WHAT YOUR NEW HIRES WISH THEY COULD TELL YOU · PART 8 OF 10
The welcome event was great. What happens next weekend?
Build a bridge from a single introduction to a repeatable routine.
By HomeBase Services · For campus recruiting teams in Dallas–Fort Worth, Greater Houston and Greater Austin
A good event can still leave an empty calendar
The welcome event ends, names blur together and someone says, “We should do this again.” That is a useful moment to offer a next step. A specific optional invitation is easier to act on than an open-ended plan.
Ask interested hires which format would work: coffee, a daytime walk, a low-cost lunch or an activity they choose. Keep it simple enough that someone still unpacking can join without a large time or money commitment.
A welcome event is a beginning
A mixer can introduce names and faces, but a hire may still want practical ways to keep meeting people. Ask whether optional follow-up activities would be useful and what formats would be easy to join.
Keep the invitation flexible. A low-cost coffee, a walk or a daytime group activity offers different possibilities from a late-night outing. Include clear cost and accessibility information when available, and let people decide without pressure.
Make belonging easier to try
When sharing an activity, include what people need to know: meeting point, timing, cost if any and how to get there. Avoid assuming everyone has a car, drinks alcohol or can attend at the same time. Let people suggest alternatives.
Recurring plans can help remove the need to start the invitation from scratch each time. They should remain optional. A missed coffee should not require an explanation, and a social group should not become an informal assessment of a hire’s enthusiasm.
Use repetition as a planning tool
Invite interested hires to choose one recurring activity rather than filling every evening. A regular class, volunteer session, sport or alumni gathering provides a concrete date to plan around. Verify the organizer’s current schedule and registration details.
Company cohorts can do something similar: an optional recurring lunch or coffee makes the next invitation predictable. Keep participation voluntary and avoid treating social attendance as a measure of commitment at work.
Let the plan grow from the hires
Give interested people a way to propose the next activity themselves. Recruiters can provide a clear introduction and then let the group find its own rhythm. Ask permission before adding anyone to a contact list or group.
HomeBase can help hires consider the everyday access around apartments and areas, including the activities they choose. Keep the promise practical: a resource and an opportunity to explore, not a guaranteed circle of friends.
Connect the plan to daily life
Ask hires to consider the route home, the cost and the time the activity takes. The most appealing event on paper may not be practical after a long workday. Apartment choices can be compared against the hire’s chosen routines as well as the office.
HomeBase can help hires think about area amenities and everyday access. It cannot promise a social outcome. Encourage the hire to choose activities they actually enjoy and revisit the plan after settling in.
Recruiter checklist
- Ask which optional follow-up formats hires would welcome.
- Include clear timing, cost and travel information.
- Suggest one recurring activity rather than an overloaded calendar.
- Keep participation voluntary and separate from performance expectations.
Add to your welcome email
Would an optional cohort coffee or lunch be useful after your first week? You can also choose one recurring local activity you’d like to try. Check the schedule and cost, and pick something you’ll enjoy returning to.
Adapt the wording to your team’s actual resources and policies.
Resources to share
- HomeBase relocation guides by employer and metro
- Moving-budget calculator and worksheet
- Compare apartment quotes
- Connect with Grant about your hiring cohort
HomeBase provides free apartment locating in Dallas, Houston and Austin. Rent, deposits, moving expenses and property charges are separate. Confirm current availability and written terms with the property.
These first-person perspectives are illustrative conversation starters, not individual testimonials.