How to Record a Welcome Video for New Employees

The days before a new job starts are full of nerves and unanswered questions. A short welcome video from a manager or founder, sent before day one, makes a new hire feel expected rather than processed. It takes ten minutes to record and is remembered for years.

Keep it short and human

A welcome video is not an induction. One to two minutes is plenty. Its job is to:

• Say you are glad they are joining.
• Tell them what their first day looks like.
• Reassure them they are not expected to know everything.
• Show them a friendly face before they arrive.

The handbook, policies and system guides belong in writing.

A simple structure

1. Welcome them by name, if the video is personal.
2. Introduce yourself and your role in their work.
3. Describe day one in two or three sentences.
4. Set expectations for the first weeks: learning, not performing.
5. Close warmly, with how to reach you before they start.

Example: manager to a new hire

"Hi Sofia, I am Daniel, and I will be your manager on the support team. We are really glad you are joining us. On Monday, I will meet you at reception at nine. You will spend the morning getting set up and meeting the team, and we will have lunch together. For the first few weeks, your only job is to learn, so ask as many questions as you like. If anything comes up before Monday, message me any time. See you soon."

That is about 85 words, around 40 seconds.

Example: founder to all new starters

"Welcome to the team. I am Aisha, one of the founders. Whatever role you are joining in, you are now part of the reason our customers get their evenings back. In your first week, you will meet people across the company and see how everything fits together. Do not worry about getting it all at once; nobody does. My door, and my inbox, are open."

Make the personal version quick to record

If you hire regularly, keep a reusable outline and change only the name, role and first-day details. Recording a personal 30-second video for each new hire becomes a five-minute job. A phone prompter with your outline lets you record it in one take.

Recording tips

• Record at your desk or office, so the new hire sees where they will work.
• Smile at the start. See smile naturally on camera.
• Use good light and clear sound, but do not over-produce. Warmth matters more than polish.

Pair it with written onboarding

Send the video with a short email covering time, place, what to bring and who to ask for. The video provides the warmth, the email provides the details. For customer-facing equivalents, see customer onboarding video, and for training content after day one, see internal training video.