New Employees? 3 Strategies for Welcoming them to Your Small Business

Listen in! Pick up some expert advice to a reader's question that we selected from CyberSchmooz.

There comes a time when every successful small business needs to grow its team size.

Watching your small business thrive can be thrilling, but you also need to ensure your staffing levels are enough to keep up and handle the increased workload.

But as if the stress of a growing small business isn’t enough, there’s always an adjustment period when it comes to developing new employees. Even the most adaptable candidates will take a little time to get used to your crew’s pre-existing workflow.

The adjustment period is especially noticeable for small businesses, which have tight-knit teams and unique ways of handling work obstacles.

To counter this, you should do everything you can to integrate the new member into the team quickly. Read on for some strategies to make your new employees feel welcome from day one.

1. Invest in Proper Training

A big part of retaining your new hires is ensuring they have all the right tools to do their best work. Sure, they are qualified with tons of exceptional skills and talents, but will they be able to apply them to your specific business?

That’s where providing thorough training materials is a necessary investment.

Not many small businesses have had the opportunity to develop their training and onboarding programs fully, though. Luckily, there are training experts who can help.

Companies like Learn to Win specialize in running extensive training programs so that you can focus on all the other vital aspects of growing your small business.

2. Promote Team Building

Although the office is for work, there’s no reason why there can’t be a social component to it, as well. Team members who get along on a personal level tend to be more productive due to their shared sense of investment in company goals.

You have a lot of reasons to encourage your employees to be friends, or at the very least friendly. It is especially true for new team members, who might be feeling shy or isolated walking into a well-established crew. Extensive isolation can lead to depression in the workplace, which is not good for anyone.

Hosting team-building events and activities outside of work hours is a great way to bring everyone together, new and old alike.

Consider hosting a meet-and-greet luncheon for your recruit, so they can get to know all the new faces. Holiday parties, happy hours, and annual retreats are also excellent ways to break everyone out of work mode.

Your new hire will be happy to know some friendly faces around the office!

3. Schedule Check-ins

Recruiting the right candidate isn’t just about hiring the best fit. It’s also about making sure they want to stay.

If a new team member doesn’t feel appreciated or adequately utilized at work, they might seek other opportunities. The last thing you want is for them to leave before they reach their full potential with your business.

One benefit of small business culture is the tight-knit feel of working closely with employees and getting to know them well. Extend this to the new hire by scheduling regular times to check-in one-on-one about how they are doing at work.

Conclusion

Growing a small business requires incredible teamwork and all hands on deck. As a small business owner, your number one priority should be making sure your team is as strong as possible.

By taking extra steps to make your new employees feel welcome and supported, you’ll be setting your team up to succeed.

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