So, your new hire has accepted your job offer. Congratulations! You might be ready to pop the champagne, and we don’t blame you, but it’s not over just yet.
It can feel like you have finally reached the finish line once your selected candidate has officially accepted your offer after weeks or even months of vetting, interviewing, and reviewing. However, the reality of the situation isn’t always so kind. The time between a prospect agreeing to a job and their first day at work can be riddled with interference. A person may receive another offer meaning you lose the employee you’ve worked so hard to find.
Today’s reality
The current job market is incredibly competitive. In the past, most companies had numerous applicants for every job post and several qualified candidates that they could choose from. That is no longer the case. Today, employers are at a disadvantage, and many businesses struggle to find suitable new hires when they need them.
Now that employees are in a position of power, companies must do and be better than ever before. Businesses are in direct competition with each other and require more effective ways to stand out and secure the success they need to continue growing.
What could go wrong?
Failure to effectively welcome a new employee could result in you forfeiting your number one choice. If you lose their interest, you could lose them. A new hire that doesn’t feel welcome is more susceptible to saying yes to other job offers they receive. Some companies have another prospect lined up and ready to take the first person’s place. But that has become less and less likely in today’s market. It is more probable that you will have to hire a less suitable candidate, or even worse, you will be forced to start all over again.
You’ve already gone through the effort of finding and attracting, interviewing, and getting your new hire to accept an offer. But, all your hard work goes straight down the drain if you lose your latest staff member in the period between them accepting an offer and their first day of work.
People don’t generally feel committed to companies, especially if their only interaction has been through an interview process. Job losses during the pandemic and shifts in the job market have changed things. You may have offered a job, and someone may have accepted, but that doesn’t mean it is a done deal.
Unfortunately, there is still plenty of time for things to go awry. But all hope is not lost. You can welcome your new employees to build trust, and most importantly, to save yourself from the pain of having to start the hiring process all over again.
Here’s how you can actively guarantee improved hire and retention rates when welcoming new staff to your company.
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The best methods to effectively welcome new employees
We have gathered some helpful tips to ensure you offer the best welcome to new employees so that you don’t have to keep returning to the hiring drawing board.
You will get the best results if you start welcoming your latest hire thoroughly and before day 1. This way you will obtain maximum employee engagement and minimum employee turnover. Retention starts during the hiring process. High turnover rates can kill your business. So anything you can do to decrease turnover rates will be better for the company and ultimately better for you. Save your time and energy by ensuring you get your welcome right the first time.
Remember, what works well for one company may not suit another as well. You don’t necessarily need to use every one of these methods to ensure a warm welcome. Simply pick and choose those that work well for your business and your employees. Read on to find out how you can connect with your new employees, even before their first day of work.
- Establish contact with your new hire
They may not officially have had their first day, but don’t let that stop you from reaching out to them. Now is a perfect opportunity to start the conversation and help your new hire feel welcomed to the team.
We all know how nerve-wracking it can be to begin a new job. So why not make your new hire’s life and yours a little easier by helping them get to know their role, the company, and the team before they start.
Send a welcome email and let them know you are excited about them joining the company. A message like this can help a new employee feel appreciated. Turn their apprehension into anticipation, and you ensure that they feel like they belong. You will decrease the likelihood of someone being tempted by alternative offers if you can offer them a sense of comfort and connection. Check out these Indeed welcome email examples if you need a helping hand making sure your new hire feels received with open arms.
While welcoming your new employee, you can also provide them with any essential information they should know before they start. For instance, you may want to provide vital information on the role and company. Once you have initiated contact, you can also request any documents or forms that you need from them. You may also want to set them up with a schedule for their first day or forward the names and contact information of the people on the team.
Such information will ensure that each new hire has everything they need to approach the role with confidence. You can guarantee that every new employee feels optimistic about working at your company from the moment they accept your job offer.
- Build confidence and trust
The welcome stage is the first and potentially most significant opportunity you have to build confidence and trust with your new staff member. How you treat them before they start work will impact what they think of the company and how they feel about starting their new role.
Show that you respect and appreciate their time. You may want to welcome your newest starters and thank them for joining your company. If you really want to wow your new employees with a winning welcome that inspires a want to stay with your business, why not send a gift?
WellBox offers a whole host of high-quality and bespoke welcome packs that you can have sent straight to your new hire’s door. Create a genuine connection and prove your company is the right match for them with a gift that shows you care. You can even add company products and literature to your welcome pack and have it sent in custom-made packaging that features your business branding.
- Clearly define the role
Clarify your new starts new role as soon as you can. Once they have signed the contract, you will likely have a little bit of time to define what the role will entail exactly.
Communicating precisely what is expected from them and what they will do in a role is helpful for both you and your new employee. We know that starting a new job is often a stressful process, and for many people, the worst part is all of the unknowns involved in working somewhere new.
You can help quiet some of your new hire’s worries and ensure they get to grips with their role as quickly as possible. By doing this, you also help yourself and your company. The more your new employee knows, the easier the transition and the faster they adjust to their new position.
- Set clear long and short term expectations
Alongside defining roles, you may also want to set clear short and long term expectations sooner rather than later. Ensure your employee knows what you require from them and when. If you aren’t sure about the expectations in detail, ask if someone who will be directly involved in their role can forward the information to you or straight to the new hire.
