Good onboarding processes lead to 69% of employees remaining in the company for at least three years. NoHQ is an impressive resource for both veteran and beginner remote workers so you can develop successful strategies that work in no time, whether you’re an employee or an employer.
In this guide, you’re going to learn:
How to welcome someone to the team effectively
Welcoming phrases to use in emails/Slack
Which remote-based tools to use
How to involve the whole team
Why is a successful team welcome important?
Welcoming new team members in the right way is critical for several reasons. First and foremost, making new staff feel comfortable demonstrates a positive, proficient company culture and that your organisational skills are exceptional.
If a new employee’s onboarding process is successful, they'll become acclimated to how your company operates, and there’s more chance they’ll enjoy their new place of work. Secondly, welcoming new teammates increases their engagement and makes them feel valued.
The bonuses of having exceedingly engaged workers can reach every nook and cranny of your company. These include:
Enhanced product quality
Greater customer loyalty
Improved profitability
Better sales
Superior efficiency
Boosted sales
Healthier staff loyalty
Less staff renewal rate
Reduced absence
Almost 85 per cent in a recent survey deemed engagement as important (38 per cent) or very important (48 per cent) priority for their companies.
And finally, showing a new employee you’re thrilled they’re joining the team fosters better team communication.
How to properly welcome someone to your team
Making your new hire feel welcome on their first day is key. Let’s dive into some of the best ways you can welcome new staff members.
1. Create a checklist of your welcome to the team process + checklist template
Create templates of your key welcoming tasks such as a welcome email, the new employee’s welcome package, and confirm all technology is working correctly. The first part of your onboarding checklist should cover tasks connected to pre-hiring.
Usually, these include things like paperwork that gathers info about the new candidate (their full name, employment commencement date, and address). Talk about the new hire’s job role with their line manager and any tasks or objectives planned for them.
Next, you’ll need to ascertain the projects for their first day. So, items on the next part of your onboarding checklist should explain the expectations and objectives of their job role using the info you collected from their line manager.
Introduce them to any colleagues they need to know without delay, such as managers and marketing teams. Then, take the new employee on a tour of the building. Show them the reception, kitchen, nearest bathroom, the HR office and where they can find their line manager.
Other items to include on your checklist include:
• Necessary training materials
• Where they can park on their first day
• Company dress code
• Who their new mentor will be
• Their deadlines
2. Prepare the training ahead of time
Identify the key topics new employees should learn. What are the main themes your new hires should gain knowledge of? And, whether your company consists of three employees or three thousand, create training material – it’s an invaluable resource.
This could be customer service training materials to explain telephone skills, leadership development training materials, training ideas for up-skilling workers, or even materials for coaches.
Set a timeline for covering the material. Then, evaluate your requirements and nurture objectives and success metrics. We recommend asking yourself the following:
Who do you want to target your training program to?
Can you define your short-term and long-term objectives?
How long will it take for you to achieve these goals?
How will you calculate achievement?
Then, decide on which type of employee training plan you’ll implement. Will it be industry meetings or internal conferences? Workshop style or classroom style? Group coaching or one-on-one? Training shows organisation, commitment, and a readiness to welcome them to the team so they thrive.
Other benefits include improving and reducing staff renewal rate. A study discovered that revenue costs companies between 16% to 213% of the lost worker’s income. Enhanced output is just another of the plusses of employee training.
74% of staff believe they aren’t fulfilling their full potential in the workplace owing to an absence of development opportunities. Successful training gives staff members the assurance and incentive to remain industrious at work.
Investing in your workforce with brilliant learning and training experiences means they feel happier in their job, which impacts their performance positively. Employers can lift employees’ spirits in this post-pandemic world by providing a brilliant staff training program, along with the tools to make sure their team is armed with all the know-how they require to perform their work confidently.
