Welcoming new starters the right way

You’ve gone through all the effort of putting out the perfect recruitment ad, scouring CVs and conducting interviews and finally you find the right candidate for the role. Now they’ve agreed to your offer and their start date is looming; here’s what your business can do to make your new recruits feel at home.

Be prepared
There’s nothing worse than starting a new role and immediately being left in a position where you don’t know what you’re supposed to be doing. Make sure that you’re well prepared for the arrival of your new starter, from the documentation that needs to be filled in right through to their schedule for the week. Ensure that they have a workstation or laptop set up for their arrival. To get acquainted with the systems they will be using, it’s worth collating some useful links for them to reference, as well as their login details and passwords.

Welcome packs
Think about putting together welcome packs for new starters to start their journey the right way. These could include anything from starter manuals, company-branded gifts, stationery and sweets; consider what you would need/want on your first day and work from there.

Designated buddies
It can be difficult to know who the right person is to talk to when you start in a new role, which is why it’s a great idea to assign a buddy to your new starter. Their buddy will be on hand to help with any questions, show them where things are and give them advice on ‘unwritten’ office rules. Try to ensure that there’s someone available at all times for your new starters in the first week.

Substantial training 
While there will always be an element of finding your feet in a role, you need to ensure you give your new employees the best grounding to do so. Ensure you have a comprehensive training plan in place for your employee and ensure to communicate with them regularly to find out how they’re getting on. Giving new employees structured training from the outset will help to give them the confidence they need to excel in their new role.

Introduce the team
Make sure to let your team know in advance of your new starter arriving so they’re ready to greet them, rather than shooting them confused glances. Make sure to walk them around each team to allow for introductions. If possible, it’s a good idea to put aside some time for team members to explain what they do within the business to give the starter a wider understanding of the structure of the business, as well as meeting new people.

When it comes to hiring new employees, it’s essential that you have employers’ liability insurance in place. To find out more about what this covers and why you need it, get in touch with Lagentium. We can help get you set up with the protection you need to keep your business legally compliant. Call us on 01977 558391 to find out more.