Taking on a team of temporary or contingency employees can help your company thrive during challenging times, and these extra hands can be a godsend when you’re trying to process an avalanche of new orders during your busiest season. But workplaces can be delicate ecosystems, and the arrival of new faces and personalities can sometimes shake up the status quo. Make sure your existing teams are not only prepared for the newcomers, but ready to give them a warm welcome and a helping hand. Here are a few tips that can keep the transition smooth and seamless.

Give plenty of warnings about dates and times.

As soon as you know when your new recruit—or recruits—will start, let affected employees know. But because the start date may be a long way down the road, expect them to forget. Send reminders a few times before the actual day arrives. Along with these reminders, encourage your teams to treat the new arrivals in a way that represents the company well. Request friendliness and proactive outreach.

Provide a place to land.

Don’t leave your new employee idling in the reception area or an empty conference room while you scramble to set up a workspace. Do this beforehand and you’ll cut back on expensive wasted time and general awkwardness. The same applies to HR processing and paperwork; try to get the new person up and running as soon as possible on his or her start date.

Employees should know what’s expected.

If you expect one of your employees to greet the person at the door, and another to conduct his first training session, and yet another to take him to lunch on his first day, make sure each of these employees clearly understands your expectations. Who will be the person’s “boss” or day-to-day supervisor? Who will they turn to when they have general questions? Who will be responsible for distributing and monitoring their assignments?

A little hype can’t hurt.

If you’re excited about your new employee, encourage your current teams to share that excitement. Tell them a little bit about her profile and background, and share some of her expressed interests. This will give them something to talk to her about, and it might preemptively break the ice.

Keep an open door.

If your assigned “coach” or manager finds him or herself at a loss, make sure they know where to turn. Sometimes having a temporary or new employee in the workspace can be confusing for everyone, but if your teams know where to take their questions, the acclimation process will be a little easier.

For more on how to help your new and existing employees connect and start working together as a team, reach out to the Westchester staffing experts at Merritt Staffing.