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It’s a difficult time for employers across the country.
Despite the return to the workforce sentiments expressed by the government and many in power, workers themselves have been leaving the workforce in droves. Many have taken the slowdown time afforded by the COVID-19 pandemic to take a look at their lives, and a mass exodus from various jobs has been the result.
Employee retention should be a top priority for any company functioning in the modern marketplace. Retention often comes down to making a solid first impression with an employee. How can one go about getting started on the right foot during the on boarding process?
Creating a welcome pack for new employees is one such way. Providing this kind of information pack to a new hire comes with a wealth of benefits. It’s a step all business owners should consider.
Read on and we’ll walk you through why.
1. Help Employees Feel Welcome
The first week at a new job can be a bit of a culture shock for almost anyone. There’s a new environment to get used to, new expectations, people, ideas, and so forth. It’s far too easy for any new employee to feel alienated or out of place.
If you’re really serious about employee retention, and most experts say that you should be, you’ll want to create a welcoming environment. The more your new employee can feel at home in the workplace you’ve crafted, the more they will want to stick around.
Think of your new hire as a new resident of your community. Wouldn’t you want to stop by and help them feel welcome? A proper welcome packet is like going to the door of a neighbor with flowers or fresh treats.
It’s a sign of affection and care. It says to the person that you value their being a part of the team.
This small gesture can really go a long way. Most people want to feel a part of some kind of community in their life, and this kind of move can help to create that feeling.
2. Increase Your Marketing Reach
What comes in the traditional welcome packet? Most often, a business will include a number of items that feature its brand. That could be mugs, t-shirts, wall art, or a wealth of other custom products.
While these are intended to hit our previous point, they also have an additional benefit that you may not have considered. They can actually help to increase the reach of your business marketing.
Giving your employees swag gives them a reason to bring these items with them out into their life. They might wear the shirt to events, provide the mug to a guest over for a cup of coffee, and so forth.
This is a natural way to get the image of your brand out in the public world. Your new employee will likely be excited to talk to anyone who decides to inquire about their new materials.
3. Convey Company Goals & Improve Performance
The sooner you can get a new employee integrated into the flow of your business, the better. An employee not quite in the mix with how you operate is going to be slower to get the work you need to be done.
While it isn’t the main goal of a welcome packet, these packets do help to introduce your new employee to the basics of your business. It should lay out basic information to them.
That means everything from where the bathrooms are in the office, how to get on the WiFI, to how to perform certain important tasks related to their position.
Having all this information upfront and in one place can help speed up the integration of your new employee. They’ll require less time getting familiar with the new environment and asking questions, and more time getting down to the work at hand.
Giving your employee all the information they might need in an organized fashion up front is going to increased their odds of success at your organization. You’ll get a better performance out of them right out of the gate. This can set you and their relationship off on the proper foot.
You can even use onboarding software like the kind found at https://WorkBright.com/employee-onboarding-software/ to ensure that you’re creating a process that is efficient and seamless.
4. Streamlines Accounting Needs
Everyone knows that getting a new hire into your system can be a lot of work, especially when it comes to the accounting side of things. Including all the needed accounting paperwork in the welcome packet that you provide your new employee can get this sometimes lengthy process going right away.
That will include things like their tax information, direct deposit, and essentially all information that your accounting department might need to get them properly integrated.
Putting off this process can lead to trouble in more ways than one. The last thing you would is your new employee not getting paid for their work during their first few weeks at the office.
This is a kind of misstep that is going to be a killer for employee retention.
In addition, having this paperwork close by as a reference point for your accounting team will help them do the work they need to get done much quicker. Including it all in the welcome packet will mean it gets done right away, on the very first day.
5.Helps Prepare For Emergencies
Safety should be a primary concern in just about any office. Letting your employees know that you are concerned for their safety and well-being and that there are plans in place for emergency situations? That will help them to feel more comfortable in the workplace environment.
In addition, you don’t want anything to go wrong when and if an emergency does arise. Mitigating the amount of damage that can be done in a workplace emergency is an important task for any serious business manager.
The easiest way to mitigate risk is to get your team to understand what they need to do when such a situation arises. You will no doubt have full-on safety meetings with your staff at some point, but it’s still a good idea to give your new employees the basics right off the bat.
This can be as simple as including information about emergency exits and emergency contacts in their welcome kit.
The exact nature of safety in your workplace will vary depending on what kind of work you do. Including any essential safety information that might be relevant to the worker early on can be helpful.
If you work with any kind of dangerous material or scenario, this isn’t just a recommendation but a necessity. You don’t want anyone getting hurt and you should establish off the bat the importance of safety.
6. Define Your Company Culture
If you’re uncertain about how best to convey the culture of your company to a new hire, an easy way to convey this kind of message is through the items contained within your welcome kit.
Are you an office that likes to get out in the world and have fun together? Including an item or two that speaks to that can help establish this idea right away. Maybe a company-branded tennis racket or pair of running shoes can help get your new employee in the right headspace.
A little more focused on the work at hand? A few accessories for the new worker’s workspace can help set the tone. A new keyboard, mousepad, etc can help make their new area feel like home.
It can be helpful to have your employee feel comfortable in the broader neighborhood around your office as well. Including some gift cards for lunch places nearby, or attractions for after work, can be a thoughtful way to get across the vibe of the area as well.
Is there a movie theater nearby, or a bar where people like to go to get drinks? Include materials or merch from these locations to help convey their importance within your little community.
Anything you can do to help establish what the vibe, mood, and outlook of your office are will help your employee fit in more quickly.
Benefits of a Welcome Pack for New Employees
The onboarding process can always be a bit stressful, as you want the best for your new employees as they join up with your existing team. However, putting together a welcome pack for new employees can help make them feel much more at home in their new environment.
There are so many benefits to these types of kits that it’s hard to list them all, but the above are some key ones worth considering.
Need more tips for managing new employee concerns? Keep scrolling our blog for more.