Welcome messages for new employees are an important part of the onboarding process.
The process of welcoming and integrating new employees, also known as onboarding (see our onboarding checklist), is critical to new employees’ retention as well as their fulfillment. Welcoming new employees into an organization first and foremost means making them part of the team. But carving out a place for yourself in an existing team is, without a doubt, a huge challenge.
Fortunately, there are many ways to ease your newcomers’ arrival and integration, starting with paying special attention to how you welcome them.
A welcome message highlights that the employee matters to their manager, their team, and the entire organization.
A welcome message breaks the ice in addition to serving as a reminder of your mission and company values from the get-go. It’s an important part of your broader efforts to foster a sense of buy-in to all of these elements.
The Best Welcome Message Is…
The best welcome message is a concise one that reflects the company’s mission and values. It should be authentic and accessible.
It should not be generic, or else it will go unnoticed. A welcome letter can be delivered by email, left on the employee’s desk, or hand-delivered. Some staff management software lets you deliver a welcome message directly from within the app. This is the case of the Agendrix onboarding platform, for example.
💡 Avoid referring to the organization as a family. This overused word for workplaces should be banned. A work team is not the same as a family—it does not offer unconditional love or acceptance, and the relationship is most likely not for life.
What You Need to Do to Make Your Welcome Messages a Success
- Thank the employee for accepting the job offer and for pursuing your mission with you and the rest of the team;
- Welcome the employee to the company and to their new position;
- Highlight the manager’s joy and privilege in welcoming this employee onto their team;
- Recall the company’s mission and convey its core values;
- Express concrete wishes about your new collaboration. For example, you might wish for the relationship to be a lasting one, for it to enable the employee to develop, and for it to be mutually rewarding; and
- Be available for questions or requests in the following days and weeks.
Example Welcome Letter
Hey x,
Welcome to the Agendrix team.
First of all, I’d like to thank you for accepting our job offer; we consider it a privilege that you’ve chosen our organization!
At Agendrix, we really care about our mission of making human resources management more person-focused and making a difference in the world of work. We have no doubt that you will be making a unique contribution to our common project!
In our employee guide, you will find all the information you need to understand how the organization works, your new working conditions, and the various tools you will need on an everyday basis. Take the time you need to familiarize yourself with it.
Feel free to write me with any questions.
Once again, welcome to Agendrix!
Manager’s name.
The Welcome Message—a Must in the Onboarding Process
The onboarding process is so powerful, yet so often overlooked.
Give it your full attention.
Take the time to prepare a welcome message for your new employees and to support them as your new collaborators.
