Shawnee Love   •  
April 6, 2011

I can’t tell you how often it happens that a new hire shows up on the first day and nothing is ready.

The best way to make your orientation memorable is:

Be ready for your new hires.

Being ready means having the on-boarding process planned, the buddy selected, and the new hire’s work station and business tools ready on the first day of work. For example:

• Clean out the desk if it was used previously or set up the new work station,
• Put up a new name plate (ensuring the correct name),
• Set up the tools and/or computer (and peripherals),
• Arrange for a desk phone and number,
• Purchase business cards for the new hire,
• Have basic supplies already in the work station,
• Add the new hire to the company directory and email groups, etc.

Other nice touches include:

• A “From the Desk of” note pad that is already personalized with the new employee’s name,
• Company swag such as t-shirts or caps,
• Samples of company products (if applicable), and
• A funky coffee mug (which also reduces the dishes in the coffee room as new hires usually will wash and keep it at their desks).

These “touches” come from my tickle trunk of inexpensive and easy ways to introduce new hires to your company that really get mileage. What do you do to welcome your new hires?