Make it easier for employees to join the company with a welcome booklet
The company induction booklet is a valuable 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.
To ensure successful onboarding , it's in every company's interest to provide an induction 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 induction booklet?
An induction booklet is a document issued to each new employee when they take up their new post.
It is an HR tool used to facilitate the integration of an employee (known as onboarding) and to support them from their first day in the company. This toolbox is designed to answer the questions of new recruits.
In short, it's a welcome guide for new employees.
With companies going paperless , think about offering your employees a digital welcome booklet! There are several advantages to this
- the 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 has several sites, 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 already have answered some 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 better controlled HR management, is able to retain talent.
What is it used for? Objectives of the welcome booklet
Creating a company welcome booklet fulfils a number of objectives:
- For the company :
- to formalise the company culture: values, operations, interpersonal relations, etc. ;
- to build employee loyalty , retain skills within your company and reduce staff turnover;
- simplify processes to save time, particularly when it comes to administrative procedures;
- facilitate employee buy-in to the company project.
- For new employees :
- be familiar with the company's internal rules: the employee's rights and duties are known ;
- adapting more quickly, finding their bearings and automatisms, understanding the environment in which the new employee is working;
- get up and running as quickly as possible, which is good for both the company and the new employee;
- make the working environment pleasant;
- develop a sense of attachment to the company.
What does the induction booklet contain?
With the exception of health establishments, companies are not subject to any legislation or regulations regarding the company welcome booklet.
The contents of the welcome booklet include:
👉 Most often, a word from management introducing the welcome booklet.
👉 A presentation of the company:
- its project, business model, strategy and ambitions,
- its activities
- its history,
- an organisation chart to help you clearly identify your contacts within the company:
- the departments that make up the company
- the members of management
- who to contact for specific questions, etc.
👉 A presentation of the company site and its surroundings:
- how to get there: public transport, bike room, car park,
- where to have lunch: company canteen, lunch room, nearby shops, etc,
- where to take a break: break room, outside area, any games or activities available,
- where smoking is allowed, etc.
👉 Rules governing company life :
- internal rules,
- working hours
- 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 scheme, etc.
👉 S tandardisation of processes for :
- paid leave and other absences,
- time management
- expense account management,
- internal communication,
- document management,
- ... and all the tools used to optimise each of these processes.
ℹ️ This article contains a list of tools.
👉 Practical information for everyday use:
- access code to the car park or building,
- site map,
- contact information.
👉 A presentation of the training plan in place at the company, or at least the training opportunities available.
👉 A presentation of the staff representative bodies (IRL), where applicable:
- their role in the company
- their areas of action,
- the names and contact details of staff representatives in the company.
You will find many examples of company welcome booklets or welcome packs online, from the most classic to the most original.
3 secrets to ensure that your welcome booklet is well received by your employees
The booklet is a useful document: it is not destined to remain in a file on the employee's computer or at the bottom of a drawer. It needs to be read and taken on board by your teams. How can you do this?
✅ Take care with 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 will ensure consistency between all the documents a new employee receives on arrival, and enhance 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!
Make integration easier 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 a description of the software used in your company in your welcome booklet, and give new arrivals the image of a modern, well-equipped company.
Here is a list of different types of tools to help you integrate your employees:
- tools to boost employee commitment: Briq, Kudify ;
- tools to manage leave and absences easily: Figgo, Notys Congés et Absences ;
- tools to simplify the management of expense claims: Philéas Gestion, SAP Concur;
- tools for managing time and activities: see software ;
- tools for managing tasks using templates: Asana, Trello ;
- collaborative tools for exchanging information internally (corporate social networks): see software ;
- tools for communicating : see the software;
- tools for managing projects: 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 include onboarding issues in their solutions.
The onboarding 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 had from your employees?
Article translated from French