HR articles

Welcome to the Team: 24 Messages You Can Copy + a Message Builder

2026-10-10 16:58
SHORT ANSWER

A “welcome to the team” message is a short note a new employee gets from HR, their manager or teammates before or on their first day. A good one does four things: uses the person’s name, says why the team is glad they are joining, tells them exactly what happens next, and names one person to ask for help. Below are 24 examples you can copy and a builder that writes one for you.

Course on this topic: Employee Onboarding Course

Most welcome messages are written in thirty seconds on the first morning: “Welcome aboard! Glad to have you.” It is polite and it changes nothing. The new person still does not know where to go, who to ask, or whether anyone actually prepared for them.

I have built onboarding in very different companies — a TV group, Wargaming, Preply, iDeals — and the pattern is always the same: the message is not the point — what the message proves is the point. It proves someone thought about this person before they arrived.

In this guide: what a good welcome message contains, 24 examples you can copy, a free message builder, and what to do in the first week so the words are backed by actions.

The four parts of a welcome message that works

  1. The name. “Hi Anna”, not “Dear new colleague”. A message that could be sent to anyone welcomes no one.
  2. Why you are glad. One specific reason: the experience they bring, the project that has been waiting for them, the interview answer the team still remembers.
  3. What happens next. Time, place or link, who meets them, what the first day looks like. This is the part people reread the night before.
  4. One person to ask. Not “feel free to reach out to anyone” — a name. New hires do not ask “anyone”.
Length: two to five sentences in a chat, one short screen in an email. Tone: the way your team actually talks. A formal letter from a team that jokes all day in chat is the first small lie a new hire hears.

When to send it: the welcome starts before day one

There are three moments, and most companies use only the last one:
  • Right after the offer is accepted — a short personal note from the manager.
  • A few days before the start — a practical email from HR: time, place, what to bring, the first-day plan.
  • On the first morning — short messages from the manager and teammates in the team chat.
The gap between the offer and the first day is the riskiest part, and it is usually silent.
FROM MY PRACTICE · iDEALS

At iDeals I was hiring an HR Operations Manager and found a candidate who fit the role very well. The problem: her notice period was two months. I knew that finding someone else would take about the same time, so I told her I would wait.

But I did not go silent for those two months. When we set up her desk, I sent her a photo: “Hi, how are you? We are waiting for you — your desk is already here.” A couple of weeks later we bought and set up her laptop, and I sent a photo of that too.

The welcome starts the day the offer is accepted, not on day one. Between the offer and the start date a person can still be talked out of the move — a counter-offer, a recruiter, plain doubt. A short message every couple of weeks keeps them yours.

— Mike Pritula
FREE TOOL

Welcome message builder

Fill in four fields, pick who is writing — and copy the message.

24 welcome to the team messages you can copy

Replace the brackets with real details. If you cannot fill a bracket — that is a sign the first day is not prepared yet.
From HR — before the first day
“Hi [Name]! We are very glad you are joining [Team] as [Role]. We start on [day] at [time] — I will meet you at reception. Bring your ID; everything else is ready. Any questions before then — write to me directly.”

“Dear [Name], welcome to [Company]. Your first day is [date]. Attached are the plan for the first week and a short guide to our tools. Your manager, [Manager], will meet you at [time]. If anything is unclear, I am your contact — [HR name].”

“Hi [Name], one week to go! Your laptop is set up and your accounts are created. On [day] at [time] you will get a link to the first call from [Manager]. Nothing to prepare — just come as you are.”

“Hi [Name]! A quick note before Monday: we start at [time], lunch with the team is at [time], and the dress code is “whatever you wore to the interview is fine”. See you soon.”
From HR — on the first day
“Good morning, [Name], and welcome! Your plan for today is in your calendar: accesses at 10, an office tour at 11, lunch with [Team] at 1. I am here all day if you need anything.”

“Welcome, [Name]! Everyone joining us gets the same three things on day one: working tools, a plan for the week, and a buddy. Yours is [Buddy] — they will find you after the morning meeting.”

“Hi [Name], welcome to day one. Today nobody expects results from you — only questions. Ask as many as you can.”

“[Name], welcome! At the end of the week we will have a 20-minute chat about how it went and what we should fix in our onboarding. Your fresh view is valuable to us.”
From the manager
“Hi [Name], I am really glad you said yes. The team has been waiting for someone with your experience in [area]. Your first week is planned — I will walk you through it on [day].”

“Welcome to the team, [Name]! This week is for meeting people and learning how we work. Your first real task comes next week, and I will be next to you when it does.”

