How Employee Recognition Plays a Crucial Part in the Onboarding Process

Part One: It’s All In The Process Details

Whether you call it new employee orientation or the onboarding process, this time should be exciting for you and your new employees.  New employees bring innovative energy and are vital to your company’s future.  How you treat them in the first year determines their loyalty and morale and can also define and reinforce your company culture.

Many companies offer training programs, basic new employee orientation or a formal onboarding process.  But typically we think of these programs lasting a few days, or maybe a week.  We have to move past the thought that once the employee is initially introduced to the company that their onboarding is over. The onboarding process should last their entire first year.  Here’s how to celebrate their milestones during the first year and make them feel welcome, wanted, motivated and appreciated.

Useful Orientation Gifts Can Show Appreciation

Traditionally, once an employee completed training, they were given a certificate that congratulated them on completing the onboarding process.  While certificates are certainly useful for proving that you have completed ongoing education, after onboarding or training people usually slip them in a file to be forgotten.  Framed certificates also assume that everyone has an office or cube to display their certificate.  Today’s workforce is very diverse—there are so many different occupations and types of employees that require training—not just administrative staff and sales but nursing, restaurant workers, warehouse workers, drivers, home services personnel, and more.   Although certificates are cost effective and can apply in certain instances, they don’t always apply to everyone.  There are other recognition items which can make more of an impact to new employees during the onboarding process.

It is important to recognize new employees with small tokens of appreciation that satisfy the practical, hard-working side as well as the emotional side of each new employee.  Making them feel welcome, appreciated, respected and motivated in their new role is critical to the company’s success.  Gifts which will come in handy during the orientation time include padfolios, company pens, water bottles, lunch coolers/bags, and backpacks–most often with the company branding or logo.

Whenever possible, make sure the gifts you choose fit the occupations of your staff.  If you staff a hospital, you might want to give out clipboards, pens, pen lights, or even watches with second hands that can be easily read. Employees who have to use security badges throughout the building might appreciate a lanyard.  Your new employees will be grateful for anything that would be useful in their job.  These recognition items don’t have to cost a lot or differ greatly from what you give out to current employees.  But you can make your new employees feel special by doing a different twist on office supplies or tools.  For instance, every year you can produce a special set of padfolios, or offer company pens in different colors to new employees.  Employees will often use these items on sales calls or outside the job during their personal time, promoting your company in turn.

As an example, at the corporate headquarters of Church’s Chicken in Atlanta, they give out a nice padfolio embroidered with their logo and a logo pen to all new employees in the onboarding process.  One particular year new employees also received custom mouse pads shaped like their logo; the mouse pads were so popular they had to order more for the whole office staff.

Small Price to Pay in the Expense of Hiring

You have already invested so much time, money and effort in finding the right employee; make sure they know how much they are valued by giving them something they will appreciate and use.  The cost for these recognition gifts is usually small—no more than $20 per person.  Often employees will keep these token gifts for years—padfolios, coffee mugs, stress “squeezables”, company marketing toys (think Aflac’s duck and Chick-fil-A cows)—these are things that an employee will appreciate long after the onboarding process is over.  Think about the promo items that are given out by the thousands at tradeshows; don’t your new employees deserve gifts like that?

Company Orientation for All Employees

Depending on the company, there may be different onboarding processes for different positions.  It is a good idea to make sure that the initial orientation of the company be the same for everyone.  This initial company orientation is a fantastic way to show how different employees contribute to the company, and allow for employees to meet people they may not meet otherwise. It is always recommended to have senior management personnel speak to new employees reinforcing company values, the mission statement and goals for the organization.  Make sure you have all new employees attend the same orientation—salespeople, warehouse staff, administrative staff, etc.

During the orientation process, have the new employees state a fact that no one in the company knows, including the people that hired them.  You might be surprised at what you find out: maybe they grew up in another country, maybe they are fluent in another language, maybe they are a certified deep-sea diver or enjoy skydiving or they are an accomplished golfer.  Many people will have skills to contribute to the organization that have not yet been uncovered in the hiring process. It is a time for you to really get to know your new employees and learn what kind of accomplishments and interests they have outside of your business.

As employees check in for orientation, recognition gifts such as a pen, padfolio or small canvas bag would be appropriate—something they are going to use through their training program.  Then at the end of orientation, the employee could receive a token gift, such as a keychain, mug or T-shirt. New employees always like T-shirts and wearables that they can proudly display with the company logo. Make sure you have a good “tag line” or company theme for your items along with your logo.

As onboarding progresses and various employees break away for more individualized training within their department, you might want to consider giving out another appropriate gift for their position once they’ve completed their training or certification.  For instance, salespeople or financial advisors who have been in training for weeks, or even months, might receive an “upgraded” gift – such as a nice shirt, calculator or quality pen.  After an extensive six month training, BB&T commercial lenders in Atlanta received nice company embroidered shirts to wear out in the field. These special gifts and recognition items are well received and valued by the employees.

Remember, this is a recognition, not an award.  Think of it as less of a gift and more of an investment in portraying a company culture that shows commitment and care for its employees.  You want your employees to complete the onboarding process feeling welcomed and appreciated by your company for years to come. Value your employees and they will in turn value you. Your company’s ROI will be greatly enhanced by these small investments made in the onboarding process!

about the author
Randy Nobles is President of Eagle Recognition.  Eagle Recognition offers turn-key solutions for length of service award programs.  You can reach Randy at by calling (888) 287-4240.