11 Onboarding Strategies to Help New Hires Feel Welcome
When you hire a new employee, their first month on the job often determines how well they will end up fitting in and succeeding at your organization. As their manager, it’s your job to ensure they have the tools and support they need to feel like a true part of the team.
To help you with this process, we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council the following question:
Q. What are some specific steps to make a new hire feel welcome and ensure their success during their first 30 days?
1. Set up their technology and orientation schedule prior to their arrival
On their very first day, welcome them by having their work area set up with their computer ready, necessary accesses granted, email set up, and anything else they need to get to work quickly. Schedule their day so they meet key people become oriented to their projects. Most importantly, make sure they know what success looks like in the first 30 days and how they can achieve it! —Monica Snyder, Birdsong
2. Give them a mentor
A great way to make a new hire feel welcome and ensure their success with your company is to give them a mentor. Pair them up with someone at your company whom they can shadow and learn from. Starting a new job can be intimidating, but giving a new hire a mentor they can look up to and turn to anytime they have a question or concern will make their first month more comfortable and successful. —Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights
3. Arrange a team lunch
When a new hire starts, we will usually arrange a team lunch so they can get to know the team outside of the office. It’s amazing to see how people loosen up and open up when they aren’t in the office. It gives them a chance to connect with colleagues on a personal level. They end up finding commonalities and interests with their peers, and those connections help them when starting out. —Joel Mathew, Fortress Consulting
4. Set up individual meetings with their new colleagues
Any account and equipment should be ready for them before they step into the office. After a short welcome meeting with you, they should be introduced to each team member, and depending on the size of the team, have short one-on-ones to get a better understanding of what team members do. Having happy hour on their first Friday also can help them to get familiar and comfortable with the team. —Michael Hsu, DeepSky
5. Communicate daily
Check in with new employees every day during those first 30 days to see how they are doing, ask questions to let them know you are interested in getting to know who they are, and share some tips on things you have found are good to know or make work easier. —Angela Ruth, Calendar
6. Create a schedule for the entire month
New hires are often confused about what to do and when, so make them feel welcome and ensure their success by creating a schedule for them. Create a schedule for the entire first month on the job. Pencil in tasks they are to complete with due dates, one-on-one meetings with team members, training sessions, review or feedback meetings, and so on. They’ll do better when they know what to expect. —Blair Williams, MemberPress
7. Ask big questions to get to know them
There’s a lot going on during the first 30 days, but aside from the business stuff, get to know the person. You can do this by asking big questions—not just “where are you from” or “what’s your favorite football team,” but those that prompt them to share their experiences and who they are. Share your own answers and be a little vulnerable so they feel comfortable opening up. —Dan Golden, BFO (Be Found Online)
8. Create a welcome package
Put together a welcome package that includes some fun knickknacks for their desk, company swag, and an information packet to help them start things off on the right foot. It is fun to put a package together (the last hire is usually a good candidate for the job) and it makes the new hire feel like part of the team from day one. —James Simpson, GoldFire Studios
9. Let them know you have an open door policy
Like most things, communication is key. I like to schedule weekly meetings with new hires and their supervisor to ensure that they feel like they have all the help they need to get acclimated. Additionally, my door is always open. I don’t like the idea of being a CEO who is not accessible. Fostering a personal relationship with new hires makes us all better as team members. —Justin Lefkovitch, Mirrored Media
10. Customize their onboarding process
You need to take a holistic approach. It’s essential to let your new hire know this is their chance to assess your business. By making it equal, you’re creating an environment where they can feel comfortable. The onboarding process should be customized to their specific role and department. Ensure they are given space to learn and ask questions. —Ismael Wrixen, FE International
11. Provide opportunities for questions and feedback
A new hire will almost always be hesitant to ask questions. By setting aside time at least once a week during their first month to ask questions and get honest feedback, communication will be high and there will be little room left for error later on. —Stanley Meytin, True Film Production
