Walking into a new workplace is not unlike walking into a new school—you don’t know anyone, you’re nervous, yet eager to make a good impression, and you desperately wish someone would show you where the bathrooms are. 

But really, as a new hire, you’ve already done the hard part. You landed the job, and now it’s up to the welcoming committee (managers, team leaders, and colleagues) to impress you. So, if you’re a new employee, this article isn’t for you—but here are some great insights into professional development for you to check out. 

If you’re soon to be welcoming a new employee into your company, then congratulations, this article is for you! 

Depending on the specific position, company culture, and physical/digital environment the new hire is joining, there are a lot of things managers and team leaders need to be aware of. For instance, did you know “employees who had a negative new hire onboard experience are twice as likely to look for new opportunities in the near future?” 

Considering that the price of employee turnover can be exponential, investing in a better welcoming process from the beginning is the best idea economically in the long run. 

It also makes your company seem more personable, which is a growing asset amongst younger job seekers. In other words, there are many reasons why you should invest in the onboarding process, but the question remains how to best welcome your new employees? 

Let’s dive in.  

The First Day: Greetings and Introductions 

To use our ‘new school’ metaphor again, you should think of an employee’s first day in a similar vein as the first day of school. As a manager, team leader, or mentor, you want to help the new employee get acquainted with the physical space, put a few names to faces, and give them a very broad overview of what they can expect their day-to-day to look like.

This might sound simple, but it’s harder than you think. Research shows that “only 4% of new hires decide after the first day that they are sure they want to stay with their current company.” It stands to reason then, that most companies aren’t making great first-day impressions.

But that’s why we’re here to help. The most important thing to keep in mind that first day is to not overwhelm the new employee. Introduce them only to their team, direct managers, and key stakeholders. Also, make sure everyone they will meet on day one knows ahead of time that a new employee is coming—this ensures existing employees have time to say hello and answer any questions. The initial welcome can be a group effort. Or rather, it should be. One study found that 20% of new employees didn’t feel their company did anything specific to help them make friends or find support. 

What kind of welcome is that?

Cultivating a Structured Onboarding Program

Ideally, you should have a detailed onboarding program ready to go long before the new hire shows up for their first date. At a glance, a good onboarding plan should include a detailed schedule, clearly laid out expectations/goals (for the short term and long term), and a list of one or more point-people for the employee to reach out to with questions/concerns. 

To help you figure out exactly how to structure your onboarding plan, it might be useful to look at the top frustrations new hires report experiencing when starting a new job—three of which include the following: 

1. No clear “point of contact” for questions (65%)
2. Not enough training on products/services (62%)
3. Not enough access to essential tools (58%)

Outside of these three key issues, the numbers also show that “23% of employees who quit within 6 months say that clear guidelines on their responsibilities would have helped them stay at the job.” That means nearly a quarter of new-hire turnover could be linked to improper onboarding and poor communication. 

Each workplace is going to be a little different in terms of addressing the needs of new hires, but one thing that’s pretty consistent across the board is the fact that new employees are going to need a lot of guidance and they’re going to have a lot of questions. Which makes sense—it’s estimated that the average new hire will have more than 40 strictly-administrative tasks to complete within their first few weeks of employment. These tasks are things like paper work and getting their email set up, meaning they don’t have anything to do with their position specifically. Hopefully that helps put into perspective just how much information new hires are given right away. 

Implement a Mentorship or Buddy System

The third piece of advice we have to give in regards to welcoming your new hires is this—find them a buddy. Paring new employees with an experienced team member is a great way to ensure they always have someone around whom they can ask questions or simply otherwise receive support from. Approximately 56% of new employees reported that having an onboarding buddy/mentor helped ‘tremendously’. 

Welcoming Remote Workers

Research from the University of California, Berkeley shows that remote workers may experience higher rates of social isolation and communication issues thanks to their status as a WFH employee. The good news is our insights above apply to remote workers as well. When onboarding new remote workers, give them a warm welcome, introduce them to the right people, and always be there to ask questions/lend a helping hand. 

Other Considerations

Did you know that according to Gallup, the “most fundamental engagement element” when it comes to employee satisfaction and interest, is knowing what’s expected of them? Similarly, Gallup also found that employees who don’t feel engaged with their organizations “are less likely to connect to the companies’ mission and purpose or to feel someone cares about them as a person.”  

Not only is it disheartening to be surrounded by unsatisfied employees who don’t feel cared for or supported, but detachment also comes at a cost. Reports show that a disengaged employee could end up costing a business the equivalent of 18% of that person’s salary. 

With all this to think about—the ins and outs of effectively welcoming your new hires, then successfully onboarding them, then keeping engagement up—we wouldn’t blame you for feeling a little overwhelmed. Especially since you probably just spent weeks, if not months, sifting through applications, scheduling interviews, and otherwise wading through the choppy waters of hiring. 
Luckily, this is where we can offer you even more than just our expert insights. CyberCoders can help with everything from crafting a job post to setting up an interview. Our client-focused approach results in long-term placements, and the best part is we match you with top tier talent in a fraction of the time. To learn more, go to our website today!