Appoint recently welcomed Jim Cooper to the team and he’s still coming down from the sugar high we gave him on day 1! Jim has some serious streed cred across the Engineering & Technical recruitment space, so we were stoked to have him join Appoint and wanted him to feel at home straight away.

Not welcoming your new hire with the perfect combination of bells, whistles, ticker tape parades and chocolate cake is a wasted opportunity. Imagine how that fresh face would feel if given a little special treatment, like they’re really there because they’re awesome, not just to be a bum on a seat in place of someone else’s bum on the seat. How bloody incredible would it be to transform a nervous newb into an engaged, pumped-up, ready-to-fire weapon in your company arsenal?

1. Design a welcome strategy – A good company cares about its people and in turn, the people care back. If you don’t have one, it’s time to gather the team and brainstorm. From a “welcome to the team” phone call to the moment the new hire gets to work, craft a recon mission and decide who will play what part.
2. Welcome pack – A well thought-out compendium of juicy documents handed over to the new arrival, maybe with a Freddo Frog thrown in for good measure, is a great idea. Load it up with the employee’s contract, enterprise agreement, a premises site map, names and contacts of key personnel, company expectations, OH&S directives, workplace culture outline, Tax File Number declaration, company policies and so on.
3. Safety first – Induction is important, mmm-kay? All those boring – but essential – things like fire exits, evacuation assembly points, first aid kits and security protocols should not be left to Day Two. End of story.
4. Assign a buddy – Yep, just like in school! That person will greet them at the door, show them around, introduce them to everyone and take an interest in them. Buddies have your back. They smile, they know stuff (like which of the nearby cafes don’t charge for extra shots) and they want you to be happy.
5. Name labels for everyone! Aww come on, it’s only one day. If everyone wears their name on their chest, the newbie will not be thrown into a lion’s den of anonymous strangers.

If you really want to roll out the welcome mat, plan a catered in-house lunch during which the newbie can meet and chat with co-workers over an egg and lettuce sandwich and a chocolate brownie.

As the saying goes: “You get out of anything what you put into it.” Welcoming your new hire warmly and with full transparency begets the same in return.

Can you remember a particularly warm welcome on your first day at a job? How do you welcome new hires in your business?

Written by Jackie Rahilly.