Onboarding is a process that begins as soon as the candidate accepts your offer. Providing a positive experience for new employees can contribute to job satisfaction and retaining employees for a long time, so it is an HR priority. To help infuse more fun, excitement, and appreciation into the new hire journey, try adding these creative ideas:
The stage between hiring the employee and their first day of work is usually silent. Many companies neglect to reach out to the new hire, although doing so provides an excellent opportunity to welcome them into the organization.
They might feel overwhelmed about starting somewhere new, so sending a quick message through Talcura’s interface is a great way to begin to build a relationship. Perhaps you even include a few unwritten rules of the office to help them feel more at ease before the start date.
They won’t expect it, but the personal touch of a welcome present is likely to be something that the newest member of your team will remember for a long time to come. The warmth of this gesture shows the human side of the organization.
A good welcome gift helps the employee settle more into the job and better understand the company culture. For example, you might gift them a set of personal development books that show you plan to support them over the years and value leadership skills.
Taking the new hire to lunch is a great way to introduce them to your team. When possible, invite co-workers, managers, and even an executive to participate in the welcoming event, if possible.
If the welcome is remote, provide the recently-hired employee with a gift certificate to a restaurant close by where they live. Or gift them credits to a food delivery app so they can order exactly what they want for the meal and meet for lunch over Zoom.
Help build the enthusiasm for joining your organization by providing a basket of swag. But be careful to choose fun and useful products rather than generic ones that might come across as lame.
If the individual will be working remotely, giving work-from-home accessories is a great way to help build a connection from day one. Also, consider promoting employee wellness with a fitness tracker, yoga mat with the company logo on it, or a self-care item like a custom sleep mask.
The first weeks of the onboarding process are among the most important. Adding simple quizzes to the onboarding process provides a fun way of helping new employees learn about company policies and test their knowledge.
Along with asking them about company values and goals, you might also add questions about the onboarding process itself. Doing so can help you judge the effectiveness of the process to determine if it needs changing in the future for better engagement.
Consider adding one or more of the ideas above to your organization’s list of onboarding activities. Employee orientation can be a positive, memorable experience for all!
