Welcoming a new team member to the office is always a surefire way of reinvigorating your workplace culture and getting everyone excited about company growth planning. A new hire aids in strengthening the diversity of thought and experience in your workplace, meaning new conversations and thus, new ideas.
However, new employees typically must feel invited to make their own contributions. Without the right atmosphere or even opportunities to speak in place, you likely won’t be able to get the very most out of this fresh new addition to your team.
So in order to make the transition as smooth as possible for your new hires and ensure smoother workforce management as your company grows, we strongly suggest preparing an onboarding and welcoming pack for them. This package should include everything an employee needs to make a good start at your company. While its contents will vary from company to company, we think that some items are must-haves for any welcome package. In this article, we’ll provide seven essential additions to an employee onboarding pack.
1. Personal Message
New employees want to feel valued from the start. The best way to do this is to include a personal message or messages from their manager or the CEO of the company in their welcome package. While you can write this note by hand, you can also compose it on a computer. Tools that let you merge PDF files can be incredibly helpful if you’re going for the latter option but also want to make sure these pre-prepared documents can still be personalized to each new hire. It’s the little details that matter most, after all.
As for the content of your personal message, it’s always best to be short and sweet. Let them know how welcome they are at your company and how much you appreciate their choice to work with you. Also, tell them that they’re always free to ask for help should they need it.
2. Employee Handbook
If your company already has an employee handbook, it’s always a good idea to include it in any welcome package. This handbook should lay out some guidelines for how everyone who works at your business should act with regard to areas like punctuality and respect for colleagues. If suitable, you can include information about the company in your handbook, like your goals for the customer experience and a brand guideline.
By giving every new hire an employee handbook from the start, you can make sure they know what to do and what not to do as soon as they step into the office. This helps you maintain a positive company culture and improve staff retention rates because your employees feel more valued and capable.
3. Technological Resources
Some companies give employees an office laptop or other devices and software licenses in order to help separate work from personal life. If you decide to do so, you should include it in your new team member’s welcome package. You can also help them set it up or provide guidelines to get up and running with your systems.
Even if you don’t give each employee their own computer, and access to business software, there are other tech investments you can give them when they join you. These include your basic computer mice and keyboards, but also USBs, cloud access, and other digital workspace and security assets to help them work smoothly and safely. If your company allows its employees to work from home, you can even allow team members to bring these items home.
4. Contact Details of Team Members
In 2024, it’s not hard to contact your officemates. As long as you’re part of the company’s communications channel or have a company email, getting in touch with a colleague is as easy as typing in their name and sending a message.
However, it can still be a worthwhile gesture to give a new hire a physical sheet of paper containing the contact details of their colleagues. This encourages them to reach out when they need assistance or have a question, thus encouraging employee engagement from the start. Having this contact sheet also reduces confusion for an employee just joining your company. They might be at a loss to find the information they need at the start, and any efforts to make this process easier will be greatly appreciated.
5. Information About Benefits
Even though your new team member probably already has an idea about the compensation and benefits you provide, we still recommend giving every new employee a comprehensive list of these as part of their welcome package. This makes it clear what they can expect to receive and also serves as a reminder to avail themselves of the benefits that are part of their contract.
Psychologically, owning physical papers with a list of compensations and benefits can also serve to motivate new employees. Members of your company are much more likely to give their all if they keep in mind what they’re receiving in return.
6. Small Gifts
You can consider adding a few little gifts to an employee’s welcome package to make them feel special. If you’re wondering what to give them, some safe options include gift cards, stationery and chocolates. Or you can give them any branded merchandise you have, like company t-shirts.
If you know a little bit about your new colleague from job interviews or a previous relationship, you can also buy them gifts that are a little more personal. This lets them know that you truly value them.
7. Important Paperwork
While paperwork isn’t the most exciting thing in the world, you should get it out of the way at the earliest possible opportunity. Include important introductory documents in every employee’s welcome package to make sure you don’t forget everything. These might include non-disclosure agreements, tax forms and direct deposit forms.
Getting the paperwork done early allows your new employee to focus on learning the ropes of the job and building relationships with their colleagues. Make sure to include all necessary documents when creating a welcome pack to create a smoother onboarding process.
Revolutionise your Employee Onboarding with these Organisational Tips
While joining a new company is an exciting time, it can also feel a bit overwhelming for the employee. There are so many people to meet, names to remember, logins to create and processes to learn! As a manager, you can make this process easier for your incoming employees by creating an onboarding package that guides them through everything they need to know for their first week.
In this article, we’ve covered some essential things to consider when developing an onboarding kit to help your employees settle in. Make sure to collate all of this paperwork, equipment and contact details the next time you bring a new colleague on board, and you’ll be well on your way to streamlining the onboarding process.
