If finding new hires is a part of your job, you know it’s a huge relief when you find the right person to fill a position. But what comes next? Really, your job has only just begun. One of the most important parts of the hiring process is making sure your new hires want to stick around when they get there.
Companies with high turnover tend to struggle with moving forward. It’s important to create a culture where people feel welcome and comfortable, so they will stay for a long time. If you already have an on-boarding process in place, it may be time to reevaluate and make sure it’s working. If not, it’s definitely time to set one up. Either way, we have eight ideas to get you started. Read more below.
Be prepared
Get everything they will need for their first day prepped ahead of time. Make sure their work space is set up with their computer, phone, email or whatever they might need. Have answers ready for questions you think they might have (Like where the bathrooms are or how to access their benefits).
Chances are, your new hires will be taking in a lot of information during their first week. They will likely have lots of questions, but may not be able to think of them in the moment. Getting ahead of this will help them feel more equipped with the information they need!
Let New Hires Know What to Expect
Give your new hires a heads up for what to expect their first day and their first week. Lay out a schedule with any orientations, training, department head meetings or otherwise that they need to attend. If there are projects they’ll be jumping in on right away, give them all the information they will need to get up to speed. If you want them to sit back and observe the first week, let them know! And, maybe most important, give them a quick rundown of what your workplace culture looks like. This will help them better understand company values, communication and how they fit into that!
Give New Hires An Office Tour
Next, you want to give your new employee a quick tour of the office. Show them where the breakroom and conference rooms are. Give them an idea of how the space is organized (i.e. by department, title, floor, etc.).
Don’t just limit this tour to your office space! Some new hires may have moved in from out of town. Regardless, this is likely a new area of town for them. Let them know about your neighbors and where the best places are to grab lunch close by. This will help them feel like part of the community!
Introduce Them to the Team
This could happen as part of the office tour or maybe in a morning meeting. Make sure you introduce new employees to, not only their team, but the whole office! Give a quick explanation of everyone’s roles and make sure they know the people they’ll be working most closely with. They may not remember everyone right away, but if they remember 3 or 4 important people, that will help as they transition into the position and start taking on projects.
Swag!
A great way to make new hires feel welcome right off the bat is with company swag! It may seem corny, but t-shirts, hats and bags with your company logo on it will create buy-in and get people in the company spirit. Things like branded water bottles can also encourage employees to contribute to a more sustainable office space by bringing their bottle to work and refilling throughout the day.
Assign Them a Mentor
This can make a huge difference when it comes to a new hire’s experience their first week of work! While they are receiving all this new information and likely in and out of meetings, questions will inevitably come up. It can be scary or intimidating to know who to go to when you’re in a new place with new people. Getting new hires connected with a mentor or buddy right away will give them someone to go to as questions come up. This should probably be someone on their team who they can talk to regularly and maybe even sit with at lunch!
Throw New Hires a Welcome Lunch or Happy Hour
Speaking of lunch — a welcome lunch is a great time for your team to socialize and get to know their new coworker. It allows everyone to take a break from work and spend quality time connecting with one another. If a welcome lunch during the workday doesn’t make sense for your team, maybe consider closing out their first week with an after hours happy hour! Just make sure you get a chance to connect as a team with your new member!
