A Manager's Guide to Making New Team Members Feel Welcome
Starting a new job is full of emotions, not just for the new employee but for the employer and the present team members. Of all the many ways that an employer can go about bringing a new hire up to speed, there are ways to do so for function and efficiency, as well as steps to make them feel part of the team. While both are important in their own right, the latter may have the greater impact.
The following is a collection of suggestions for how managers can make new team members feel welcome.
Tips for Making a New Employee Feel Welcome
Set Up Their Workspace
No matter what type of job may be started, every employee will likely have a space that they occupy over the course of the day, week, or in attending to their responsibilities. Employers go out of their way to ensure that that space is clean and clear of any junk or debris that might be left over from a previous employee. A cluttered space means an occupied space, and if something is already occupied, then there is less of a sense of individual ownership that can be felt.
By ensuring that the space or tools that an employee is given makes them feel like they have their own space to manage and control in a way that suits their own needs, supporting the developmental skills and habits that they bring to the team which allows them to contribute in new, individualized ways.
Tours
No matter the size of the office, warehouse, or route, a lot of time can be lost when being inundated with too much information. While memory tips help, a tour can be easier to utilize. Experienced employees have likely learned many different things— nuances about the workplace, the route or the people that are already part of the business.
Passing on tips and suggestions for how to best navigate, and interact with people and equipment, or just the routines of the day-to-day schedule means that a new employee can be brought up to speed faster than one who is left to their own devices. Additionally, taking the time to give a tour shows that others care, doing much to make a new employee feel welcome.
Give Them an Office Buddy
Being that new jobs often entail many different features; the first couple days of working can sometimes be overwhelming. New spaces, challenging projects, nerves about doing a good job, unfamiliar people, all of these things can add up to creating a level of anxiety that can impede comfortability and efficiency. A great way to mitigate such things is by carefully selecting a seasoned, volunteer employee who is not only great at their job but wonderful at making people feel welcome.
The ideal office buddy is familiar and efficient at their job in a variety of ways. They are proficient with software and technologies, equipment, or the flow of a week's schedules; they are familiar with client personalities. The same things apply for melding with the office team: knowing who is great at their job and who is not the best example. The ideal office buddy can clarify all this quickly all while making the new hire feel welcome.