How to introduce a new team member: templates and a free builder

What to ask the new hire before you share anything

An intro is about them, so they decide what's in it. Send these a few days before the start date.

1. What name would you like us to use, and how do you say it?
2. Do you want your pronouns in the intro?
3. Is it OK to mention where you worked before?
4. Which one or two things about you are you happy for the team to know?
5. Can I share a photo, and which one?
6. Would you like to say a few words at the team meeting, or should I do the talking?
7. Is there anything you'd rather I left out?

Put their answers straight into the builder above. Whatever they skip, leave out.

New team member introduction email templates

The builder writes the email to your own team. These three cover the other introductions a new hire needs.

Subject: Intro: [Name], meet [Colleague]

Hi [Colleague] and [Name],

[Colleague], meet [Name], who just joined us as [role]. [Name], [Colleague] runs [area] and is the person to ask about [topic].

You two will work together on [project], so please grab 20 minutes this week or next. I'll let you take it from here.

[Your name]

Subject: Introducing [Name], your new contact for [account or service]

Hi [Client name],

I'd like to introduce [Name], who joined us as [role] and will be your day-to-day contact for [service] from [date].

[Name] brings [one line on relevant experience]. I'll stay involved through [handover period], and we'll both join our next call on [date].

You can reach [Name] at [email] or [phone].

Best,
[Your name]

Subject: [Name] is moving to our team from [old team]

Hi team,

Some of you already know [Name] from [old team]. From [date], [Name] joins us as [role].

[Name] knows [old team's area] inside out, so they're a great person to ask about [topic].

Even if you've worked together before, please make time for a proper hello this month. The role is new, even if the company isn't.

Thanks,
[Your name]

For the welcome itself (from you, the team, HR or the CEO), see our welcome to the team messages.

How to introduce a new employee in a meeting

About 60 seconds at the top of their first team meeting. Swap in what they agreed to share.

Before we start, I want to introduce [Name], who joined us [today / this week] as our new [role].

[Name] will be looking after [main responsibility], so you'll see them on [project or meeting].

One thing [Name] said I could share: [fact].

[Name], anything you'd like to add? (Totally optional.)

Now let's go around the room: your name, what you work on and the best way to reach you. Thirty seconds each.

• Make it the first item. At the end of the agenda the intro gets rushed or dropped.
• Say their name the way they told you. Practice it once before the meeting if it's new to you.
• Don't ask for a speech. Give them the floor, but let a one-line hello be enough.
• Keep the round short. Thirty seconds per person; with a big team, do it over two meetings.

Fun ways to introduce new team members

Pick one or two for week one. In each, the team does the work, so the new person is never put on the spot.

1. Meeting sidekick. In week one, a teammate sits beside the new hire in meetings, or messages them on calls, to say who's who.
2. Two a day at standup. Each day of week one, two teammates take an extra minute at standup to say where their work meets the new hire's.
3. Name tags for a week. In the office, everyone wears a name tag in week one; on video, add how to say your name to your display name.
4. Their own emoji. If your chat tool allows custom emoji, add one the new hire picks, and react with it to their first post.
5. Desk drop. Each teammate leaves one useful thing on the new hire's desk with a note on why: a spare charger, a snack, a tip.
6. Day-one team photo. Take a quick team photo with the new hire, or a call screenshot, and use it in the intro post if they agree.
7. A hosted game in week two. A ready-made get-to-know-you session on video, so nobody on the team has to plan it.

Want a longer post about them later on? Our employee spotlight questions have a builder for that too.

How to introduce a remote team member

Remote hires can't overhear names in a hallway, so the introduction has to do more of the work.

1. Post at their 9 a.m., not yours. The chat intro should land as they log in, in their own time zone.
2. Open the first team call with the intro. Do it before the agenda, while everyone is fresh and on video.
3. Add their time zone and working hours. One line in the intro saves a week of badly timed messages.
4. Set up three 15-minute video hellos. With the three people they'll work with most, booked by you, in week one.
5. Pin the intro post for a week. Late replies still find it, and the new hire can scroll back to the names.

For the rest of the first month, see our onboarding activities and remote team building.

A ready-made get-to-know-you session for week two

Once the intros are done, let a session do the rest, so the new hire learns names and faces without trying.

• Team Discovery Challenge. A hosted scavenger hunt where teams race to find meaningful items, which shows new sides of each teammate.
• Speed Networking. Timed three-minute one-to-one video chats on an automated matching platform, so the new hire meets many people in 45 minutes.

See our new hire onboarding events and virtual networking page, or get a free quote with your date and headcount. We reply within 24 hours.