Make employee integration easier with a company welcome booklet
The company welcome booklet is an invaluable document for every new employee. It guides them through their new working environment, providing all the information they need for a successful integration: company management, internal regulations, safety, training, tools, etc.
For successful onboarding , it's in every company's interest to provide a welcome booklet. This HR tool is as much a reference point for new arrivals as it is for staff who have already joined the company.
What does the welcome booklet contain? How can you make it an asset for the integration of your employees? Find out in this article!
Welcome booklet: definition
What is a company welcome booklet?
The welcome booklet is a document issued to each new employee of a company when he or she takes up his or her new post.
It's an HR tool designed to facilitate an employee's integration (known as onboarding) and to support them from their first day with the company. This toolbox is designed to answer any questions new recruits may have.
In short, it's the new employee's welcome guide.
With companies going paperless , consider offering your employees a digital welcome booklet! This has several advantages:
- information is updated regularly and in real time for everyone;
- the booklet is accessible to all employees, at any time, wherever they are: if your company is multi-site, this means everyone has the same level of information.
Why not go a step further and offer a digital welcome booklet in the form of a video ? More entertaining, this format helps to convey information more quickly, if the video is well produced.
Benefits of the welcome booklet
The welcome booklet is useful for :
- new employees, who are guided through their new working environment,
- managers, who benefit from having operational employees more quickly,
- human resources, who will have already answered certain HR questions in the welcome booklet,
- the Information Systems Department, for the same reason as HR, but from a technical and tools point of view,
- the company as a whole, which, through more effective HR management, is able to retain talent.
What is it for? Objectives of the welcome booklet
Creating a company welcome booklet fulfils several objectives:
- For the company :
- formalize the corporate culture: values, operations, interpersonal relations, etc. ;
- to build profile loyalty , retain skills and reduce turnover;
- simplify processes to save time, particularly on administrative formalities;
- facilitate employee buy-in to the company project.
- For new employees :
- be familiar with the company's internal regulations: the employee's rights and duties are known ;
- adapt more quickly, find their bearings and automatisms, understand the environment in which the new employee is evolving;
- get up and running as quickly as possible, which benefits both the company and the new employee;
- a pleasant working environment;
- develop an attachment to the company.
What does the welcome booklet contain?
With the exception of healthcare establishments, companies are not subject to any legislation or regulations regarding the company welcome booklet.
The contents of the welcome booklet include:
👉 Most often, the word from management that introduces the welcome booklet.
👉 A presentation of the company:
- project, business model, strategy, ambitions,
- its activities,
- its history,
- an organizational chart to help you clearly identify your contacts within the company:
- the company's departments,
- members of the management team,
- who to contact for specific questions, etc.
👉 Presentation of the company site and its surroundings:
- how to get there: public transport, bike storage, parking,
- where to have lunch: company canteen, lunch room, nearby shops, etc,
- where to take a break: break room, outside area, games or activities available,
- where smoking is allowed, etc.
👉 Rules governing company life:
- internal regulations,
- work schedules
- workplace safety rules,
- CSR policy, if applicable.
👉 Company culture:
- its values,
- best practices, a peaceful and happy corporate life.
👉 Details of job-related benefits :
- luncheon vouchers,
- possible reimbursement of transport costs,
- health insurance,
- company savings plan, etc.
👉 S tandardized processes for :
- paid leave and other absences,
- time management,
- expense management,
- internal communications,
- document management,
- ... and all the tools used to optimize each of these processes.
ℹ️ This article contains a list of tools.
👉 Practical information for everyday use:
- access code to parking lot or building,
- site map,
- contact information.
👉 A presentation of the training plan in place at the company, or at least the prospects for possible training courses.
👉 A presentation of staff representative bodies (IRL), where applicable:
- their role within the company,
- their fields of action,
- the names and contact details of employee representatives in the company.
You'll find numerous examples of company welcome booklets and welcome packs online, from the most classic to the most original.
3 secrets to ensure your welcome booklet is well received by your staff
The welcome booklet is a useful document: it's not destined to remain in a folder on the employee's computer or at the bottom of a drawer. It must be read and taken into account by your teams. How can we do this?
✅ Look after the visual presentation.
You need to make people want to read the welcome booklet. After all, it's nothing less than an HR communication tool. Apply your company's graphic charter: this reinforces consistency between all the documents a new employee receives on arrival, and enhances your employer image.
✅ The welcome booklet should be exhaustive, but not too long or off-putting: this would discourage reading.
✅ A picture is worth a thousand words: use images, diagrams or videos to illustrate your welcome booklet. It's sure to make for pleasant reading!
Facilitate integration with simple tools
Tools can change your (professional) life: when everything's working, you don't pay much attention; but when there's a problem, you waste time and get annoyed.
💡 Hence the importance of implementing tools that streamline processes and simplify employees' day-to-day lives. Include in your welcome booklet a presentation of the software in place in your company, and send new arrivals the image of a modern, well-equipped company.
We offer you a list of different types of tools to help you integrate your employees:
- tools to boost employee commitment: Briq, Kudify ;
- tools to easily manage leave and absences: Figgo, Notys Congés et Absences ;
- tools to simplify expense management: Philéas Gestion, SAP Concur;
- tools for managing time and activities: see software ;
- tools for managing tasks using templates: Asana, Trello ;
- collaborative tools for internal exchanges (corporate social networks): see software ;
- communication tools: see software ;
- project management tools: see software ;
- tools for electronic document management: see software ;
- tools for sharing files: see software.
🎯 Please note: there are tools dedicated to integrating new employees into the company. For example, Eurécia Gestion des Talents, MonPortailRH and Payfit integrate onboarding issues into their solutions.
The welcome booklet, just one of many integration tools
The welcome booklet is one of the HR tools that facilitate the integration of new employees. It conveys a positive employer brand by demonstrating the attention paid to employees and a willingness to integrate them quickly into the team.
A few final tips :
- the induction day for new employees can be a good time to hand out the induction booklet;
- onboarding actually begins before the employee arrives on your premises, with the preparation of his or her workstation, access, tools, etc.
- the welcome booklet can be part of a welcome pack: office accessories, goodies, snacks, good addresses - in short, everything you need to put your new employee at ease from day one!
Have you adopted the welcome booklet in your company? What feedback have you received from your staff?
Article translated from French