“[Name], welcome. Three things I promise as your manager: a clear plan for your first 30 days, a one-to-one every week, and honest feedback. Three things I ask: questions, opinions, and telling me early when something is off.”

“Hi [Name]! Today: meet the team at 10, set up your tools, and at 4 we sit down together and I tell you where we are going this quarter and where you fit in.”

“Welcome, [Name]. I remember your answer about [topic] from the interview — that is exactly the thinking we need on [project]. Looking forward to working with you.”

“Hi [Name], before your first day: no need to read or prepare anything. Rest, and come curious. We will handle the rest.”
From teammates
“Welcome, [Name]! I am [Your name], I work on [area]. If you are not sure whom to ask about something — ask me.”

“Hi [Name], great to have you with us. We have lunch together on [day] — join us, it is the fastest way to learn who is who.”

“Welcome to the team! I joined [X months] ago, so I still remember what the first week feels like. Happy to share my notes on how things work here.”

“[Name], welcome! Fair warning: we have a lot of abbreviations. Here is our glossary — and if one is missing, you get to add it.”

“Hi [Name]! We saved you the desk by the window. Coffee machine is on the left, the good coffee is across the street.”

“Welcome, [Name]! Looking forward to working with you on [project] — I will send you the context so you can read it when you have a quiet moment.”
From the CEO or founder
“[Name], welcome to [Company]. I read about your experience in [area] and I am glad you chose us. In your first weeks you will see us with fresh eyes — tell me what you notice.”

“Welcome aboard, [Name]. We are [N] people, and every person changes the company. I am looking forward to seeing what changes with you.”

“Hi [Name], I am [CEO name]. I meet every new colleague in their first month — my assistant will find a time. Until then: welcome, and ask everything.”
For the team chat — announcing the new hire
“Team, please welcome [Name], our new [Role]! [Name] comes from [background] and will work on [project]. Ask them about [hobby or fun fact] — and say hi today.”

Back the message with a first week

A warm message followed by an empty first day does more harm than no message at all. Before you send it, check that these are true:

✅ The laptop, accounts and accesses work on the first morning — not “by Wednesday”.
✅ The manager is in the office or online on day one and has an hour blocked.
✅ There is a written plan for the first week, and the new hire has seen it.
✅ A buddy is assigned and knows it.
✅ The team knows who is joining, in what role, and when.
✅ A check-in is scheduled for the end of week one and for day 30.
The office tour is part of the welcome. At Wargaming our office had 16 floors and two wings, so we did not just show people their desk. We walked them through the floors and told the stories behind the places — for example, the wall where players sent us their own projects. Stories and artefacts make a new person feel they joined a company with a history, not just a building. In a company of up to 200 people I recommend introducing a newcomer to everyone; in a bigger one — to everyone in their department.

Questions for the 30-day check-in

The welcome ends when the person stops feeling new. A short conversation after 30 days tells you whether it worked:
  • Is the job what you expected when you accepted the offer?
  • Do you have the tools, accesses and information you need?
  • Who do you go to when you are stuck — and does it work?
  • What surprised you about how we work?
  • What should we change in onboarding for the next person?
  • What do you want to achieve in the next 30 days?

Five mistakes that cancel a good welcome

  1. A template with nothing filled in. “Welcome to the team!” copied to every newcomer reads as “we did not have time for you”.
  2. Silence between offer and start. Weeks without a word are when people accept counter-offers.
  3. A message without logistics. Warm words, but no time, place or contact — the person still writes to the recruiter at midnight.
  4. Only HR writes. The message that matters most comes from the manager.
  5. Words without a first day. No laptop, no plan, a manager on vacation — and the message becomes a joke the person tells their friends.
If you want the whole system — not only the message, but the plan, checklists, buddy programme and metrics — it is in our Employee Onboarding Course. For a ready template, see the Onboarding Checklist Playbook.
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What do you say to welcome someone to the team?

Use their name, say you are glad they are joining and why, tell them what happens on day one, and name the person they can ask for help. Two to five sentences is enough.

When should a welcome message be sent?

Twice: a practical email from HR a few days before the start date, and a short personal note from the manager and teammates on the first morning.

Who should send the welcome message?

HR covers logistics, the manager covers the role and the first week, and teammates make the person feel expected. In small companies a note from the CEO works well too.

How do you welcome a new employee who works remotely?

Send the message in the team chat and by email, add a short video call on the first morning, and share a written plan for the first week so the person never has to guess what to do next.

How long should a welcome message be?

A chat message — two or three sentences. A welcome email — one short screen: greeting, start date and time, what to bring, first-day plan and a contact person.