When you’re bringing new folks onboard, you want them to get to know their coworkers, get a feel for your corporate culture, and feel welcome enough to bring their own ideas or energy to help the team. More, if someone feels like they can’t fit into the team dynamic, they’re very likely to go hunting for another job, something that’s a loss for everyone.
So what’s the best way to help new staff get to know everyone? To find out, we asked 13 members from Young Entrepreneur Council this question:
Q. What’s one thing your company does after onboarding to help a new employee feel welcome?
1. Add to the wall of inspirations
My office has a wall that prominently displays photos provided by each team member. These images can be of anything that inspires them personally to achieve at the highest levels. When a new hire comes aboard, we all talk through each of our photos. The new hire then has the chance to explain his or her photos, as well as physically contribute something meaningful to our new shared space. —Ryan Wilson, FiveFifty2. Invite them and their family to a meal
We do a dinner or a lunch for them to welcome them and create a relaxed way to get to know each other. It’s a way for the team members to also get to know the new hire. Often, we invite their spouse and kids along, too, to help that welcome family feel we are focused on. —Murray Newlands, Sighted
3. Test their pop culture knowledge
In the professional services business, it’s important to get a team fully engaged with one another. We, of course, take them to lunch, but another practice is that managers will ask pop culture questions with no clues to what they are in reference to. In their quest for answers, they always leverage the team around them that’s been through the process! It gets everyone talking and laughing. —Michael Spinosa, Unleashed Technologies4. Provide a welcome box
For every new hire, we put together a “welcome box” that not only contains various materials to get them up to speed — such as a first week’s checklist and handbook, for instance — but is also filled with random swag and goodies to make them feel like part of the team. —James Simpson, GoldFire Studios
5. Give them a small, company-branded cake
We have a tradition of welcoming each new employee with a custom-designed Distillery cake. There is a lot of companies that put a lot of swag on new employee’s desk, but I haven’t seen anyone welcoming new teammates like we do! —Andrey Kudievskiy, Distillery
6. Have them meet other departments, one on one
One of the first things we do to welcome a new hire into the fold is have them spend one-on-one time with members of other departments.Not only does this promote cross-functional collaboration and a culture of continuous improvement, it increases teamwork, improves communication and allows everyone to challenge ideas and continue to learn and grow as individuals. —Stephen Ufford, Trulioo
7. Introduce remote workers to the entire team
Remote workers typically don’t have that same opportunity for bonding as traditional employees. We make a simple introduction via Slack. It’s effective at making the new hire feel welcome and makes other employees aware that someone new has joined the team. You can also create a specific Slack channel called #Welcome or #Newbie, where everyone can joke with and educate the new hire. —Dave Nevogt, Hubstaff.com
8. Meet over lunch, dinner and a BBQ
We use a combination of lunch, dinner and a BBQ. Lunch is a casual affair, intended to get to know the person on a personal level. The talk is about life, their interests and their personal goals. Dinner is intended to be more formal and is meant to gain insight into their professional ambitions. Then we finish with a BBQ at our office, where they can mingle and bond with the rest of the team. —Blair Thomas, eMerchantBroker