5 Tips for Welcoming New Team Members

A welcoming workplace is a key to employee retention and the 'foundation stone' of developing a healthy work culture. A team culture where employees feel accepted and valued helps employee retention and produces high-value human assets.  

A welcoming workplace is especially applicable when you are hiring new team members. The starting day at a new job can be overwhelming; with the right onboarding plan, you can cultivate a culture of trust and inclusivity and a welcoming atmosphere that encourages new employees to stay on board.

By implementing a process-driven approach with HRMS solutions like Lateria, you can foster a more embracing culture within your organization that can make the transition of new hires much more manageable. In this article, we have encased the actionable tips to transform the typical first-day employee apprehensions into "encouraging zest' helping you to build a loyal workforce with the right organizational impression.

5 Key Tips for Welcoming a New Employee to Your Team

During the onboarding process, it is essential to make a positive impression on the new employee. To do so, make sure you have an action plan for each activity that you're about to do. To prepare an action plan where the new employees feel more valued and vital, here are five essential tips:

1. Onboard and Introduce New Employees

The first day at a job is always a bit of a mystery, and new employees usually experience a lot of anxiety and confusion. This can often lead to poor decision-making and a decrease in the productivity of the members of the team. The first day as a new employee at your workplace can seem a daunting, confusing, and scary experience. 

To ease the transition, you can start by introducing the new starter to the rest of the team and welcoming them to the company. During the onboarding process, it is essential to make a positive impression on the new employee. To do so, make sure you have an action plan for each activity that you're about to do. 

Prepare an onboarding plan to ensure the new hire fills out all the necessary HR and payroll forms. Your goal should include all the documents written to you outlining all of the steps you will be taking to get your new colleague up to speed with everything they need to know so that they can start performing at their full potential. 

Utilizing HRMS such as Lantria helps to streamline the onboarding process and helps to prepare the procedures and policies for the new hire expected to follow in their new roles. Lanteria eliminates paperwork and allows users to custom onboarding and offboarding workflows aligned to an organization's unique needs. It further helps in more effective communication between new and existing staff. 

Induction checklist to get started:

• The Pre-Welcome Deck

• System set-up and drafting of welcome email
• Preparing New Hire Desk

• Welcome Deck

• New hire introduction
• Welcome kit.
• Office tour 
• Overview of the organization 
• Introduction to manager
• Introduction to team
• Key contacts
• Lunch information

• Documentation

• Employment contract 
• Bank account details
• Job description document
• Performance KPIs and expectations
• Tools and Resources List
• Leave policy, Work hours, Dress code, and work rules.

• Training

• Digital learning platform overview & access
• External study support 
• Access to training or seminars

2. Prepare a Welcome Message Beforehand

A welcome message is a short message sent to a new hire upon arrival. It is designed to introduce them to the company and offer assistance or guidance. HR or the new hire's direct supervisor or manager can write a welcome message. A welcome message can include information about company culture, benefits and perks, office etiquette, and how to contact someone in case of an emergency.

Before formally introducing a new team member to the rest of the team, write down a welcome message and post it at the workplace. An HRMS solution such as Lanterns helps to create a great new day experience by aiding you to streamline communication by automatically sending out checklists, welcome emails, and notifications to new hires.

Pro Tip: A welcoming message should be thoughtful and personalized. The tone should be warm but professional. A welcome message should be sent 24 hours before the employee begins work to give them time to settle in and further helps to familiarize themselves with the office environment.

4. Notify the Entire Team and Keep the Workspace Ready

You can't be too cautious when welcoming new team members. It's vital to make an excellent first impression. When hiring a new team member, notify the rest of the team and ensure that the workspace is ready for your new teammates to access and use; it is recommended that it be as clutter-free as possible. 

• Set communication channels of the starters with the Senior Management and executives. With this, you would allow them to prepare for the new addition. It will also enable them to shift their focus to onboarding tasks if required.
• Additionally, it is important to notify the existing workforce of your impending joining and what the new hire role entails with the company. It ensures that everyone's expectations are clear and that there are no lingering questions or concerns when the new hire begins work. 
• To prepare the new hire, you can utilize Lanteria, which helps share E-Learning courses, videos, documents, and quizzes aligned with the training goals.

4. Assign a Mentor to Help Out

When new team members arrive, assigning a mentor to help them out is a great idea. Mentors are often used in the corporate world to help new team members adjust to their new roles. Mentors are often used in the corporate world to help new team members adjust to their new roles.

•  A new employee faces many challenges at a new job in the first few months. The most prominent of these is finding a good fit between work and life. It is where having a mentor can be beneficial. A mentor can help new employees with this process by lending an ear and helping them navigate the workplace. 
•  A mentor can provide guidance and insight on how to best succeed at their new job. Additionally, having a mentor can give new employees a sense of belonging and help them feel more comfortable in their unique setting.

And the new member would benefit from meeting, interacting, and learning from senior members in the organization. It is an opportunity to understand challenges, issues, and opportunities faced by industry leaders and gain real-time insights into the functioning of your organization. 

This will help to make wiser decisions, build connections and stay updated with the latest developments. Also, it's a chance for both parties to develop a positive relationship helping in organizational productivity.

Note: Utilizing HRMS such as Lanteria, you can help the mentor create a learning schedule per the organization's goal and align goals to the new hire's development needs. With a user-friendly design, the HRs can amalgamate the learning approach and effectively manage both learners and mentors in training.

5. Make Space on the Lunch Table

New team members will often be overwhelmed by the work they must complete. Creating a safe space for new team members to ask questions and get help when needed is essential. An effective way to do it is to create a space at the lunch table where new team members can foster connections.

The office lunch table for a new joiner is significant as it gives a unique opportunity to connect with your colleagues and foster connection. This can be used to strike up a conversation, catch up on the latest work culture and team outings and discuss work-related issues. 

A new hire's first office lunch table is also an excellent opportunity to connect with your team and learn about their personalities. Take the opportunity to share your story, and ask about theirs as well. This conversation can lead to workspace friendships and aids in team building, breaking the ice. 

The lunch table conversations are the best way to know more about the personality of the newcomers as well, as their hobbies and interests, and to find ways the new starter will feel engaged at work. 

Conclusion

Welcoming new team members is vital to fostering an inclusive culture and is especially important when hiring new team members. You can plan a team activity to welcome newcomers and make them feel a part of the organization. You can schedule a potluck, throw an after-work happy hour., or do any event that can bridge the gap between the new hire and the existing employees and build solid relationships and channels for collaboration.