3 Creative Ways to Welcome New Hires

You’ve hired a new employee. Congratulations! As you prepare to onboard your new team member, have you thought about how you’ll make them feel welcome and enthusiastic in their new role? A strong and memorable onboarding experience is an important business strategy; research suggests that nearly 70 percent of employees will be more likely to remain at your organisation if you have an effective and positive onboarding programme. In this post, we share three creative ideas to welcome your new hires this year, for HR professionals, managers or anyone seeking to improve the overall employee experience.

1. Welcome someone before they even start.

Onboarding a new employee is a valuable opportunity to set the stage for your new hire. Today, effective onboarding begins before a new hire’s first day, at the moment a candidate signs your job offer. Standard activities may include preparing paperwork in advance, soliciting a photo and bio, setting up your new hire’s technology system and answering questions about benefits. This is all important and expected. 

But what about something a little more unexpected? Consider creating and delivering a custom branded laptop bag for your new member, before they even arrive on day one. One option is this classic office laptop case, which we like to say is, “the epitome of just right”! The tailored case is compatible with most laptops and the neoprene-lined, padded handles provide the perfect mix of function and comfort. 

Next, fill it with a few practical branded gifts, like a water bottle, travel mug and notebook and pen set. It’s a unique gesture that will help cement your company culture with your new employees. A bonus benefit is that the laptop bag pulls double duty as a walking, talking advert for your brand or business, especially if your new hire chooses to carry the bag while commuting to and from the office. 

2. Brand the workstation.

You’ve spent considerable resources to articulate your brand and image; don’t stop at your employee’s desk! Consider setting up your new hire’s workstation with some cool branded gear that will help them get them up and running as quickly as possible. This might include a tote bag, branded pencil case or a hoodie, which is perfect for chilly workspaces. Not only does this make for a memorable day one, it also demonstrates that your company is thoughtful and well-organised.

This Garner full-zip hooded sweatshirt is a great choice. It’s a fully-loaded model, complete with a kangaroo pocket, thumb holes and a heat transfer main label for tagless comfort, not to mention a high perceived value and practicality. Or do you have an open office concept? Another idea is a pair of branded, noise-cancelling headphones.

3. Get creative with training.

Hubworks identifies five companies that are nailing the onboarding game, and identifies a few common traits of each business, including: a genuine investment in its people, a structured onboarding programme, clear communication about culture, and a focus on teamwork,  collaboration and accessibility . We’d like to add one more important trait: creativity!

The four-week Zappos Family New Hire Program is a great example. Regardless of position, everyone who joins Zappos completes the same four-week program of technical training and  “culture immersion”. Halfway through the training, new hires start answering calls from actual customers. The result? Even as Zappos grows, its culture of customer service remains strong and consistent. To engage new hires even further, consider planning a “graduation” celebration at the end of the training programme, complete with special branded gifts like keyrings, card wallets, or t-shirts. 

What other ideas do you have? What about arranging a series of lunches or coffee for your new hire with various departments? It’s a personal, hands-on training opportunity. And, your new hire might gain greater confidence and clarity for effective, long-term collaboration across business units. 

Congratulations again on your new hire! As you continue to grow, plan to introduce or refresh your onboarding strategy. Please reach out to us today to talk about a few ways that we can help you properly welcome your new employees with an effective, memorable and creative onboarding programme.