and approachable.
Also, make sure to invite your new hires to any internal events that could help them get to know the team. This will promote a positive company culture and show that your business nurtures their social well-being.
Sample welcome letter:
Hey [name]:
We just heard the news that our company has hired a wonderful employee to join the team, and guess what? That’s you! Welcome to [company name]!
Feel free to come along to [takeout Tuesday] in [room 3B] tomorrow lunchtime. Pizzas on us!
Remote Employee
What to include:
For remote employees, you should aim to recognize their position. Avoid referencing working from home with negative connotations. Instead, initially welcome them as you would other employees and offer the necessary resources to get started with onboarding. Deliver helpful documents and links that might be relevant to their first day, such as a video call or training videos.
Sample welcome letter:
Hi [name],
Welcome from afar! A huge congratulations on your new role. We’re so excited to have you as part of the team. We know you’ll make an excellent addition to [company name].
We understand that you’ll be fulfilling your duties remotely, so we’ve provided you with our [“No Place Like Home”] onboarding package! This will help you learn a bit more about our remote support systems and the structure of our organization.
Get in touch if you have any questions and we look forward to seeing you later today.
Here’s the meeting link: [Meeting link]
Newly Relocated Employee
What to include:
Sending a welcome email to your recently relocated employees will demonstrate your company’s ability to nurture their well-being. If you have benefit systems in place to support your mobile workforce, outline these in your welcome message. Likewise, provide an allocated human resources (HR) contact for them to reach out to if they require assistance.
Sample welcome letter:
[Regionally specific greeting, e.g., bonjour]!
Welcome abroad! We hope you’re settling well into your new home. Don’t forget to check out our [employee relocation] package for support to help you seamlessly integrate into the [country] office.
If you need help and advice, feel free to contact [HR professional] at any time. Here’s their email: [contact information]
Fun Team Email
What to include:
Fun team emails are a great way to inform the whole office about the new hire’s first day. Try gathering some hobbies and interests from the incoming employee before they join and use them to create interesting talking points for bonding opportunities. Also, include the office in which they’re based to encourage current employees to introduce themselves. This email celebrates your new hire on their first day, making them feel valued and appreciated off the bat.
Sample welcome letter:
Oh, haven’t you heard?
We have an excellent addition to [company name] joining us today! We’re delighted to introduce [full name] to the team. Here are a few fun facts about [first name]:
- [They love cats and have their own furry friend called Tabitha]
- [They enjoy painting in their spare time]
- [Their favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate chip]
They’re currently in [office room location]. Drop in and say hi when you get the chance!
From HR manager
What to include:
When hearing from an HR manager, it’s good for them to offer themselves as a support touchpoint for the new hire. Additionally, make sure to provide the contact information of relevant managers that can assist them with any questions that arise. This will ensure they don’t feel alone in their role and are supported by various team members in the onboarding process.
Sample welcome letter:
Hello [name],
Welcome aboard! We’re absolutely thrilled to have you join the team. We know you’ll be a valuable asset to our company, and we can’t wait to see all that you’ll achieve.
Feel free to reach out to myself or [manager’s name] with any questions you may have.
[Contact information]
Start Off on the Right Foot With ApplicantStack
Exceptional onboarding gives you a significant competitive advantage, and the benefits to your organization and the new hires are evident. If your company doesn’t utilize applicant-tracking systems, ApplicantStack, a powerful hiring solution, can give you what you need to streamline your onboarding and enhance the employee experience.
ApplicantStack plays a pivotal role in shaping a positive brand image with personalized onboarding and with speedy feedback from your team. Harness the power of ApplicantStack to elevate your recruitment processes to secure an experienced, diverse and highly skilled workforce that will take your business to new heights. Additionally, the onboarding tools built into the platform will keep everyone on the same page while providing a consistent experience to every new hire.
Start your ApplicantStack free trial now and explore how you can enhance your onboarding management.
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