New employee welcome email [onboarding template]

Once you’ve sent a lucky candidate their job offer email, and they’ve officially accepted a job offer at your company, it’s time for you to welcome them to the team.

Sending that highly anticipated welcome email to a new employee is all about timeliness, being warm and welcoming, and providing them with all the information they need to properly get started from day one.

Check out our tips and templates for sending a new employee welcome email or message.

📣 Need more? Check out our other recruitment email templates to kickstart your hiring

Welcome to the company email template


Subject line: Welcome to [Company Name]! Information about your first day

Hi [Candidate's First Name],

I hope this email finds you well! We’re thrilled to officially welcome you to the [Company Name] team. 🎉

Your start date is set for [Start Date], and we can't wait to have you onboard. You'll be joining a talented and hardworking bunch of people, working to [Insert a part of your company’s mission statement].

Here's what you can expect on your first day at [Company Name]:

Start Date: [Start Date]

Time: [Start Time]

Location: [Office Address, if applicable]

On your first day, please come to our [Reception/Area], and [Name of Contact Person] will be there to greet you and help you get settled in. Don't worry about bringing too much – just yourself and some enthusiasm.

We've prepared a warm welcome for you, including a brief orientation with [Team Member’s Name] to introduce you to our company culture, processes, policies and your new team members. We'll also make sure to set up your desk and laptop so you can hit the ground running.

In the meantime, here's a quick sneak peek at some of the friendly faces you'll be working with: [Photos and short bios of team members if applicable — you can also link to your career page or employee handbook].

Once again, congratulations on becoming a part of the [Company Name] team. We can't wait to start working with you.

As you prepare to join us, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need more information — I’m more than happy to help.

See you soon!

[Your Name]

[Your Email Signature including Contact Information]


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<div class="inpage-callout-container"><p class="inpage-banner-text">🔥 Pro Tip: Use this template as, well, a template. You may be entirely remote or hybrid so not every detail of this template will suit your business. Pick and choose what’s appropriate for your message and edit accordingly.</div></p>

📣 Remote onboarding dos and don’ts

What to include in a welcome to the team letter

When welcoming a new team member to the team via email, be sure to include the following:

  • Start date and start time
  • Location or remote joining information
  • A rough agenda for their first day
  • Lunch break information (for example: if you have catered lunches at the office, be sure to let your new hire know)
  • Information on any documentation they need to bring
  • Specific team members they’ll meet
  • Employee handbook or similar documentation

Announcing a new hire to the rest of your team

Now when it comes to communicating with your new hire and sharing the exciting news with the rest of your team, the employee welcome email (or Slack or Teams announcement! Not every team is email-first 😉) is a hugely important step.

This message sets the tone for your new team members’ first few days at your company and helps incorporate them into your company culture. It also gives your current team members an update on who they’ll soon be working with — how exciting!

📚 Story time: When I joined Homerun, our Head of People Rita announced the news on Slack. She offered the team some suggestions on how to make me feel more a part of the team as a (very) remote employee working from a different timezone. As a new team member, this was hugely appreciated in my first days at the company.

Screenshot of Rita from Homerun's welcoming announcement message about a new employee
Rita's announcement message about Alessia joining the team


Whether or not you decide to use the templates above in your new employee onboarding email, be sure to include the following key elements to make sure your message to the team hits the mark:

  • 🤝 Professional introduction: Include your new team member’s name and new job title, a brief background of their work experience and proudest achievements (stick to what’s most relevant to their new job role), what they’ll be doing at your company (this can include who they’ll be working with, what projects they’ll be on and what team they’ll be joining).
  • 🪅 Personal fun facts or tidbits: This can include hobbies, interests and interesting facts about the new hire (this should all be provided and approved by your new teammate!). Sharing this information can make it easier for your new hires and current team members alike to open up conversations and connect. Depending on your company culture and how you communicate internally, emojis can jazz up this message! 🤩
  • 📆 Practical information: Share your new teammate’s start date and what they’ll begin working on. This will help your current team members understand what they can expect from the new hire and when they might be able to set up an introductory meeting with them.

<div class="inpage-callout-container"><p class="inpage-banner-text">✨ Pro Tip: Just like in Rita’s message to the team announcing my start date at Homerun, it’s helpful to give your team some tips on how to make a remote hire feel more welcome and included.</div><p>

📣 Keen to learn more about how to onboard new team members and boost retention? Check out our webinar with HoorayHR (and learn more about the Homerun x HoorayHR integration):

Alessia Musso
Alessia is Homerun's resident Canuck and Content Writer based in London. She's been writing B2B content for small and medium-sized businesses for eight years and is passionate about helping people feel more confident (and happy!) in their jobs. When she’s not researching the ways growing teams can improve their hiring, she’s probably thinking about pasta, books, craft beer, and the importance of the Oxford comma.

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