What cannot be missing in a company's welcome manual

14 of February, 2025

The welcome handbook of a company, in theory, is its letter of introduction. The HR department must consider certain aspects for this guide to be useful, original, and effective. This department is responsible for preparing this manual and ensuring that it is excellent in every sense.

In it, essentially, they must lay the foundations of a good relationship between the employees and the company. This document will give a first impression of the organization to the worker who is just joining.

If you are not yet aware of how this document is prepared, do not worry, it is really not a difficult task. With the help of an onboarding software for companies, such as Sesame HR, for example, you can quickly prepare it.

What is a company’s welcome manual?

The welcome manual of a company is a guide for new talents just entering the organization. This document contains useful information about the company they are joining and its purpose is to optimize rapid adaptation to the company.

It is essentially a key element for effectively integrating new employees.

A company’s welcome manual should be a guide that facilitates the adaptation of new employees to the company. A document in which all the essential sections can be attached in detail. This will allow you to clearly state all the objectives that employees should have when entering the company.

Essential goals

The various objectives of a welcome manual can be summarized in one: to promote the new employee’s job motivation. The first day of work at a company can be somewhat uncomfortable and even overwhelming.

However, if the new talent receives an efficient welcome, their desire to start producing will significantly increase. To achieve this important goal, the welcome manual should be established as follows:

Provide a general outlook of the company.
Detail and explain the worker’s functions and his or her goals.
Specify the functions and goals of the different work colleagues.

In this regard, creating the welcome manual will allow you to have a good relationship with the new employee from their beginnings in the company.

In theory, this manual is part of the onboarding process. Keep in mind that, in general, the process aims to make the employee feel comfortable and well received in the company.

Why is a welcome manual important in companies?

The welcome manual in a company plays a key role in the process of integration and welcoming of new employees. Its importance lies in several key aspects that benefit both the organization and the workers.

These are some of the main benefits of having a welcome manual:

Orientation and clarity: the manual provides clear guidance on organizational structure, business culture, policies and internal procedures, helping new employees quickly understand their work environment and responsibilities.
Makes adaptation easier: by providing detailed information about the company and its objectives, the welcome manual assists new employees in more easily adjusting to their new work environment.
Conveys values and expectations: the welcome manual is an effective tool for communicating the values, mission, and vision of the company, as well as the expectations for performance and behavior.
Improves efficiency and productivity at work: by providing clear and concise information on internal processes and the tools available, the welcome manual helps new employees quickly familiarize themselves with their work and perform more efficiently.

In summary, a well-prepared welcome manual is a highly valuable tool for promoting successful integration of new employees.

What minimal elements should an employee’s welcome manual have?

Each company organizes and prepares its manual according to its own needs. However, there are some aspects that should not be missed to provide all the necessary information and data to meet the objectives set.

Provide a company organigram.
History.
Company philosophy and objectives.
Office or company in general plans (if necessary).
Description of the department to which the new talent will belong. A complete team presentation should be attached and show what its objectives are.
Enumeration of the obligations and legal rights that the worker enjoys.
Description of the job’s functions and its characteristics. In this point, various aspects will be included such as: holiday days, schedule to comply with, social benefits, among others.
In case of having attendance or access control software, the corresponding codes should be included.

How to make a company’s welcome manual?

The preparation of the welcome manual in a company requires attention to various aspects to ensure its effectiveness and usefulness.

Here are the key tips for making a manual that will help your new team members adapt and succeed:

1. Be straightforward and precise

Many companies make a common mistake in their manuals, which is making them too long and boring. The result of this is that employees put it in a drawer and forget about it.

You must ensure that you only include what is necessary. Keep the style simple, but direct and avoid annoying repetitions. Your new employees will appreciate it.

2. Make it personal

Everyone who joins a company expects to feel special and it is important that you make an effort to achieve this.

For this, you can write the person’s name at the beginning of the welcome manual, include a letter prepared by the company’s director, etc. The idea is to make the employee feel special.

3. Summarize and explain the history of the company

It is essential for employees to know the company’s history. They must be aware of its founders, the organization’s peculiarities, and its corporate culture.

Employees should identify with the overall project and feel that they truly belong to the company.

4. Include examples and case studies

For a deeper understanding, consider including practical examples that illustrate the concepts and processes described in the welcome manual.

This assists employees with visualizing how to implement the information in their daily work and supports their learning and adaptation.

5. Offer additional resources

In addition to the manual, provide links or references to additional resources, such as e-documents, instructional videos or relevant web pages.

This allows employees to delve into specific topics as per their needs and supports their self-learning during the onboarding process.

6. Ask for feedback

Once the employees have had a chance to review the manual, ask for their feedback with a brief workplace climate survey.

This will enable you to identify areas for improvement and make adjustments as per the team’s needs and expectations.

Ultimately, creating a company’s welcome manual allows you to better connect with the new employee.

In this regard, this worker can feel comfortable where he or she is and start working at maximum productivity. This will benefit in terms of results showed to the company.

Automate the onboarding process with software

If you want to take this process to a higher level, use software specialized in the management of onboarding processes for employees, like Sesame HR.

Our tools will allow you to automate part of the process, from planning the welcome to communicating the final manual.

Automation will save you time and reduce the chances of errors, ensuring that the manual is delivered timely and consistently to each new employee.

Do you want to know more about our HR software? Keep reading our blog for more information!

Customer-oriented, both internally and externally, specializing in the definition and implementation of HR policies, as well as talent management, recruitment, and retention. Strong leadership, communication, negotiation, organization, and team coordination skills. Over 12 years of experience in Human Resources.

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iriserrador

HR Content Specialist

What cannot be missing in a company’s welcome manual