Here’s how to welcome the new colleague to the office. It’s sometimes awkward for the new colleague at the office. They suddenly need to meet a bunch of new people, learn to navigate new ways of operating, and get familiar with their new cubicle / office / desk space.

They need to remember names. And they need to get everything in working order as soon as possible, because they feel the weight of responsibility. For most companies, you have three months to prove yourself. So getting your new employee going on day one is very important.

How to welcome the new colleague.

Well, the best way to do this is to create a welcome pack. All the basics that they might need to feel settled in. If you feel like going to the effort, staff photos and names next to them will help acquaint the new guy (or gal), much faster with everyone at the company.

(There’s nothing more off-putting than having to talk to someone you met five minutes ago, and you’ve already forgotten their name. ‘Hey, um, dude,’ gets awkward fast.)

Stationery.

The essential collection is the following:

Pens:

This almost goes without saying, but if you want this person to start taking their job seriously, they need ink. Fast. So they can make key notes regarding what they need to do.

Notebook or an exam pad:

This goes with the pen. They need to be able to make notes or paper airplanes whenever they need to. You’ll know you have someone very special if they can make crane origami. Or those paper folded fortune tellers we used to play with as kids.

Pencils:

If you’re a company that has lots of meetings about meetings to discuss what was said in the last meeting, a pencil is an essential piece of equipment. Mainly to sketch doodles to keep from falling asleep. Doodles that can be posted onto Facebook later (we want you to post your doodles on this blog’s Facebook post’s comment section! Give us your coolest little meeting doodles!).

Sharpener:

To keep their pencils sharper than that one guy in the office nobody gives work to.

Stapler:

Important if this person needs to print out lots of pages for documents. It’ll help keep them organised. We have some adorable little staplers in-store; there’s nothing cuter than a little stapler. You can call him ‘Dundee’ because he looks like a crocodile. Get your new colleague their own Dundee so they don’t borrow yours and not return it.

Paper clips:

A suitable substitute for a stapler. Especially for notes you need to remove from the pile where need be. Such as for presentation purposes. On that note…

A laser pointer:

These little red dots are great at presentations, such as: What I Actually Do Here if the person’s job description isn’t clear. Like Assistant Commercial Director (do they direct TV ads or help run the accounting department? Nobody knows!). Laser pointers are also helpful in entertaining cats.

Prestik™:

Important! So, they can attach pictures of loved ones to the bottom of their computer screen. Depending on emotional age, it can also be used for sticking ‘Kick Me’ signs to an unsuspecting colleague after gently slapping them on the back in a friendly greeting.

Post Its:

Helpful in leaving messages for co-workers before one forgets. Such as, “Why are you never at your desk?” The reserve is true too. If the new guy decides to take lunch, they can leave a “Gone Fishing” note.

Rulers:

For sword fights on a Friday afternoon.

And there you have it! The basic you need to make the new guy feel welcome. Keep in mind, most of what you need for the kit is available in-store. Including little boxes to keep everything in.

And that’s how to welcome the new colleague to the office!