Six Tips for New Employee Hospitality

How is your new employee hospitality? Just about every company has some sort of new employee orientation. But is it really welcoming? Do your new employees feel like welcome and valued members of the team? Have you prepared a comfortable, well-stocked workspace for them? How will they get to know their way around and meet everyone.

Hospitality is not just for hotels. It should be the responsibility of every company to make new employees feel like welcome, honored members of the team. Here are six tips for making new employees feel welcome.

1. Have their name badges made up in advance. Wearing a name tag immediately helps a new employee identify with the company and feel a part of the team. It also helps other employees to get to know their names and get to know them.
2. Give them a tour of the facility or building. Not just the floor they work on or their immediate work areas. Take the time to show them every area of the organization. This helps to give them the big picture and help them connect the dots when they start working on projects, answering the phone or going to other areas of the plant.
3. Give them a map of the building. Some workplaces are small, but some may be large and maze-like. I worked in a plant that had restrictions on some areas, and you had to walk a crazy route to get to the other end of the plant. You also had to walk within certain lines drawn on the floor for safety measures. A map with the routes clearly marked, any restricted areas; where the bathrooms, copy room and break rooms are located is a great help to someone who seems lost the first few days or weeks.
4. Stock their work area, desk or cubicle with supplies and a welcome sign. A few balloons, a coffee mug. All these things show you took the time to be sure they are ready to get right to work as easily as possible.
5. Get their computer, phone and other electronic devices ordered, delivered and set up prior to their arrival. And, be sure they have their passwords or logins ready for use. Nothing is more aggravating than showing up for work and learning that your computer won’t be set up for a week or so.
6. Assign a buddy, but don’t call it that. “Buddy” sounds a little archaic, but have someone on staff assigned to greet the new employee the first day, offer to help them set things up, take them on a tour, and offer to have lunch with them. The first day is rough. It can be intimidating to walk into a break room of strangers at lunchtime, or try to figure out the cafeteria line for the first time.

These things may seem elementary, but a little hospitality on the front end can make a world of difference to a new employee who is trying to make a good impression, do a good job, and fit into the company culture all at the same time. A little effort and planning will go a long way.

Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for Hospitalityjobsite.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing Alto II with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients discover what they love and spend their life on it. You can read more of her blogs at hospitalityjobsiteblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt.