3 Creative Ways to Welcome New Employees

As a hiring manager or human resources professional, one of your key duties is to make new hires feel welcome, valued and part of the team from the moment they say yes, I accept! This is the perfect opportunity to promote your company culture. It’s also a smart investment in your businesses – one source suggests that companies with a defined onboarding process are over twice as productive with new hires. At the same time, one-third of companies spend nothing on onboarding, which doesn’t really add up. The good news is, there’s a few proven (and fun) strategies you can follow to set up an effective onboarding strategy at your own company, whether you plan to hire one person or one hundred. This post looks at a few creative, yet achievable ideas for welcoming your next new hire.

1. Say Hello with a Pre-Board Package

Our first idea is to extend a warm welcome before employees even walk in the door on Day One (recall the saying, you never get a second chance to make a first impression?). Consider sending employees a welcome package before they even start with a personalised welcome letter and a few small gifts. The small gesture might help assuage a nervous employee, and it creates a positive, thoughtful relationship with your business, from the very beginning. 

One good approach for a perfect pre-board package is to gift items that are practical for on-the-job use. Create a custom tote bag featuring your company name and logo and fill it with practical items like a branded pen, notebook or stationery and USB device. Your new hire can use all of these items at home or the office to feel prepared and ready to hit the ground running. One clever product is this Klio Turnus Ballpen and Flashdrive, which combines a twist action ball pen with a USB stick., available in 28 bright colours.

When putting together your pre-board package, you also have an opportunity to tell the story of your company or organisation. Include a letter or material that talks about your company’s history or values, or include a few “team flash cards” to introduce your longer-term staff or leadership team with a few fun facts about each person. Or consider designing your package around a theme that is unique to your company culture, perhaps about the mission or impact of your work, a fun tradition that your team shares, an upcoming milestone moment for your business or even around an upcoming season or holiday. 

2. Please Feel Right at Home Here!

Ahead of your new hire’s first day, you’ll likely work with your office manager and IT team to get the employee’s workstation set up. You also have a chance to outfit their work space with a few fun desk items for a more memorable and playful welcome. Consider placing a company-branded bag of products on their desk, as well as larger items like a branded coffee mug or reusable water bottle to help your new hire stay hydrated and cut down on their use of disposable plastic. 

Other creative ideas include gifting a number of picture frames to personalise their work space with their own favourite photos. We even offer desk plant kits to add a little greenery to the welcome – these biodegradable flower pots contain mixed colour petunia seeds, all presented in a customisable cardboard box.

As an example, leading advertising company Essence creates welcome bags for its new hires filled with items perfectly suited for the season. Summer hires receive a practical, lightweight drawstring backpack, sunglasses and a water bottle. Further, the bags help new hires feel immediately at home and afford an opportunity for them to connect with longer-term employees to foster the Essence culture and form relationships from the new hire’s very first meeting.

3. For Your Staff on the Go 

Another creative way to welcome your new employees is with a branded laptop bag to carry all their gear to and from work. It’s also a savvy business strategy – by 2020, half of the UK workforce could work remotely at least part of the time. Chances are, your new hire will at some point need to carry office equipment, either home or while traveling for business. Show your appreciation by gifting a high-quality, branded laptop bag for their gear, like the stylish option below.

As a bonus, this gesture helps extend the visibility of your brand every time your employees carry the laptop bag out and about, as walking, talking brand ambassadors.

Last but not least, while it’s good practice to welcome your new hires with a positive and memorable onboarding experience, don’t forget about your longer-term staff, especially those employees who are approaching milestone anniversaries, such as 5, 10, or even 25 years with your company. If you put together welcome bags, consider adding a few extra-special items to have on hand to reward and honor your important, long-standing members. This iconic Cross Century Classic ballpen, for example, is finished with 10 carat gold rolled appointments and come presented in a special gift box with a lifetime mechanical guarantee.

Congratulations again on your new hires! We’re glad to hear that your business is growing, and we’re here to help you make the most of your new employee onboarding. It’s worth it! One source suggests that 69 percent of employees are more likely to stay with your company if they experienced great onboarding; organisations with a standard welcome process also have 50 percent greater new hire productivity. Please get in touch with us today; we’d love to brainstorm a few ideas for a truly memorable welcome for your next new hire.