So you've made the hire for your church staff or ministry! Now what? That is a great question. Most church leaders and non-profit employers spend so much time and focus on the front end of the hiring process that they often forget about how to be intentional once the new employee has arrived. But the smartest leaders we've seen - those who excel in retaining great staff members - remain intentional in their actions after the hire has been made.
Here are some ideas that might help you as you move beyond the hire and prepare to welcome your new staff member.
Once the job offer is accepted, take the time to write a hand-written note or make a phone call to personally let them know how happy you are about having them join the team. This gives you the opportunity to share your excitement about them being a part of the team and will remind them why they accepted the position.
If the new staff member has to make a particularly far move, you might consider sending flowers to their spouse or a gift basket to their family, acknowledging the sacrifices they have to make in the move and showing your excitement to have the whole family in your community.
Take the time to make a Welcome Packet of all new employee paperwork and anything else they might find helpful beforehand. Do you remember your first day at a new job? There's often loads of paperwork that need to be completed. If at all possible, send as much of the paperwork or an online link that needs to be completed before the first day. This will allow your new staff member the opportunity to do other things than just sit in their new office on their first day completing paperwork.
In this Welcome Packet, you could include a letter from their supervisor and/or even a card from their new team welcoming them to the organization. Also, don't forget to include an overview of your organization, your history, your mission and vision, your benefits information and your employee handbook.
Your new team member has arrived in your city. They are probably filled with mixed emotions. Some have left family behind. Some have never moved so far. Whatever the situation, it can be a very emotional time. So, how can we, as leaders, help? One way is by having a Welcome Basket delivered to them on or shortly after their move-in day.
Have a team member put together a welcome basket with a variety of items to help the transition go well on those first few days of moving in. In the welcome basket, you could include gift cards to nearby restaurants, a map of local favorites and stores like Target or Wal-Mart, snacks, fruit, water, and maybe a Home Depot or Lowes gift card. If they have children, you could include some small toys, or if they have teens, maybe throw in a movie gift card. Try to think of anything thing that lets the entire family know, "We are so excited about you being here and we want to help you transition smoothly."
It happens all the time - a new employee's first day takes everyone by surprise and things aren't quite ready for them. Recruit a welcome team for your new staff member, and assign each member specific things that they can be responsible for as you prepare for their first day. Here are some things that the Welcome Team can do:
How will this person adjust to their new role, and how can the organization make sure they are set up for success? Have an intentional onboarding plan. Here are some ideas to help with the onboarding of your new team member:
As important as it was to make a great impression on your candidates during the hiring process, it is just as important to go beyond the hire to make a continued great impression on how they get started. Retaining them long-term will be well worth the investment that you make into their first few days with their new team.
What are some ways you effectively welcome and onboard new staff members?