Every new employee that you hire deserves to feel welcome at your organization. That “welcoming” feeling strictly boils down to feeling understood and appreciated. Employees want to feel empowered, recognized, and accepted by their place of work.
When your company makes an effort to help employees feel welcome during the onboarding process, you’re establishing a healthier workplace culture that will lead to valuable emotional connections.
These connections formulate a foundation of trust and respect that can boost employee engagement levels, eliminate barriers to collaboration, and guide employees on a productive path with your company.
First Impressions: Why They Matter
Our brains are wired to form first impressions. In fact, we form first impressions about likeability, trustworthiness, and in some cases, competence. The brain treats every first impression like a fear response.
It processes it in the amygdala, rather than the frontal lobe, the part of the brain responsible for rational thought.
The same mechanism determines the impressions formed by employees during the hiring process. They’ll decide whether your workplace environment is welcoming or hostile.
First impressions are one of the main reasons why hiring is essential to effective onboarding.
New Employee Welcome
While first impressions are extremely important, they aren’t the only impression that matters. The first several days can determine what new hires will experience with your organization, in addition to what they see, hear, and do while on the clock.
These are the experiences that can determine the overall strength of your company’s employee welcome. Observe the following list of reasons why the majority of new employees quit their jobs within just six months:
- They did not feel appreciated
- They felt overwhelmed/overworked
- They did not receive enough training
Employees are more likely to accept a job that gives them the right impression. To avoid a negative outcome in your onboarding process, get to know the two types of impressions your new hires want to confirm during their first weeks at your company.
Making a Warm Welcome
There is a lot of information your employees often take for granted that’s necessary for new employees to know to prevent them from feeling like outsiders.
Certain vocabulary terms, including the names of frequent meetings, employee groups, conference rooms, etc., are information that new hires should be introduced to.
Aside from this, put together a welcome packet that includes a helpful guide to the area. It should feature cafes, restaurants, gas stations, and banks. In addition, give new employees an outline of the first day.
This outline should guide new hires through the people they’ll meet, the information and strategies they’ll learn, and the things they should expect to accomplish.
Establish a Connection with Your Company’s Culture
Avoid leaving a new employee with empty hours after their welcome presentation. To connect new employees with your organization’s culture, be sure to do the following:
- Go to lunch as a team – this will give a new employee a chance to break the ice with their coworkers.
- Showcase your company values – introduce how your organization practices its values on a daily basis.
- Celebrate your new employees – recognizing every one of your company’s new employees helps them to establish connections with their coworkers. Host a meeting or a happy hour.
New Employee Checklist
To ensure that your new employees are enjoying their time at your company, create and follow through on a new employee checklist. Consider some crucial entries on this list:
- Supply new employees with start time and directions
- Full workstation prep
- HRIS information
- Auto-enroll in recognition software
- Guide to financial and health benefits
- Guide to social media
Focus on Building an Effective Onboarding Process
Completing the onboarding process takes time and effort. New hires will need as much context as possible to know how everything works in your company. That said, this will take more than a couple of days on the job.
Your long-term onboarding process should include in-depth topics that prepare them to work for your company. These topics include:
- A guide to financial and health benefits
- A guide to your company’s social media
- A guide to your company’s culture
Create a Welcoming Work Environment
To welcome new employees the best way possible, your organization should exhibit trust and respect. Through knowledge, recognition, and training, new hires can do their best work for your company.
Making new employees feel welcome establishes the relationship they’re going to have with your company. In fact, it will reflect in the work they do on a daily basis. First impressions are vital to your company’s long-term success and growth.
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