Three Ways to Surprise and Delight New Starters

Creating a memorable welcome for new staff calls for more than an email, an HR induction appointment and a copy of your employee handbook. If that’s what your onboarding process looks like, we’ve got some simple to execute ideas for videos that will surprise and delight your new starters.

Simple to execute ideas for videos that will surprise and delight your new starters.

Video 1: What to expect on your first day

A well-crafted welcome video is an opportunity to reinforce important aspects of your company culture, reassure your new hire they’ve made a good decision and soothe any nerves your new recruit might be feeling in the lead up to their first day. 

The best part about creating a welcome video is having the chance to really demonstrate what makes your company unique.

Here’s how we welcome new starters a week or so before their first day 👉🏼 

 Video 2. The grand tour 

Every office is unique, with quirks, perks and things (or people) to avoid, or at least be forewarned of!

Take your new recruit on a grand tour, try to remember all the little things you’ve come to know and impart all that useful knowledge in a short video. Show your new employee things like:

• How to get a security pass (and any tips for not looking like a stunned mullet in the mugshot)
• Where to take your new starter forms
• Stationary cupboard, printers and the secret stash of whiteboard markers
• Kitchen, canteen and other communal food/coffee areas
• Best spot for coffee outside the office
• Meeting room options and how to book them
• Where to find other departments or colleagues your team interacts with regularly
• Gym, library and other staff amenities
• Bike sheds, locker rooms and local car parking
• Nearest bus, tram and train stops

Not only can this help your new employee feel comfortable and familiar as soon as they set foot in the building, they can also refer to the video as their calendar fills up in the first week. 

 Video 3. The team intro

We all know how nerve-wracking it is to meet 10 (20, 30, 50!) new colleagues at once and then to forget everyone’s names and titles straight away...

That’s why we like to capture the team on camera to say hello and introduce themselves, a video is SO much more memorable than a boring old org chart or a link to your ‘about us’ page (except for ours maybe, which is enriched with video—of course!)

Help your new starter out by including everyone’s name, title and department. You can be as serious, or silly as you like, but try to be authentic so the person your new starter meets is the person you present on camera (this is generally a good rule of thumb for all of your video appearances!)

If your workplace is anything like ours, we like to welcome new people to the family with open arms :D

A great workplace is more than just a job— a great workplace is somewhere you can be yourself and do work that makes you feel like you’re having an impact, with people you respect and admire.

Set the scene for your new starter by giving them a memorable and warm welcome with virtual video hugs.