How To Make New Employees Feel Welcome

Onboarding has become a rather sterile term. It began as a recognition that how employees start in a new company, or a new role, can have a dramatic effect on their performance, engagement, and even their tenure. But gradually more and more demands started to be added to the process-legal requirements, mandatory trainings, pages after pages of employee handbooks. And without warning what started as a cause for celebration turned into a cascade of contract signing.

But a growing body of research suggests that what employees truly need to for successful onboarding is to prioritize connection to their coworkers over documentation and contracting. And further research reveals that getting employees to feel a sense of progress in their role and get them engaged quickly.

With those two goals in mind, here are several tactics you can use to make new employees feel welcome, connected, and making progress.

Send A Teaser Email

The first tactic to make new employees feel welcome is a before the start date, teaser email. You’ve been interacting new hires during the interview process, and you know their contact information and you know a lot about them. So, before their first day on the job, preferably just a day or two before their start date, send them a quick email sharing how excited you are for…