Looking for fun ways to welcome new employees to your accounting firm? ‘Fun’ may not be on your radar when you think about your onboarding process, but it should be. That first week is full of intimidation, stress, and anxiety for your new hire, all of which can lead to them feeling overwhelmed and out of their depth which in turn affects their self-esteem and performance. We are guessing that you are going to want them to become a thriving part of your organisation for the long term, so here are 9 fun ways to welcome new employees!
9 ‘fun’ onboarding methods
1) Announce their arrival via multiple channels
While a simple email may be formal and convenient, why not use all of your communication modes at your disposal to truly make your employee feel welcome at your firm? Any method you have of highlighting your new recruit’s arrival, the better. Not only does this make your new employee feel like a valued addition to the team, but it also ensures that the rest of your employees have minimum chances of missing the announcement.
Here are some fun ways to announce your new hire:
- Newsletter mentions
- Social media page mentions
- Bulletin board/memorandum welcomes
- Personal introductions (e.g. in meetings, a stand-up session etc)
2) Make that first lunch count
Whether you decide to take your new employee to lunch yourself, organise team lunches for the first week or opt for something more fun like lunch roulette, making sure that your employee has someone to go to lunch with that first time (and for the first week) is a really important way to make them feel welcome.
Making sure that your new employee doesn’t feel left out is critical to their productivity and morale, not to mention that it allows them to make strong interpersonal-professional relationships with your team. This is truly one of the best ways to get this new relationship right from the get-go as it allows them to learn about the culture of the firm and to fill in any gaps that they have that will help them thrive here.
3) Assign them a company mentor
A fun and effective way to welcome new employees to your firm is by assigning them a company mentor and involving your current staff in the process of assimilating new hires. This gives the more experienced employee the chance to offer them guidance, support, and insight on how the company functions.(Discover the 4 key things you need to do to onboard your new member of staff so they get up to speed quickly)
A mentor has a significant role in onboarding as they can make the new employee feel and ease and get accustomed to all the new things that they have to learn on that first week. Benefits extend beyond this, however, as studies have shown that mentoring has a positive impact on the employee experience, retention rates, productivity, and morale.
Need help with onboarding? Download our “free new employee onboarding checklist” here!
4) Leave a gift on their new desk
Who doesn’t love feeling noticed and cared about, particularly in the midst of unfamiliar surroundings? By leaving a gift or a handwritten note on a new hire’s desk, you can really make an impact and diffuse the tension for them on their first day.
If you want to really make them feel welcome (and also build up your internal brand), you can even take it one step further by making a personalised gift that reflects your firm’s culture and values, one that emphasises their place within the organization. It may seem like such a small gesture but this can go a long way in making your recruit feeling motivated and excited about their new job.
5) Organise a party in their honour
What is a better way to welcome someone to the firm than with a surprise party just for them? It doesn’t have to be big or elaborate and you can even reuse old decorations!
The idea of throwing a low-pressure, informal gathering for your new employee is that it gives them a chance to socialise with their co-workers before jumping into the responsibilities of their position. Not only is this a great way to ease them into the team, but it also helps them get excited about the job and the people they’ll be working with.
6) Send them on a scavenger hunt
When you think of fun ways to welcome new employees, a scavenger hunt may not come to mind, especially in a professional setting. This is a very effective ice-breaking activity, however, as it forces new hire to make introductions with existing staff members as they ask for their help with various clues. It is also a great stress reliever too.
You can organise a virtual scavenger hunt, but a physical one offers benefits that only come from racing around to various departments. By doing so, new hires will become more familiar with the firm layout and they will build connections and learn more about their peers along the way.
7) Put their photo on the new hires wall
Other fun ways to welcome new employees include displaying a photo of them alongside a humorous note in a place with high foot traffic. Just a day or two before they arrive, display their picture with a note such as “have you seen this person?” or “have you met John yet?” to give your old employees a chance to warm up to the feeling of having someone new on board.
By the day your new hire walks in, everyone will know his/her name and will automatically greet that person. Not only is this a great ice breaker technique but it also feels a lot more personal to your new employee.
8) Create a “get to know the staff” cheat sheet
This hack comes under the umbrella for ‘fun ways to welcome new employees’ but it is also extremely effective and is useful for the employee too!
One of the most anxiety-producing concerns of a new employee is meeting a lot of new people within their first few days and having to remember everyone’s name and the conversations that they’ve had. So how do you help with this? Create a staff cheat-sheet, of course! Design a unique infographic-style sheet with pictures and information about all of the immediate staff that the new employee will be working with and this will be a very handy resource for them in their first week.
9) Have them start on a Friday
A unique method of welcoming a new member is to have them start on a Friday instead of a Monday. Put simply, Friday is less of a busy day for your existing employees so this gives them the chance to meet and welcome the new employee without affecting their productivity. They may even have some downtime to talk to the new employee, get to know them and show them around the office. When the result is less stress for your existing employees and your new hire, the effort from a simple change like this quickly becomes more than worth it.
Make your new employee welcome from day one
Eliminate the stress of the transition period by implementing these fun ways to welcome new employees to your accounting firm. These ideas will make your new hires feel comfortable and valued at your firm while also fostering a strong work dynamic between existing and new workers, all of which will help your firm thrive.
Don’t forget to download our “free new employee onboarding checklist” to help your new staff members start right