Bringing New Employees on Board with Your Employee Assistance Fund

When selling the benefits of contributing to the company’s employer emergency relief fund, it can be tempting to focus on those employees who have been with the company for many years. While it is true that those employees are likely to already have a strong sense of personal investment in the company and are great candidates for contributions, they are also the group who is least likely to need convincing to participate in the program. If your company has a history of caring for its employees, more experienced employees will likely see the benefit of the program from the start.

Best practices include focusing on participation from new hires and employees who have been with the company less than five years. Newer employees are just starting to get a feel for the organization and its culture. If an organizational culture based on trust and a sense of responsibility for each other, introducing new employees to that from the start is key.

Presenting the opportunity to contribute to a relief fund that was created with the sole intention of helping employees in their time of need at the same time as employees are undergoing orientation and learning about the company. This is a way to strike while the iron is hot, and to frame the program in the larger context of the corporate culture. Start by highlighting the features and benefits of the programs, and making contributions easy by having a sign-up process which can be completed along with the other paperwork that comes along with being newly hired.

By focusing on newer employees, you are building the relief fund from the ground up. It is likely to already receive support from more experienced employees, but in order for it to grow and thrive, it must also earn the support of new employees. Over time, contributing to the fund will just be seen as something one does upon commencing employment with your business.