Four Strategies to Make New Employees Feel Welcome

Even the most confident professional feels anxious on the first day at a new job. It’s unavoidable considering how much is thrown at him at once – new office, new workspace, new co-workers, new boss, and a whole new set of expectations to live up to. Rather than letting the new hire stew in this anxiety, make a welcoming effort starting on the first day. The sooner he feels comfortable and familiar, the sooner he’ll start making an impact. These four simple strategies go a long way:

Start on Friday

You probably already make the effort to introduce new hires around the office, and might even hold an all-team meeting to get everyone involved. This is a great practice, but when you do it on a Monday or Wednesday it can feel like an unwelcome interruption for existing employees that are trying hard to get things does. That creates a subtle but real feeling of animosity towards the new hire. If possible, pick Friday as the starting day. This tends to be a naturally slower-paced day, which gives the new hire more time to mingle with his new co-workers.

Assign a Buddy

There are a lot of unknowns when starting a new job. What’s even worse is it’s often unclear who to ask when an uncertainty arises. Pairing up every new hire with an office buddy is an easy way to overcome this inevitable problem. The buddy is there to point the new hire in the right direction, offer insider information, and serve as a sounding board and source of support.

Do Something Personal

Most new hires end the first week of work with a huge stack of manuals they need to read, forms to complete, and documents to get acquainted with. All these are important, but there is nothing in that stack that welcomes the new hire to your company in a personal way. Try to come up with a unique gift or gesture that demonstrates just how excited you are to have this new hire on the team.

Give a Group Tour

Every one of your employees has unique insights about your office. Some know how to fix the copy machine jam, some know a good spot for lunch, and some have a tip about rush-hour commuting. All of this information is valuable for acclimating a new hire, but if only one person leads the office walk-through, only some insights get passed on. Ask as many of your employees as is reasonable to take part in the tour to help him learn everyone’s tips and tricks.

Find your next and best new hire with the help of the agriculture industry staffing experts at Morris Bixby.

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