Starting a job is a whole new chapter in one's life and can be both an exciting and daunting experience. That's why we've starting putting a little extra thought and preparation in planning that employees first day at the office. More specifically, that first moment after they walk in the door and are guided to their new work station. This is going to be their home-away-from-home and they'll spend more waking hours here than they do at home. You want them to feel good about it.
On day number 1, we used to give you the latest CraftJack t-shirt and a new mouse that didn't have someone else's sweat stains all over it. Not a bad start. But we've since upped the swag bag. Our business is rooted in the home services industry, so it made sense that our gift "basket" should be a toolbox. Newbies arrive at their station to find their toolbox stuffed with goodies to ease the transition and help them set up shop right away. We include a variety of USB charging cables, so no matter what phone you have you can begin juicing up without needing to remember to bring one. There is other workstation gear, like a USB hub, lens cloth (and yes, a new mouse), that should be useful in establishing your mise en place.
In addition to the latest CraftJack t-shirt, we also include a long sleeve t-shirt (for the other half of the year), a super soft hoodie, and some fidget toys. To acclimate new arrivals to the context and culture of Evanston, we also throw in coupons and notes from various local establishments.
The objective is to make a great first impression, set your new employee up for success, and make them feel truly welcomed into your business and work family. After all, they took an equal amount of risk in accepting the job as you did in making the offer.
