New job jitters are no joke—whether it's your first job or your fifteenth. 

Your new hire may be worried about all kinds of things. Making a good first impression. Learning a new industry. Tackling their first big project. Meeting your expectations. Exceeding your expectations. And that’s only on Day One! 

Having a plan to welcome new employees into your organization can ease some of those nerves. With a quick welcome message, you can help make your new hire feel more supported and excited than anything else.

This simple strategy can significantly impact the happiness and productivity of your staff. But if you're still wrapping your head around all of the best ways to make a new hire feel welcome, we've got you covered. 

In this article, we'll go over how to welcome new employees and make them feel at home—even if they only had to walk a few steps to their desks. P.S. If you like the sounds of a templated welcome message, stick around. We’ve got no less than 30 for you to run with. 🙂

How to welcome a new employee

Making new employees feel welcome is more than making a good first impression. Welcoming them the right way also: 

• Shows professionalism: Being organized and prepared for your new hire’s arrival will show your commitment to their success.
• Creates happy employees: They'll feel more comfortable and appreciated in their roles, leading to increased employee happiness.
• Reduces turnover: Employees who enjoy working for your company and are valued in their roles will be less likely to seek a new job.

With these benefits in mind, let's go over the best ways to welcome new employees and make them feel valued from Day One. 

1. Handle paperwork beforehand 

Don't wait until an employee's first day to handle their onboarding paperwork.

Employment contracts, NDAs, and other essential documents should be shared, read, and signed beforehand. The same principle goes for company logins and swipe cards.

The last thing your new hire wants to do on their first day is paperwork. Help them become meaningful contributors faster by getting these details out of the way. 

You can also reach out to them before their first day and connect them with other team members. Doing so will help ensure your welcome process actually feels, you know, welcoming.

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2. Write a welcome message

It's your employee's first day on the job—what should you do? Send them a welcome email!

When writing a welcome email to a new team member, you can mention: 

• What to expect on their first day
• Some of their skills and qualities that impressed you the most
• Company information such as working hours and special events
• Who to ask for help and that you're available to answer questions

Don't worry, welcome emails are easy to write and offer a chance to show your team's personality and company culture. Here's an example of what to say: 

As you can see, your welcome messages don't need to be long. In fact, they probably shouldn't be. Welcome your new hire, show them your excitement, and stay available for questions.

You can send a company-wide note on Slack (or another internal messaging platform you use) to welcome new employees. This will make it easy for your entire team to get involved in the welcome process. 

3. Plan out their first day

Once you’ve completed the necessary paperwork and sent your welcome message, you can turn your new hire loose and hope they figure things out on their own, right? 

You could, but you could also make both of your lives easier and add some structure to their first day on the job.

Plan out your new hire's day so they'll know exactly what to do and when to do it. To help them hit the ground running, consider creating a checklist with tasks like: 

• Getting acclimated with the company's technology
• Meeting with colleagues for an informal conversation
• Learning how to log hours
• Going over training materials

When you set up your checklist, double check all of the materials (including training documents and employee handbooks!) are up to date. 

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4. Ensure they have everything they'll need

What does your new hire need to succeed in their new role? Make it your mission to remove barriers and blockers, so they can start contributing sooner rather than later.

Here are a few simple ways you can prepare your new employees for success:

• Make sure they have everything they need for their workspace—whether at home or in the office.
• Ask them to read through specific training manuals related to their roles.
• Share how-to guides that will help them complete everyday tasks efficiently.
• Show them who to ask for help and where to go to find answers. 
• Explain the differences between your SOPs and work instructions and when they’d use one

Ensuring they have everything they need from the get-go will not only get them up to speed faster, but will also give them confidence in their role.  

5. Schedule meet and greets

Employee relationships with co-workers are among the most critical factors regarding employee retention. This means if you can help foster these relationships, your new hires will be happier and likely to stick around longer.

That’s why we suggest making meet and greets part of your welcome process.

You could, for example, buy pizza for the office and encourage employees to meet your new hire during their lunch breaks.

Looking for something a little more personal? Encourage your current employees to schedule one-on-one meetings with your new hire so team members can get to know each other on a deeper level.

6. Stay available

Starting a new job can be scary, and most hires probably have questions like:

• Will I be good at my new job?
• Will I like my co-workers, and will they like me?
• What will my day-to-day schedule look like?

While you probably won't be able to answer every question, you should be able to answer a lot of them—especially the ones about their role. So encourage new hires to ask questions as they pop up.

Let them know you have their back, and stay available to them. Schedule weekly check-ins—even for an informal chat—to answer any questions and provide support. 

New employees will feel more comfortable when they feel empowered to ask questions and know the team is there to answer them.

30 new hire welcome message examples

Drafting a "welcome to the team" message can feel like adding even more work to your plate. But it doesn't have to feel that way. 

Here’s a list of welcome messages depending on your role that you can adapt to sound like you—whether that’s formal or full of emojis or somewhere in between.

