How to Announce a New Employee

How and when to announce a new employee

The most efficient and effective way to announce you’ve hired a new employee is by email. This makes it easier to ensure everyone receives the message. If you do it in person, people who aren’t in the office that day might not get the news.

A written announcement also allows you to share fun facts and details about the new hire easily so that existing employees can forge personal connections with them. The sooner these connections are made, the better it is for everyone. [Learn about the benefits of having friends at work.]

You should send this employee introduction email several business days before the new team member’s first day of work. This minimizes the element of surprise and the associated effects. Include the new employee among the email recipients so that colleagues can respond with a welcoming note. Seeing responses to this notice on their first day will help the newbie feel like an official part of your company.

Best practices for writing an employee introduction email

Several critical details should be part of every new-employee announcement. There are also some parameters and options to consider. Below are the best practices to follow.

1. Address the announcement to your entire team.

Part of the purpose of your employee introduction email is to ensure everyone has a chance to welcome the new hire. Even if recipients work in different departments, you want to give them an opportunity to help the new employee fit in and settle into their role. Existing staffers can’t do this if they aren’t aware of a new hire in the first place. To that end, you should send this email company-wide.

2. Match the subject line, salutation and introduction to your company’s culture.

Your company culture may dictate some parts of your introductory email. If you have a relatively formal culture, you should word the subject line and the start of your email in a formal manner. For example, the subject line could read, “New hire announcement,” while the salutation might be, “Dear [your business’ name] employees.” The introduction could start by saying, “We’re pleased to announce … .”

A less formal culture may invite some casualness. Daniel Seeff, CEO of Foot Cardigan, told Business News Daily that the subject line of all the company’s employee introduction emails is, “Warm Welcome to the Club, [person’s name]!” The salutation is, “Hello Foot Cardigan Family.”

You could also play on your company name or theme if it fits. Jonathan Roussel, founder of TheChampLair, said he typically kicks off his employee introduction emails by saying, “There is a new champ in the lair.” In any case, be sure to follow proper email etiquette.

3. Cover the basics.

In the body of the announcement, include the new employee’s full name, start date, job role and the name of their direct manager. Specify the department where they’ll be working and their key responsibilities. It may also be helpful to highlight where the new hire’s office or desk will be or if they will be based remotely. Note whether the position is newly created and why — for instance, your business is growing or you want to bring a previously outsourced function in-house — or say which team member the new employee has been hired to replace.

You should also note the person’s professional and academic achievements and provide their contact information.

4. Punch it up.

It’s nice to personalize your announcement by including a few fun facts about the new employee. This could be the person’s special talent, unique hobby, unusual aspiration, list of favorites, such as book, television show, movie and food, or anything similar that will help spark conversations and connections with existing staff.

Some of the business owners we spoke to give new employees a questionnaire to collect these facts. Others ask the person to write a sentence or two to help their colleagues get to know them better. [Find out how to create a new-hire survey.]

5. Don’t go overboard.

Less is more in an employee introduction email. Aim for a maximum of 300 to 400 words. You want to give your current employees just enough information so that they know a new hire is joining the team and understand who it is. You don’t want to share so much about the new staff member that co-workers don’t spend time getting to know them in real life. Tell your staff the basics and give them enough room to still ask questions when the new hire arrives.

6. Close with a welcome — and an invitation.

Finish the email by saying how excited or pleased you are to welcome the new hire and that you’re sure your team will be as well. If applicable, mention that there will be a welcome lunch, happy hour (virtual or in person) or similar event to introduce the new employee to everyone personally. Encourage staffers to take time to introduce themselves to the new hire when they start.

7. Attach a photo.

A photo of the new hire, such as their professional headshot, in an employee introduction announcement lets employees put a face to the name. If your company operates remotely and holds video calls, it also eliminates questions about unfamiliar faces suddenly on everyone’s computer screens.

Template for a new-employee announcement

Below is a template to help you craft an employee introduction announcement. Customize it by filling in the parts in the brackets and adding, deleting or changing the verbiage to fit your business’ needs:

Dear [your company] employees,

We’re excited to announce an addition to our team, [person’s name], who will fill the position of [title] previously held by [predecessor’s name] OR who is coming aboard because [reason for new position]. [Person’s first name’s] first day with us will be [start date].

[Person’s name] has extensive experience in [skills relevant to their new job] and is a graduate of [school or other academic achievements]. They are joining us from [previous employer’s name], where they [performed job duty]. Before coming aboard at [previous employer], they [list of responsibilities, if applicable].

[Person’s name]’s supervisor will be [manager name]. As part of the [department or team name], [person’s name] will [list of job functions]. You can reach [person’s name] at [phone number and/or email address] or just head over to their [office/desk] at [location, if applicable].

Please join us in welcoming [person’s name]. They are excited to meet you and I’m sure you will be too when you learn that [fun facts].

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions at [your contact information] — and join us at a welcome [event] at [location or URL] on [date and time].

Sincerely,

[Your name and title]

Why it’s important to announce a new employee

One of your goals when you bring on a new employee should be to make them feel like part of the team as quickly as possible. Failing to send an employee introduction email can lead to awkward first encounters between current and new team members. This is especially true if existing employees are so blindsided by the appearance of another worker that they worry about their job security. Forgetting or deciding against an employee introduction email is setting the stage for a rocky employee onboarding experience.

A properly timed and well-written introduction email gives your team time to process the news and prepare to welcome their new colleague. It minimizes potentially negative surprises, such as an employee finding out they have a new supervisor or department member on the very day that person begins work. Just as importantly, it helps position the new hire for success in a positive work environment. 

Welcome new employees with open arms

When you go out of your way to make new employees feel at home — even before they arrive — your team will likely follow suit. This makes for a more pleasant onboarding experience and minimizes disruptions and conflicts among your current team members. Employee announcement emails are more than procedural steps. They should be integral parts of maintaining your company culture and fostering team building.

Max Freedman contributed to this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.