Eight Tips for Making New Employees Feel Welcome

Companies put a lot of time and money into recruiting, screening, interviewing and processing new employees. Finding the proper mix of skills and experience and the right personality for fit takes time. Unfortunately, the effort often stops after the new employee orientation the first day on the job. While employers monitor a new employee to see if they are going to be successful, new employees are evaluating their decision to take a job as well. The more you do to make new employees feel welcome and integrate into the workplace can help them decide that the job was a right choice. Here are eight tips to help make new employees feel welcome.

1. Set up the new employee’s work area with everything that they will need to start working. Stock their desk or work space with office supplies like paper clips and a stapler, pens and whatever else they need the first day on the job.
2. Set up their computer with logins and passwords. Nothing is more frustrating than coming to work and not being able to login and set up your system. Unless this is a last minute hire, there should be plenty of time to work with your IT Department or computer provider to get everything signed off and assigned before they arrive.
3. If possible, order uniforms and other special equipment so it is available within the first week or so. Uniforms give employees an identity and help them feel like part of the team. It is also a great money saver not having to wear your own clothes or buy clothes to wear to work.
4. Order name tags once the offer is accepted, and hand them out the first day at work. This helps other employees get to know the “newbie’s” name and encourages introductions.
5. Assign a “buddy” to the new employee, one who has a positive attitude, knows the ropes, can answer questions and provide a friendly ear to handle concerns. The buddy takes the new employee to lunch the first week and introduces him to as many other employees as possible so they can start to form their own circle of friends.
6. Take the new employee on a tour of your building, plant, factory or other locations. A map of the office layout where she will be working with the names of employees working in close proximity will help them learn names and feel more comfortable getting to know them.
7. Introduce the new employee to the General Manager, CEO, Supervisors and other members of management.
8. Post a picture of the new employee in the cafeteria, bulletin board in his/her work area, and on the company’s Intranet, Facebook page, or newsletter. A short bio will give a little history, some fun facts that may connect the new employee to others with similar backgrounds and interests.

Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a freelance writer, blogger, and workplace consultant. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in "Training" magazine, "Training & Development" magazine, "Supervision," "Pulse" and "The Savannah Morning News." You can read her blogs at www.skirt.com/savannahchick, www.workingsmartworks.blogspot.com/ and on the web at www.mjnhconsulting.com.