What are some common pitfalls to avoid when sending new employee welcome emails?

Sending the welcome email timely is crucial. Ideally, dispatch it within 24 hours of offer acceptance to convey enthusiasm and readiness to integrate the new hire into your team. This not only makes them feel valued but also provides ample time for any queries they might have. Delayed emails risk leaving new employees feeling overlooked and uninformed about essential aspects of their role. Quick and informative communication sets a positive tone for their onboarding experience.

Welcome and engage your new employee BEFORE their first day. Once the new employee has signed the offer letter, start your preboarding process to build a sense of belonging, prepare the new employee for their first week, and begin building connections with team members. This goes beyond the welcome email. It should include a seamless way to complete necessary paperwork so that they can focus on learning more about the organization's values and culture, and building relationships with their team members. The goal is to ensure the new employee feels welcomed, prepared and ready to tackle their new role!

Don't overload people with lengthy emails. You want to keep those concise and to the point. Include the most important information only in the email. Then refer them to other material for any additional information. Perhaps you have a complete PDF file, Powerpoint presentation, video or an onboarding tool. That material is a great way to get your new hires engaged and hyped for their first day.

This person is not an employee until their start date. Be light handed with the communications sent out before day 1, and be prepared with self-serve resources

I believe personalizing and individualizing the email really promotes a sense of recognition and belonging, to the new team member. It shows that they are more than a metric or an employee ID number. It also can instill a sense of pride and inclusion, and sets the “tone” for what is to come. As an employee onboards, there can be thoughts of “Did I make the right decision?” “Is this the place for me?” That one simple email will allow them to understand where they are at, where they are going and shows that the company truly cares from Day One and pulls back the curtain a bit on expectations and company culture. First impressions go both ways, and this is the prime opportunity to make a great one.

I agree with Omar. Personalizing the email to the employee is so important. Using their name, their specific title, giving information from the team that they are joining is going to give them a sense of belonging, create excitement, and let them know that the company is recognizing them as an individual and excited for them to bring their contribution to the company.

Personalization of the onboarding experience is so important in setting a positive first impression with your new employees. It goes beyond "being personal" in your welcome email. Incorporating welcome messages from the new employee's manager and key team members can provide a more welcoming and inclusive welcome. If you're using tools like the Predictive Index, you can leverage their PI insights in expressing enthusiasm about the new employee joining. Example: "Based on your PI results and the impressive work you've done, we're excited to see how your expertise and meticulous attention to detail will contribute to the quality assurance processes."

Pre-start fuzziness isn't the best way to kick off a new job - imagine getting 25 emails from different departments before you even set foot in the office! It can leave your new hire feeling overwhelmed and unsure of who they should turn to for important information. Make sure that everyone knows precisely where to go beforehand so that all questions are answered quickly, efficiently and accurately prior to their first day on site. Be mindful of past experiences both you and others have had when starting anew; ask yourself: What was helpful about pre-start communication? And conversely, how can we use that feedback from negative experiences as fuel for improvement?

One way to prepare new employees for their first week is to share a digital preboarding guide. The preboarding guide offers helpful information and resources to inform and build excitement with the new employee. Elements you can include: >Welcome video from CEO >What to bring on your first day >Dress code/personal protective equipment >Day 1 onboarding schedule (bonus if you provide schedule for first two weeks) >Map and parking instructions There are a lot of great tools you can use to create accessible and interactive guides including Canva, Genially, JotForm, and Articulate Storyline/Rise.

Have you thought of recording a brief intro video for your soon-to-be colleague? Imagine that you were onboarding at a new company and you receive a video from your HR POC. How would that make you feel? Exactly; you will most likely be very excited to be joining the company in a couple of weeks! Using tools like Loom or Vidyard allows you to make a quick recording. Try it out and see how this boosts the engagement amongst your new hires!