Prepare all necessary tools and collaterals
Ensure that, from day one, everyone has access to the starter kit they need, including work hardware (computers, modems, microphones, cameras, and anything else needed). Check their internet connection (Speed, VPN), and provide login access to tools (make sure their accounts are ready for every piece of software they’ll be using).
Include apps (with images) that facilitate the onboarding process, such as:
Various assets:
Templates
Email
Chat message
Documentation
Videos
Tip: Prepare an email with all the information they need and send it out on the first day.
3. Welcome message email and chat messages
Not sure how to welcome a new worker to the team? Put yourself in their shoes. Accepting a new position in an alien work setting is similar to being the new kid in school – they inform you which classes you’re taking and where your locker is.
But you really want to know the accepted way of behaving and how you’re supposed to act. Have a concise welcome email ready to go. Welcome to the team quotes in emails and Slack can go a long way in making a solid first impression in terms of your company culture.
It links the newbie to their co-workers, and paves the way to success. Your welcome message to new team members can:
a. Recount their talents/reason they were hired
b. Deliver a positive message about what your team will achieve
c. Relay any other relevant information for their work (dress code, expectations, and working hours). This is optional or it can be included in a separate email and training).
Samples:
Here’s a welcome email template you could use:
Dear [name of new employee],
We’re so excited to welcome you to our team! With your previous experience and background, we’re confident you’ll fit right in. We can’t wait to see everything you’ll achieve with us!
As discussed, you’ll start on [date] and we’d like you to arrive at our office by [time]. Please dress in [casual/business] attire.
We care about all our staff members, so we ensure they have all the tools they need to do their job efficiently. For your peace of mind, we’ve set up your workstation with everything you need.
When you start with us, you’ll meet your line manager to talk about what you’ll be doing. We’ve also planned a couple of training sessions so you gain some good knowledge about [company name] and what we do.
We can’t wait to meet you and see you achieving brilliant things. Please don’t hesitate to call or email me if you have any more queries before your start date.
Kind regards,
[Your name]
[Your signature]
4. Involve the team
It’s easy to get your whole company involved in the onboarding process by implementing a buddy system, for example. This involves matching each new employee with a longstanding member of staff who’s been at the company for a long time.
The buddy could take the new employee on a tour of the office following their initial onboarding session.
An introduction system
Have your new hire fill out a profile showcasing where they were born, which school they went to, and a few truths about themselves. Connect them on Slack, LinkedIn, or Google Hangout.
A virtual water cooler moment
Did you know? 86% of workers believe a lack of interaction is the cause of their workplace malfunctions. Creating a virtual water cooler break room via software such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or Slack can enable a remote team to bounce ideas off each other in a casual setting.
What’s more, virtual water cooler moments mean remote workers can come up for a bit of air between working and allow employees who don’t work directly with each other to chat. Other pluses of having watercooler activities include boosting mood, and encouraging communication.
Icebreaker games
You can use funny icebreakers to help your new hire feel at home around their new co-workers. Games like Whodunnit, Two Truths and One Lie, and Have You Ever encourage workers to get to know each other better.
For instance, Whodunnit involves employees writing something interesting they’ve done (anonymously), and then everyone has to guess who did it. Alternatively, ask questions starting with ‘Have you Ever’ and see which of your new employees have done these things.
Schedule onboarding meetings
Organise a range of onboarding meetings, including new employee orientation, job training, role transition, and continuing development. Lastly, arrange a one-to-one between the new recruit and the CEO.
Examples
“Introduce yourself, your background, and something you love to do in your free time.”
“Tell us about yourself and the most interesting thing you have ever seen.”
The takeaway
Whether you organise icebreaker games or write a stellar welcome email, making a great first impression on any new teammate is paramount. So, take the time to prepare everything as best as you can before your new hire starts so that they get a feel for the company culture.
Welcoming a new colleague in the right way will allow you to retain top talent in the long run. Need a little help to build a more effective remote strategy? Join NoHQ now and become part of a global community, connect with industry leaders, and gain industry-leading knowledge about the remote working world.