You can avoid unnecessary frustrations by making everything as transparent as possible. This leaves no room for doubt or confusion and allows the new employee the ability to ask for assistance if they feel unable to meet any of the expectations.
- Be available
It may seem a little obvious, but being available for contact can make a big difference to how your new hire feels about starting the job. Provide them with your information and let them know that they are welcome to get in touch.
New employees often have questions that they may not have been able to ask during the interview process. You can alleviate their nerves and ensure they have the information they need to start their new job with confidence. Having a reliable point of contact enhances successful start rates and improves retention figures going forward.
- Values and culture
The time before a new hire starts a job offers the perfect opportunity for you to speak about your company values and benefits in more detail. You probably haven’t had many chances to deal with all of the particulars between finding, hiring, and reviewing different prospects. The welcoming process can be the perfect time to give your new employee the information needed to amp up their excitement.
Your company culture and values are probably part of the reason why a new employee was attracted to your company and accepted the job offer over any other business. An employee that feels as though they belong, and who enjoys multiple aspects of a job, will be more likely to find long-term fulfilment within their role and the company. The sooner you can start ingratiating them into these aspects, the better.
- Set up a workspace
Prepare your new employee’s workspace as much as you can so that they can hit the ground running. Otherwise, you will both spend the first day rushing around and trying to get things sorted that could have been sorted earlier, in a much less stressful environment. You may want to set up a virtual workspace and potentially a physical desk space, depending on if they are working remotely or in-office.
- Provide a mentor or buddy
Set up your newest hire with some additional support right from the beginning. A mentor or buddy will help them become familiar with their new role more quickly. The best person to match a new starter with will be someone working within the same team to help them settle and answer any questions they might have.
A system like this will ensure your latest addition feels welcomed and well-prepped to do their job. What’s more, you will free up more of your time by making sure each person has someone within the company that they can contact for the more job-specific questions that you may not be as well-equipped to answer.
- Schedule important meetings
The first days, or even weeks, in a job are filled with initial meetings and welcome sessions. Often this can lead to disaster, all it takes is one slip up, and an entire schedule is thrown out of keel.
You will have less pressure if you begin booking meetings before a new hire’s start date and ensure that everyone in attendance knows where they need to be and when. Give the best impression of your company by letting your newest staff member know exactly what they should expect, even before they start.
- Build relationships
There’s no rule to say that you can’t foster work relationships before an employee’s official first day. It can be incredibly useful to begin building relationships sooner rather than later, as this can help make new employees feel more comfortable. You reduce the risk of a new hire changing their mind about taking a position if you can make them feel like a part of your team straight away.
Why not set up a team lunch or coffee meeting for the first day of work. A casual introductory social meet-up works whether your new employee is an in-office hire or not. If they are a remote worker, a zoom call and catch-up will work perfectly for allowing people to get to know each other and talk about things other than work.
- Company announcement
Don’t forget to make a company announcement to welcome and introduce your newest employee to the company. You can wait and send this out on their first day of work or make the announcement beforehand so that everyone knows what they need to in advance.
Keep everyone, especially the new hire, in the loop as much as possible to promote cooperation and collaboration in the company. The more you can make your latest staff member feel like they are already a part of your team, the less likely they are to leave before their start date or soon after. And the more new employees you can retain, the easier your life will be.
- Send a welcome pack!
Why not send a welcome pack if you are looking for something that will make your welcome stand out and make an impact? You can surpass expectations without any extra fuss or trouble and guarantee yourself a more successful hiring process.
Hiring new employees has become more challenging and increasingly frustrating over the years. Now, employers are constantly facing fresh obstacles that threaten to prevent them from getting the staff they want and need for their business.
You must find new ways to keep prospective hires interested in working with your company so that you don’t have to keep sinking time, energy, and money into finding new staff. Save yourself from the stress and do something extra to keep the attention of every new employee you welcome.
A welcome pack allows you to show tangible proof of appreciation for your new hire.
With a welcome pack, you ensure your employees feel valued and ready to start their new role, all without adding a tonne of extra work to your plate.
We understand how tiring the hiring process can be in today’s market, and we know that you don’t have the time to curate a gift for every new member of staff. WellBox offers a range of different packages and custom packages too. We make it quick and painless to send delightful welcomes so that you can start their employee journey the right way every time.
Avoid disappointment
Does this sound familiar? You advertise a new position and only have a handful of applicants. You go through a time-consuming and tiring hiring process and finally find one suitable prospect. An offer is sent and accepted, and you are over the moon and ready to be done. But another company sweeps in and steals your new employee, and now you are stuck having to choose between less suitable candidates or starting the whole affair again.
It’s an awful feeling, and something most employers have faced at one time or another. But now you have the understanding and ability you need to improve employee retention from the moment they accept your job offer.
Welcoming employees the right way
Congratulations, you’re almost there, and you’re through the worst of it. Now that you have found and hired your new employee, you just need to make sure you don’t lose them.
Remember how scary it can be to start a new job when you know almost nothing about what you will be doing. If you use our welcome tips, you will be sure to settle their fears and ultimately leave them feeling more excited than nervous about their first day.
Hiring in the current labour market can feel like it is an impossible task, but it’s not. All you need is the right know-how to improve your employee welcome so that you can keep more of your fantastic new hires from before day-1 and beyond.
The sooner you start welcoming your new employees and making them feel like a part of your team, the more likely they will stay with the company long-term.
The final hurdle is your onboarding process, find out why it’s important here
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