Once you have made the decision to hire someone in the company, it may be an end of your recruitment and selection process but it opens doors for a new process – that of onboarding or welcoming the new hire into the organization. All of us remember our first day at work and how nerve wracking that was. New hires not only face the pressure of the new work they have signed up to do but the new environment and culture they are becoming a part of can also be intimidating. It is the job of the employers to make sure that the new hires are welcomed and made comfortable.
Here are a few things that you can do as employers to make sure your new hires feel comfortable during the first week of their employment.
- It is best to send your employee handbook along with a welcome letter to the new hire before his first day. This will give him information on the dress code, policies and culture of the organization. This will also give him enough time to read the handbook and understand the company policies.
- Before the first day of work send an email giving information on what all the new employees should bring to work, what door they must use, where their desk is located and whom to contact upon entering the office building. This will help the new hire save some time on an already nervous first day.
- Once the new hire finds the person he will be working with (it could be a team member or the person he will be reporting to), it is the job of that person to introduce him to all the people he will be directly working with. That will help the new hire to start build relationships with his team.
- It is nice to have a list of names with contact numbers and email addresses ready of the people the new hire may need. The list could include information of team members, managers and human resources. Having a list ready allows the new employee to contact other employees efficiently.
- Have the paperwork, ready for smooth transition. Also, provide the employee with all the necessary help so that he can set up his official id and password as efficiently as possible.
- After taking care of the initial important paperwork, assign someone to give the new employee a tour of the office building and acquainting him with the premises. This will help him easily find places that he may use on a day-to-day basis like restroom, lunch room, fitness center or cafeteria.
- It is also a good idea to have a welcome kit ready and hand it over to the new hire on the first day. This may contain coupons or lunch cards he can use at the cafeteria, coupons to nearby restaurants, some snacks and a gift card. There is no better way to make the employee feel welcome.
Always remember that the onboarding process for new hire is not a one-day task. It may continue for a week or sometimes even more. It should be a team effort and everyone should contribute in making this process as smooth as possible for the new hire.