TL;DR — Forty welcome messages grouped by tone, for anyone staring at a blank message box before a new colleague's first day. Say it on camera where you can — a message carries more warmth in someone's own voice than in text alone.
- Match tone to how formal the team and the relationship actually are.
- A specific detail — a project, a shared interest, a role detail — beats a generic line.
- On video, these land warmer than the same words typed out.
On this page
Warm messages
- "Welcome to the team — we're genuinely glad you're here."
- "Can't wait to see what you bring to this team."
- "Excited to have you with us — reach out any time, for anything."
- "You're going to fit right in here."
- "We've been looking forward to your start date for a while now."
- "Welcome aboard — this team is lucky to have you."
- "Glad you chose us — let's make it worth it."
- "Here's to a great first week and many more after it."
Brief messages
- "Welcome to the team!"
- "Great to have you with us."
- "Welcome aboard — see you Monday."
- "Happy to have you join us."
- "Welcome! Looking forward to working with you."
- "Glad you're here."
- "Welcome to the crew."
- "So happy you're joining us."
Funny messages
- "Welcome to the team — the coffee machine has opinions, you'll see."
- "Fair warning: the group chat gets weird by Thursday."
- "Welcome! We promise the onboarding docs get less confusing. Eventually."
- "You've joined at a great time — low drama, decent snacks."
- "Welcome aboard — hope you like being asked 'quick question' forty times a day."
- "We saved you a seat and a questionable amount of inside jokes to catch up on."
- "Welcome! The last person to sit at that desk left it better than they found it. No pressure."
- "Glad you're here — someone finally outranks me in seniority of bad puns."
From a manager
- "Welcome to the team — I'm looking forward to working with you directly."
- "Glad to have you on board. Come find me any time you have a question."
- "We hired you because we believe in what you'll bring here — welcome."
- "Excited to see where you take this role."
- "Welcome aboard — my door (or calendar) is always open."
- "Looking forward to your first few weeks here."
- "You've got a strong team behind you — welcome to it."
- "Glad this worked out — welcome to the team."
For a remote or distributed new hire
- "Welcome! We may be spread out, but you'll fit right into this team either way."
- "Glad to have you with us — looking forward to seeing you on our calls."
- "Welcome aboard — distance won't stop us from making you feel at home here."
- "Excited to work with you, wherever you're logging in from."
- "Welcome to the team — let's get a proper video call on the calendar soon."
- "Glad you're joining us remotely — we'll make sure you're never out of the loop."
- "Welcome! Looking forward to more than just a profile photo on our calls."
- "Welcome aboard — your home office is now officially part of the team."
Turning a message into a video in a couple of minutes
Any of these works as a line in a card, but the same words land warmer said on camera. See Welcome Video for New Employees for collecting a handful of these from different people into one short reel instead of sending them separately.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
Is it better to write this or say it on video?
Video carries tone that text can't — the same short line often lands better said aloud than typed, especially from someone the new hire hasn't met yet.
What if I don't know the new hire's role well?
Pick a brief, warm message rather than reaching for specific detail you don't have — a short, sincere line is better than a vague attempt at specificity.
Can I combine messages from this list with my own line?
Yes — use one of these as a starting point and add a single specific detail if you have one; that combination usually works best.
How many of these should go into one welcome video?
Four to eight different messages from different people, kept short, make a stronger reel than one long message — see How to Build a Team Welcome Reel New Joiners Remember.