We all become a new starter at one point or another. While it’s exciting to start a new job, it can also be very daunting. For those first few months or even weeks, it can take time to settle in and wrap your head around what you’re supposed to be doing.

Looking back on the last time you were a new starter, were there things that could’ve been done to make it better? Putting yourself in a new employee’s shoes can help make it easier for them to settle in, as well as help reduce problems with turnover and so on. With one in three new recruits experiencing poor onboarding, you’ve got the chance to make sure this doesn’t happen in your business.

Ready to roll out the welcome wagon? Here are some tips for giving new employees the best start.

Be prepared

You know that a new starter is coming, so don’t let their arrival be a surprise on the day.

By preparing in advance, you’ll be able to make sure their desk and IT equipment is ready to go, while also making sure that you’ve got their day planned out.

As a new starter, there’s nothing worse than having to sit at your desk with nothing to do, so make sure you plan a full itinerary to help that first day go as smoothly as possible.

Start with a tour

A tour of the office is a great idea to help a new employee feel more at ease, as well as help them find where everything is. This also gives you the perfect opportunity to introduce your new hire to the rest of the team and give them a brief outline of who they are and what their responsibilities are.

Remember that it can be a lot for someone to remember everyone’s names during those first few days, so why not ask your team to wear some name tags for the day to avoid that first-day awkwardness and help them get to know everyone quickly.

Pre-arrange a welcome lunch

There are a lot of formal elements that happen on the first day, and this is something that can be very intense for your new employee. Breaking up the day with a welcome lunch will give them a chance to catch their breath and get to know people on a more relaxed level. As part of your initial onboarding process, make sure you let your new starter know about the lunch – just in case they were thinking of making other plans. Set aside a longer time than usual to give everyone a chance to chat and get to know each other.  

Setup one-to-one meetings

There’s a lot of information to take in during the first few weeks of a new job, but getting to know key employees will soon help a new recruit find their place. One-to-one meetings with people from across the organization will give a new starter a clearer idea of who to speak to about the different aspects of their job, and can give them opportunities to ask questions too.

Set out some tasks and objectives

When the introductions are over and it’s time to settle down to do some work, make sure you’ve got a load of clear and manageable tasks ready to help them get stuck in.

You can also set goals for your new employees to give them some objectives to aim for during those first few months. Making sure that a new starter is kept busy will stop them feeling out of place, and is a good way to help them get to understand processes and systems ready for when they truly settle in and take on bigger projects.

Get their feedback

Getting feedback from a new starter is an effective way to improve your onboarding process. Not only will it help you to work out if you’re doing things well, but it will also help the new employee raise any concerns that they might have before they become bigger problems.

New hire surveys are becoming a popular tool for businesses, and could help you make some significant improvements that will reduce turnover and keep your new employees happy. You can ask for feedback at regular intervals, which can also be a great way of checking in to see how a new starter is getting on.

If you’re going to become a great business leader, you’re going to need to make sure that you do things right from the outset, and that includes taking care of your employees. Making a new starter feel welcome and helping them feel prepared and equipped for their new role will help them to settle in quickly and become a valued member of the team. How will you welcome your next new starter? Give some thought to how you can give them the best start.

© New To HR