Ten New Employee Appreciation Ideas

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Welcome to the Office! Ten New Employee Appreciation Ideas

Just about all of us have been the “new person” at some point – having to come into a brand-new office, introduce yourself to the people you’ll be working with, explain your qualifications and background, figure out where the best lunch places are, learn how to work the coffee maker, and determine where to find the bathrooms. Often, it’s a long and exhausting day.

If you’re in charge of an office, make your new employee’s transition easier with employee appreciation programs or actions that can help streamline the entire process.

Employee recognition awards and employee incentive programs aren’t only for your veteran employees – they can also be a great way to greet those who will serve as the lifeblood of your organization. So, what are the best ways to welcome in these new employees? Here are a few ideas:

1. Share on Social Media

Who doesn’t like getting a shout-out on social media? Go ahead and take to your company’s networks to share news of the new hire’s first day. You can even do one better by linking people to the new person’s business or personal social media presence (if they are okay with it, and if it makes business sense). Be sure to check in with the new person to see if they are comfortable with the message.

2. Welcome Them on Internal Networks

Have an intranet system or project messaging service at your office? Be sure to write a brief message on those outlets – or in an email – welcoming the new person to the team, outlining their responsibilities and reporting structure, and letting them know some of the basics (what office they will be in, where they’ll sit, etc.). It’s these types of alerts that go a long way to integrating the team member in full.

3. Highlight Service Award Programs

Let your new team member know about your service award programs – the ones that recognize service for five, ten, fifteen and twenty years or more (or any other type of service award programs you may have in place). You want your employees to be with you for a long time, so show them this is a place that keeps people happy and satisfied.

4. Highlight Channel Incentive, Sales Incentive or Total Rewards Programs

These perks of the job can boost your bottom line – and theirs. If you have one of these helpful programs in place (like the ones provided by CoreCentive), make sure to explain them fully (either in-person or by pointing the new hire in the right direction) to get that new team member up to speed as quickly as possible.

5. Give Them Some Swag

Everyone likes receiving a present on the first day of the job. A little something branded with your company’s logo – a coffee mug, a notebook, some pens, a reusable water bottle – would be a nice touch to add more enjoyment to a potentially stressful day.

6. Take Them Out for a Meal

Pull out the company credit card and take it for a spin. It’s always nice to get the team out for a little excursion – it breaks up the week, it’s fun, it’s a load off the shoulders, and it’s a great ice-breaker for all people involved. Sign off on a lunchtime excursion for the new team member, their supervisor and the rest of the team (or have a meal brought in). This is the perfect way to help people to get to know each other!

7. Get Them Up to Speed on the Basics

Try developing a “new employee welcome kit” that contains the basic information a new employee needs to fit in well at the office. Include information on where the employee could find places to eat, catch local transportation, grab a drink, pick up dry cleaning or get a prescription filled. Let them know where the closest printers are, where the bathrooms are, and when fire alarm testing is; also include basic information about keys or logins they’ll need to use on a daily basis. Put this kit on the network and update it on a quarterly basis.

8. Put Together an “Initial Agenda” for the Employee’s First Day

Sometimes, an employee can find themselves in “first day fog” and wonder what to do next. That’s no good. Get them fully into the swing of the first day by providing a bulleted agenda on what they can get started on.

9. Introduce Them to the People They Should Know

Don’t limit the welcoming committee to just the person’s immediate team; take them around to have them visit key members of the company, including the HR and accounting teams (they’ll be very important).

10. Get Their First-Day Impressions

Check in with them after the day is over to see how they’re feeling and what they still need. You might even ask if they have any employee incentive ideas that can be worked into the next onboarding day.

Looking for ways to integrate these types of global employee appreciation programs into your workforce? Don’t stick with “tired-and-true” outdated programs that fail to provide a return on investment – for your employees’ work satisfaction OR your bottom line. Take a look at what CoreCentive can offer you.