How to welcome a new starter before day one

The weeks between a signed offer and a first morning are usually quiet. The new starter has resigned from one job, agreed to another and heard very little since. Filling that gap takes a few small, human steps, and most of them cost nothing.

Straight after the offer: a note from their manager#

Within a day or two, their manager sends a short, personal message. Two or three lines is enough: pleased they said yes, looking forward to working together, here if they have questions.

It should read like it came from a person. If the only messages they get are from an applicant tracking system, that sets the tone.

A week or two before: introduce the people#

Paperwork and equipment will fill most contact from the company. Make sure some of it is about people.

• Name their buddy and let the buddy say hello directly.
• Introduce the team. A short video from the colleagues they will work with most puts faces to names before the first call. Ask each person who they are, what they work on and what the new starter can come to them for.
• Tell the team who is coming. "Sam joins product on Monday" is a fact. "Sam joins product on Monday after five years building accessibility tools" gives people something to talk about.

The week before: say exactly what the first morning looks like#

Uncertainty is tiring. Answer the questions they are wondering about at the weekend:

• What time to arrive, or log in.
• Who will meet them, in person or on a call.
• Whether lunch is sorted.
• What to wear, if that is a question at all.
• Whether they need to bring or prepare anything.

Keep reading optional#

It is tempting to send the handbook, the culture deck and a list of recorded all-hands meetings. Hold back. They have not started, and many are still finishing their notice. Useful context is welcome; a reading list is homework.

On the morning: make the basics work#

The laptop works. The accounts exist. The meetings are in the calendar. The team knows today is the day.

None of this is exciting, and all of it matters. A warm welcome video followed by four hours waiting for access sends two different messages.

A test for the whole plan#

Ask: if I were starting here on Monday, what would I be wondering about this weekend? Then answer those questions before they have to ask.

Making it routine#

Doing this once, for one popular hire, is easy. Doing it for everyone takes a habit. A reusable set of team introductions helps: each colleague records theirs once, and every new starter gets them, with a personal message from their manager or buddy added each time. People Stories is built around that.