Welcome messages from hiring managers

1. [Name], we're so happy that you're joining our team! We know that your ability to [cite skill or experience] will help you make a mark on our company. The whole team is looking forward to meeting you. 
2. Welcome, [Name]! We're thrilled to have you join [Company Name] 🎉. We have a great onboarding program planned and we're looking forward to learning more about you. 🙂
3. Welcome to the team, [Name]! You really stood out during the hiring process and we're ecstatic that you accepted our offer. We know you'll do great things!
4. Hey [Name], I wanted to wish you a warm welcome! We're excited to have you join our team. 🥳 Please let me know if there's anything I can do to assist you. 
5. Hi [Name], welcome to our team! We're so excited to have you join us. We would love to hear a fun fact about you. 
6. [Name], we're thrilled to have you join us! We're setting up a team lunch (yes, with pizza 🍕) so you can have a chance to meet the whole team. See you there!
7. Happy first day, [Name]! We’re excited to officially welcome you to our growing team. We know you're going to make a huge impact here. Talk soon!
8. Thanks for accepting our job offer, [Name]! We're always striving to build a passionate and communicative team, so we hope you'll feel right at home. Looking forward to seeing you on [date]. 

Welcome messages from training managers

9. Hi [Name], we're so happy that you're joining the team! We'll be spending a lot of time together during the onboarding process. Can't wait to see what we can do together!
10. Welcome to our team, [Name]! I'm so excited to have you on board. I know you're going to do great things at [Company Name], considering your background. We'll be meeting up soon to start training!
11. Hey [Name], I'm thrilled to hear you've accepted our offer! I'll be your training manager during the onboarding phase and I can't wait to get you up to speed on everything. Talk soon!
12. Congratulations, [Name]! I was ecstatic to learn you are joining our growing team. I'll be working alongside you during these first few months of our onboarding phase. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!
13. Welcome to the team, [Name]! I know it takes a while to get comfortable in a new job, but I'll be here to help you through this new journey. Please let me know if there's anything you need assistance with. 🧡
14. Welcome, [Name]! We're all happy to have you join us. Here at [Company Name], we encourage everyone to share their thoughts and speak up, so please let me know if you have any questions!
15. Hi [Name] 👋, congrats and welcome to the team! I hope you're having a great first day. I can't wait to go over everything you need to know about [Company Name] and your role when we meet.
16. Welcome aboard! [Name], I'm so pleased to have you join our team. We have your first week all planned out, and we’ll be here every step of the way.

Welcome messages from teammates

17. Welcome to the team, [Name]! Excited to learn more about you while we work together. Let's make great things happen! 💪
18. Welcome, [Name]! You're going to love the team and I'm excited to see what you can do. ✨
19. Hi [Name], I want to wish you a great first day! We'll be on the same team, so please let me know if you need anything. Looking forward to meeting you.
20. Welcome to our team! I know the first day at work can be overwhelming, but please know that we're here for you. Let me know if you need any help as you get settled in.
21. Hey [Name], our small but mighty team wishes you a warm welcome! We're looking forward to working with you—we know you'll do great things!
22. Welcome to the crew, [Name]! We're excited to have someone new join the team. 🎉 How's your first day going?
23. [Name], welcome to the team! We'll be having lunch together today and I'm excited to learn more about you. See you then!
24. Welcome, [Name]! We're delighted to have you join us. I set up a quick call to go over any questions you might have at [time]. 

Welcome messages from the C-suite

25. Huge congratulations on your new role! Your skills and abilities will be a great addition to our company. Excited to see what you can do!
26. Welcome to our team, [Name]! We're so excited to have you on board and can't wait for you to start. Let us know if you need help getting settled in.
27. On behalf of everyone here at [Company Name], we would like to extend you a warm welcome to the team! We're sure you'll prove to be a great addition in no time. 😉
28. Hi [Name], welcome to [Company Name]! We value hard work and dedication, and I know you're the perfect fit for this position. Looking forward to having you learn and grow with us. 
29. Welcome, [Name]! We've been looking for a talented individual with your experience. I'm sure you'll help our team move forward with our goals. 
30. Happy first day—we're excited to have you join us! We value communication and teamwork, so please don't hesitate to reach out.

Welcome message mistakes to avoid

Just like when you’re drafting an email to a client, there are some things you shouldn't say or do when sending a welcome note to a new employee. 

When crafting your message, avoid mistakes such as: 

• Tagging the wrong person: Before hitting send, double-check that you added the correct email or tagged the right person. 
• Sending it at the wrong time: Send your message on their first day or even a day or two before. 
• Creating too long a message: New hires have a lot on their plate (just like you), so keep it short and sweet. 
• Being unprofessional: You can still show your personality, but communicate as you usually do at work. 
• Making grammar mistakes: We're all victims of autocorrect, so proofread your message a couple of times before hitting send. 

With these tips in mind, you'll be able to create the perfect message to welcome new hires and get off to a great start.