Creating a welcoming experience for all new joiners greatly improves the induction process. One of the ways we encourage this to happen is through a Welcome Letter from the Head of Department which we advise all departments to create.

Below is some guidance on what to include in a Welcome Letter, if you don’t already have one in place, for new employees from the Head of Department or Institution. This should be sent out to new starters with any other induction information and Welcome Letters. You may wish to adapt the guidance to suit the needs of your Department.

• An introduction to welcome them to the Department – “I am very pleased to welcome you to the Department of …”
• A short paragraph explaining the size of the Department and a brief history of the Department.
• A short paragraph surrounding the aims and missions of the Department. This is a good opportunity to promote the current research the Department is doing, detailing the bigger picture and including key people priorities for the department which should include actions relating to Athena Swan or the staff survey.
• A short paragraph on the Head of Department, what they do, where they can be found, etc.
• Make it personal and engaging.
• The letter should finish with a thank you for joining the Department and their contribution as well as wishing them all the best in their new role.
• This should then be signed off by the Head of Department. The addition of a photograph is also useful and more personal.

If you have any questions, please contact the Clinical School HR Staff Hub Team