3 Rules of a Good Welcome E-mail to New Employees
When hiring new employees, there is a lot of correspondence that is exchanged between the parties. Once the process is over and the person is ready to start the job, there is one more letter to be sent out, which is quite important – this is the welcome e-mail.
Onboarding is very important for the new employee. According to a recent survey, 30% of job seekers have left the job within 90 days of starting. There are several reasons for that but some of the main ones stated by the respondents include that their day-to-day role wasn’t what they expected and they were not happy with the company culture. Therefore, it is of primary importance to welcome your new employees properly to their new workplace.
A welcome e-mail can contain different information according to the preferences of the person writing it. It may be written by the immediate supervisor, by the company director, and even by a colleague. There is a variety of tips and templates on the topic in the internet that can be downloaded and used, however, it is also important to follow three basic rules that will make sure that your welcome e-mail will serve its true purpose: have the right content, format, and attachments.
Content of the welcome e-mail
The content of the welcome e-mail is perhaps the most important asset. As a rule, the tone of the e-mail needs to be professional but also quite warm and polite. After all, the aim is to greet the new employee and to show that you are happy having them aboard.
There are a few things that should be present in the body of your e-mail. In addition to actually saying “welcome to our team/company”, you need to include the following information:
- Confirmation of the start date
- Information about the time the person should come. You may specify that the working time is usually from 9:00 am and let them know if they are expected to come earlier or a bit later for their first day
- Details on where the employee should come on their first working day, e.g. at reception, directly to the line manager or at the HR office. You can also include the name of the person who is expected to welcome them by saying something like “Ask for Ellen when you arrive” or “John will be the one to take you around on your first day”
- Information on any specific documentation the employee should bring with them on their first day – bank account details, social security, work permit (if needed), etc.
- Useful contact information in case the new person needs to ask some clarification prior to the start.
The aim of the welcome e-mail is to express gratitude of their arrival and expected contribution, to quickly introduce the team and outline the employee’s basic duties. The idea is to make the new person feel welcomed and ready to start.
Format of the welcome e-mail
The format of the welcome e-mail is also quite important. It shows the overall company policy about handling business correspondence. The overall tone of the e-mail matters – it should reflect your company values. It should neither be too formal, nor too superficial.
The subject line of the e-mail can simply be “congratulations”, “welcome aboard” or “welcome”. Then you shall start by saluting the person in a friendly and polite manner.
The body of your letter shall briefly outline the details about the new employee’s arrival and the related requirements. Then, you can include some information about the company, the team or any current projects that you are working on. You can list the main duties and responsibilities of the new hire.
The conclusion shall state that you are eager about their start at the company and by all means contain information and contact details in case the person has some concerns or questions prior to their arrival.
Most of the welcome e-mails are quite short with more detailed information provided in the attached documents, if any are included. Try to be brief in your welcome e-mail in order to make a good impression and not to overload the new employee with excessive information even before they have joined your company.
Quality of the attached documents
While the body of the welcome e-mail is expected to be short and straight to the point, it is a good idea to attach a few documents that can be of great use to the new employee. An overview of the company policy with basic benefits and core values is a good example of such a document with additional information. As these documents need to be quite well drafted, it may be a good idea to use some professional writers as those working for Handmadewriting or WritingsGuru for the job and then utilize the documents with few updates for each new hire. A detailed description of the daily tasks or a list of colleagues and line managers with short bio is also a good idea for an attached document. Some recommendations for the job or useful directions will also be appreciated by the new person.
Following these three simple rules when writing your welcome e-mail, makes it easy to include all the necessary information using the right style of correspondence. A good onboarding is essential for the first impression and further retention of new employees, so make sure that you have mastered the art of creating great welcome e-mails.
About the author:
Donna Moores is a successful content writer and CMO at Writemyessaytoday.us. Due to her outstanding marketing experience within the biggest industries, Donna helps other businesses with content writing and proofreading. One of her current projects is an website called WritingsGuru , which provides readers with useful tips on how to develop writing skills. You may reach out to Donna on Twitter or LinkedIn.