Tips for Making a New Employee Announcement

The purpose of the new employee announcement is twofold. The first purpose of the announcement is to introduce every new employee

to the organization in an organized, consistent manner. Consistency in all communications from the human resources department helps improve your credibility and standing in the organization. The second purpose of the new employee announcement is to welcome the new hire to your organization. The new employee will feel more welcome and feel that he or she already has a place in the organization. Other employees will be more likely to greet an employee and make conversation when they have already been introduced through an announcement.

Use a Questionnaire

Before sending out a new employee announcement, send the new employee a prepared questionnaire through email. Email communication is quick and will not require a lengthy phone conversation or the difficulty of scheduling a meeting. The purpose of the questionnaire is to help the empolyee make connection points within the organization by identifying areas of potential commonality with other employees. Include questions such as:

1. What is your favorite book?
2. What hobbies do you have?
3. How do you spend your free time?
4. What are your interests outside of work?
5. What are the ages of your children (if applicable)?

Use the questionnaire when compiling the announcement to make your preparation more efficient.

What to Include

Create a standard template to work from when sending out a new employee announcement. A template will make composing the announcement easy and efficient. Additionally, working from a standard template will ensure that you do not leave any vital information out. Although each announcement will be unique to the employee, ensure consistency by always including the following information:

• Name
• Picture
• Position
• One or two sentences outlining the employee’s new responsibilities.
• The employee’s reporting relationships.
• A short bio that you compile from the questionnaire and the employee’s resume or application.
• Contact information within the organization including phone number, extension if applicable, and company email address.

Length

Keep your new employee announcements short and focused. Announcements that are too long may be skimmed or even discarded by other employees. Aim for between 250 and 300 words in order to allow other employees and management the ability to read the announcement quickly. A quick tip is to divide the announcement into three short paragraphs rather than one long paragraph. Keeping the paragraphs short allows for quick reading and provides you a way to logically divide the included information.

Be Positive

When writing a new employee announcement, be positive and upbeat when you describe the employee’s credentials. Highlight the skills and experience that the new employee is bringing to the organization. Include a brief description of how his or her experience uniquely suits your organization. Use encouraging language and warmly welcome the new employee. Indicate in the new employee announcement that both the management and the human resources department are eagerly anticipating the contributions that the new employee will make to the company. Encourage other employees to warmly welcome the new employee.

Please be sure to check out the other tips and strategies found in Bright Hub’s HR Guide for Recruiting and Retaining Employees.

Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos, JSCreationzs