Successful on-boarding starts with a great welcome email for new employees – done right, it helps get the person inducted quicker, than without. Done poorly, it can hurt your induction process. Guest writer, Grace Carter, explains.
A welcome email is the first step in a successful employee on-boarding process. It can really set the tone, so take some time and do it right.
These letters are all about making the recipient feel like they’re already part of the team and feel excited to begin their new position.
This is your guide to writing a welcome email to new employees.
Let them know what to expect
One stressful thing about starting a new job is just not knowing what to expect. You should not just remind the employee of the time and day they will start, but also try and walk them through what the first day will be like.
“Tell them where to report and who they’ll be speaking to. Will they spend the day filling out paperwork and doing orientation stuff? Or will they get an opportunity to begin some actual job tasks?” suggests Valery Conley, HR at Studentwritingservices.
Give your employee all the info they need to succeed on their first day. Let them know if there is anything they should bring, such as their banking info, social security etc. It also never hurts to touch on what it’s like to transition from a new hire to an experienced employee.
Help them get to know you
It’s important to make your employee feel welcome, and part of that is your writing tone, but it can also be done by telling them a bit about yourself.
Tell them what it was like for you when you started and how your career has advanced in the meantime. Try and ease their mind by sharing a memory you have of your first day on the job. Just a few sentences is fine, you’ll have plenty of time to get to know them better once they start.
Let them know they are welcome and have made the right decision in joining your team. Switching jobs is a big deal so it’s good to let them know they made the right call.
Write better welcome emails with some online help
Writing is a skill that needs to be practiced and worked on. Make sure your writing skills are sharp, so you can send out excellent welcome emails to your employees. Here are some good resources that can help:
- LetsGoandLearn and WritingPopulist – These grammar resources can help make sure you never send out an email with a grammatical error again. Grammar can be tricky, so don’t do it all on your own.
- Essayroo and Academized – Check out these blogs and you will find tons of useful suggestions on how to improve your writing. Give them a read and try out some new writing techniques.
- Big Assignments and OXEssays – These are editing tools you can use to create polished and flawless welcome emails. Leaving in typos looks bad and is no way to make a good impression on your new employee.
Introduce them to the team
Aside from introducing yourself and people they will meet on their first day, it’s a good idea to include key team member’s images and bios in that first email so that they can get to know everyone.
It’s helpful because they will know who to go to with different problems. You can also send them a few numbers they can call if they need advice or an email they can reach others on. If your company or team has a chatroom, you should also include them prior to their first day and they will get to know everyone quickly.
Let them know about your company culture
This part they should already be familiar with but it doesn’t hurt to repeat it again. Remind them what your company is striving for, allow them to immerse themselves in your culture by providing resources and so on.
It can be really helpful and reassuring if a new employee is informed once more of what is expected of them in terms of behaviour, dress code and mindset.
Image: Stock Snap
Be kind and polite
Getting an email from your new employer can be as frightening as it is exciting. You never know what to expect and what they will say.
You probably understand this since you were a new employee once. Thus, try to be polite and kind to your new employees. A bit of humour doesn’t kill professionalism nor does it tarnish your authority.
Kindness – like inviting the new employee to a team hangout after their first day at work so that they can get to know everyone, or connecting them with other new employees or recent hires – is a good idea.
Make sure that your employee feels comfortable and relaxed. A bit of nervousness is just fine but stress is not what you want to cause.
Sample letter
Dear Jane Smith,
Congratulations and welcome to company ABC! We’re so happy to be adding a new addition to our team. I’m confident your past experience, knowledge and sense of humour will be a great fit for us.
I enjoyed getting to know you a little during the interview process, and I’m looking forward to speaking with you further in the coming days. One of the best parts of my job is the ongoing learning I find myself doing; it’s a big part of the reason I’ve been with the company for nearly ten years.
I’ve been given lots of opportunities to grow and become more creative here, and I look forward to seeing your progression as you contribute to the company’s success.
We’ll see you at the office, Monday at 9 am. First, we will begin with a tour of the office, so you can meet the team. Then we’ll do some paperwork and get you on your way.
This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for you. I’m excited to see you grow and learn from your new coworkers.
Looking forward to seeing you Monday,
Manager Name
In Summary
A welcome email sets the tone for the beginning of the employee’s career with your company. Make sure to get off on the right foot with a welcoming and informative email that serves as the beginning of a positive and mutually beneficial working relationship.
About the Author
Grace Carter is an HR at Top Canadian Writers website. She works with a team of freelance recruiters, helps with talent hunting and improves onboarding. Also, Grace is a content manager at Rated Writing service.
