There are a lot of elements to a successful onboarding strategy, but here we’ll talk about one very easy yet effective step that’s necessary for all organizations: a welcome email or letter to the new employee.
You’ll want to write an authentic, engaging, yet clear and straightforward email or letter, and that’s surprisingly not as hard to do as you might think. While there’s some room for flexibility and creativity, especially when it comes to the details of the organization, we’ve prepared a handy template that will help guide you through the process.
The welcome letter is crucial because it’s the first real concrete welcome to the organization message for a new hire. It’s a way to verbalize how excited the company is to work with this person, gives them an overview of what they need to know and the next steps, and is also a good way to remember their start in the company later on.
Roberta Young, an HR manager at Paper Fellows, explains that “the welcome letter must be written by the manager and not by another employee. This is a way to start the relationship between manager and employee on a positive note from the first day, and by writing a genuine and friendly letter, you’re creating employee engagement and trust from the get go.”
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The first thing your welcome letter should have is the welcome to the employee. Then, you should introduce yourself and explain in a couple of short points how you came to be in this position in the organization, even sharing your own experience as a new employee if relevant. This will build trust between you, the manager, and the new hire. Don’t overshare, as a lot of this can be discussed in person also.
The next part of the letter should cover the logistics of their first day, like where and when to go, what to look forward to, what to prepare in advance, and even share the dress code if there is one.
Finally, give a brief overview of the onboarding journey and what the steps to becoming a full employee look like. This is a good place to mention the positives about the employee that got them hired and how you see them fitting into the organization long term.
It’s important that your welcome letter or email is written professionally and without mistakes to give a good first impression of the company. Here are some tools that can help you craft the perfect email:
Here are some tips that will help you create great emails for your new employees:
Dear <Name>,
Welcome to <company name>! We’re so excited to have you join our expanding team. I know that your hard work and great sense of humor will fit in well with the rest of the group here.
We spoke a bit during the interview process, but I’m looking forward to getting to know you better. I’ve been with this company for <how many years>, and every day I continue to learn more. As your manager, I’m excited to see how you’ll grow with the team and the company and what you can bring to the table.
I’ll see you on <date and time> at <exact location>. We’ll grab some coffee and have an informal tour of the office to meet the rest of the team, then we’ll get all your paperwork sorted and get you started on your training journey. No need to bring anything – just yourself!
I’m excited to see you tackle this amazing journey, learn from the team, and eventually make your mark in the <industry or role>.
Looking forward to <date>,
<Your name and title>
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Dear [Employee’s name],
We are all really excited to welcome you to our team! As agreed, your start date is [date.] We expect you to be in our offices by [time] and our dress code is [casual/ business casual.]
[If necessary, remind your employee that they need to bring their ID/ paperwork.]
At [Company name], we care about giving our employees everything they need to perform their best. As you will soon see, we have prepared your workstation with all necessary equipment. Our team will help you setup your computer, software and online accounts on your first day. [Plus, if applicable, mention any extra things you’ve prepared for your new hire, like a parking spot, a coffee mug with their name or a company t-shirt.]
We’ve planned your first days to help you settle in properly. You can find more details in the enclosed agenda. As you will see, you’ll have plenty of time to read and complete your employment paperwork (HR will be there to help you during this process!) You will also meet with your hiring manager to discuss your first steps. For your first week, we have also planned a few training sessions to give you a better understanding of our company and operations.
Our team is excited to meet you and look forward to introducing themselves to you during [planned event/ lunchtime].
If you have any questions prior to your arrival, please feel free to email or call me and I’ll be more than happy to help you.
We are looking forward to working with you and seeing you achieve great things!
Best regards,
[Your name]
[Your signature]
Now that you’ve learned all the basics and seen an example, it’s time to start writing your own welcome letter. Good luck!
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