A couple of days ago, we celebrated my son’s birthday. It didn’t seem too long ago that my wife and I were picking up a pram to welcome our newborn home… and here we were, buying a six-gear bicycle for his sixth birthday! Amazing how time had flown by in a jiffy.

As my wife and I were checking items off the to-do list for his birthday party, my thoughts went back to the day we were making the shopping list for our soon-to-be-born baby. We had meticulously broken the items down into various categories — clothing, feeding, bathing, nursery, transportation, and so on. We wanted to be completely prepared to welcome the new member of our family and ensure that the baby was comfortable from the moment he entered our lives.

Isn’t this situation uncannily similar to a new employee joining an organization? And are we always as well prepared to receive a new employee and ensure that the new entrant feels comfortable right from day one?

Here are five simple things that organizations of any size can do to help make a new employee feel welcome on their first day at work:

1. Ensure existing staff are aware that a new employee is joining, so the new person doesn’t feel like a stranger on arrival.

2. Have the new employee’s workspace ready – including furniture, computer hardware/software, phone, email, business cards, office supplies, login ID, and access key/card, etc.

3. Assign someone to introduce the new employee to co-workers and give a brief tour of the office (washrooms, pantry/kitchen, vending machines, meeting rooms, etc.).

4. Identify a coach/mentor to help the new employee with work-related processes and procedures.

5. Arrange a welcome lunch for the new employee.

A new employee is like a new member of our family. And as leaders, it is our responsibility to go the extra mile and make the person feel that they truly belong.