- Wise Words -
A royal welcome?
​Give new employees the
“red carpet” treatment
by fergus mellon

At my local bar the owners promote key events: The annual Holiday Party, landmark birthday parties, staff goodbye drinks and other special occasions.

Goodbye drinks? What about a welcome for new employees?

Of the various companies that I joined over the years, I only remember having a welcome drinks or lunch twice. Twice? What up with that?

I am not saying stop with the goodbye drinks. They are important. But let’s also do a welcome for the newbies.

Why? There is considerable research that details how effective the “onboarding” drives staff retention and productivity. For instance, the Boston Consulting Group wrote in its paper, “Creating People Advantage 2013” that having a “systematic new-hire onboarding process not only increases productivity but also leads to a reduction in regretted attrition.” In plain English, how an employee is treated early on really matters.
So welcome them properly!

It’s not just drinks though, and some folk may not enjoy a booze-fueled welcome because they want to make a good first impression. Here are some other ideas for how you can provide a newbie with a proper welcome!
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• Welcome aboard card or Friday pre-join call or email. Once a candidate has accepted their offer, shoot them out a welcome card signed by you and the team. Even if this is something you are unable to do, try a pre-first day call or email saying you are looking forward to them joining.
• Goodie bag. This may be a bit “Silicon Valley” and not all companies have “swag,” but giving new starters a company t-shirt and pen is a nice way of showing you care. If you have a welcome balloon that you can tie by their desk, then even better!
• Try to be in the office on their First Day. If the employee is junior try to be there for their first day. It shows you care and allows you to help them get settled and off to a great start.
• The Intro Email. “Please welcome Jackie/Jake to the team. Jake/Jackie joins us from… blah, blah, blah.” Ok, it is hard to say something truly original about someone you are just getting to know, but sending out a short welcome note detailing the new starter’s role, background to the teams they will be working with. Say where they will sit so people can drop by to say hello. The new employee will feel welcome. If you are stuck for words, you could even say “please join us for Welcome Drinks this Thursday!”
• Intros across the company. This is basic, but can be overlooked, particularly if you or your employee is in a remote office. That said, either being the “good shepherd” (or delegating the role) is one that can help an employee feel welcome and, as importantly, help them start to get their internal network in place.
• Co-worker as sponsor. Ask a member of your team who is good with people and great at the job to help with the onboarding and be there to answer day-to-day questions so that they have a support network outside of you. The co-worker should also show them around the office space and maybe some local lunch spots (I remember one person I worked with who provided a lunch guide to people!).
• Team meeting. It may seem repetitive as you did one-to-one intros, still welcome them at the team meeting. It helps show you value them. In your manager’s team meeting, be sure to mention the new employee and ask folks to say hi if they haven’t already.
• Company overview and onboarding. So, the employee may have wowed you with knowledge of the share price performance or latest market news at the interview, but they honestly know very little of the “real” company. The ideal is to have a mix of company-sponsored induction and then activities tailored to the function of the employee. If there’s no official company onboarding, set your own up.
• 90-day plan. Just because they have a job description doesn’t mean they know what they are to do! Have a think about what you want the employee to achieve in their first 90 days and then share the plan with them and even with the team so that everyone is on the same page with realistic expectations.
• End of week, end of first month wrap up. Most new starters want to know how they are doing, so tell them! Take time (maybe over coffee offsite) at the end of their first week to let them know they are off to a good start (unless they are not!) and at the end of the first month also take the time to ask how things are going as well as providing them with feedback.

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For related columns see: "Your First Week", "Give it time before you feel at home" and "Questions to ask your new manager" 

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Fergus Mellon is author of Early Stage Professional: starting off right.  He is also a digital media executive and has worked at a mix of large media companies (AOL, Gannett), start-ups (PebblePost, Meebo, Federated Media) as well as adtech (Criteo, Rubicon Project).

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In the first 5 years or so of your career?  Want actionable career advice?  Buy Early Stage Professional: starting off right, the no nonsense professional skills book designed so that everyone can succeed in the workplace!  

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Crushing It @ Work

What Time Should I Start? 
What If I am Running Late? 
Taking Vacation
Sick Days 
Working Outside Office Hours
​How to prepare for One/Ones
Making Meetings on Time 
Business Presentations 
Social Media, Personal Email and Hanging Out on the Web
Give it Six to Nine Months to Feel @Home
Be Your-professional-self
Staying Positive

Job Search Must Do's

Resume
The Application Letter 
​The Free Conundrum: Should You Take an Unpaid Internship?
Informational Interviews 
Taking a Shortcut: Using Your Network 
Dealing with a Low GPA
​Responding to Recruiters
The Job Interview
Interview Questions
Questions You Should Ask
Simulations 
Interviews with Other Applicants
Dealing with References
Negotiating Your Salary
How to Resign (if you already have a job)
​The First Week
You Don't Get the Job: Getting Feedback
​Keeping Motivated Through the Search

USA Today Columns by Fergus Mellon

How to get started on LinkedIn: Do this, not that
Warning: Avoid smartphone shame at work.  Keep them out of sight
To succeed, be a Giver in the workplace, not a Taker
4 ghoulish personality pitfalls to steer clear of at the office
​How to coach today's not so entitled Millennials as they join the rat race