15+ Unique Ideas for a New Employee Welcome Package (2024 Update)

So, you’ve found the perfect employee who’s about to start tomorrow. It’s time to breathe easy, right? Not so fast. Before the normal routine resumes again, employers need to make sure that the onboarding process - for employees, not passengers - is as smooth as possible. Which means having the best new employee welcome package.

For the new hire, starting in a new role in a new place (if it’s not remote) can be nerve-racking, especially if there’s no information to guide you along. With a new hire packet, it’s possible for employees to feel more at ease and confident that they have the necessary resources to perform well in their new role.

Remember, first impressions matter, which is why the importance of an onboarding package for new employees must not be underestimated. Research has found that companies that fail to properly introduce new employees are more likely to lose these new hires within the first year, so it’s imperative that new hires are helped right from the get-go.

And what better way to show new employees your excitement at having them onboard than with a new hire welcome package? A welcome packet for new employees is also the perfect opportunity to embrace the new hire into the company culture and team. Study shows 89% of employees who had an effective onboarding experience are engaged at work.

Check out the following welcome pack ideas for new employees to see what items your company should consider and why employee packs are so important for your company!

You’ve likely heard that the Apple new employee welcome pack is the ultimate company swag bag, often providing new hires with flashy new laptops, phones, and goodies. While your company needn’t splurge to that scale, a new hire welcome package should still instill excitement within the new hire.

A new employee starter pack isn’t just to get better reviews on social media. Did you know that employee turnover is directly related to employee dissatisfaction? To ensure a happy employee, and a saving of company money and effort down the line, it’s in your interests to make onboarding an exciting and motivating process.

What’s more, when done well, welcome packets for new employees that motivate new hires also have the potential to spur on better performance when the real work starts. 

This motivational factor is especially important when it comes to the first thing your new hire will do - post on social media. If a new hire is excited by the first day/week or by the new employee welcome package, social media will be the first to hear about it. 

Utilize this opportunity and harness this authentic form of marketing by influencing a glowing review with an awesome employee onboarding package. Not only is this sure to create good WOM for your company, but also a great sense of pride in your new employees that they’re working with you.

This is where company swag comes in. That’s right, swag. Commonly associated with hoodies, t-shirts, hats, pens, bags, and notebooks, company swag is any branded merchandise. Think like Google's new hire package, Facebook's new hire welcome package, and Microsoft's new hire package (see below).

Though there’s no doubt that wearable branded merch in staff welcome packets is the ultimate form of marketing, it’s also a great way to create a sense of pride and loyalty for the company right from the start. So get those stickers ready.

Microsoft new hire package

(Meta) Facebook new hire welcome package

Google new hire package

As an employer, investing in an employee welcome packet is in your interest. This isn’t just your chance to create excitement and motivation for the role; employee welcome packs are also your chance to show company organization and company values. 

What’s more, when an increasing amount of your workforce is likely to be remote, a welcome pack for employees is a great way to make everyone feel united.

Now you know all the benefits that new staff welcome packs can have, it’s time to find out what actually you should include in an onboarding welcome pack. 

Personalized goodies

Everyone loves something unique, which is why your new employees will love an employee welcome package with customized:

• Welcome letters direct from the CEO, hiring manager, or fellow colleagues. Even better if it’s handwritten.
• Personalized business cards and nameplates (if applicable).
• Branded merch like hoodies, t-shirts, hats, pens, notebooks, key fobs, mugs, stickers, and more.

Employee welcome packets could also include special gifts like books, gift cards, and headphones.

Informative documents & guides

Onboarding is intended to be an exciting process, but it’s also when the new employee solidifies their relationship with the company by filling out lots of forms. Unfortunately, there’s no way to get around this boring part, but having an exciting new employee welcome package is a sure way to make these forms just a tiny part of the whole onboarding process.

Ensure your new hire feels integrated into the office and company by including these documents and guide in your employee onboarding packages:

• Employee handbook that includes your company policies and company mission statement.
• Forms relating to HR, including the employee contract, emergency contact form, benefits information (if applicable), and payroll forms.
• Office guide, which can include information about company dress code, required supplies, company directory, and an office map.
• Guide to local haunts, such as cafes, restaurants, or gyms.

IT hardware & manuals

Starting a new job nowadays is like moving house - you have to reset everything. Whether your employees are remote or in-person, try to make this moving process easier for new hires by including important information in the welcome packet for new employees.

This could be about how to set up the company software or even which computer setup the company prefers (like Windows 10, perhaps).

If your company is one that provides new hires with a laptop, monitor, mouse, and/or keyboard within the employee pack, make sure these are all up and running, too.

Access necessities

Unless working remotely, it’s likely that your employees will need access keycards to the office building. In that case, make sure that the welcome package onboarding process includes setting up the employee ID, handing out the relevant keys and locks, and, where necessary, organizing the relevant parking card.

Other goodies

What else should be included in a new employee welcome package? What you really should be thinking instead is: if I was a new hire, what would I want in my new hire welcome package? 

It’s commonplace for new employee starter packs to include plenty of stationery - think pens, pencils, post-it notes, notebooks, company stickers, etc. 

If you're part of a tech company, you may want to consider more appropriate tech goodies for your staff welcome packs, like earbuds, power banks, wireless charging pads, USB sticks, camera blockers, and microfiber cloths for cleaning screens.

For those inclined to bring a unique side to the employee pack, why not consider the following ideas?

Management organization chart

It can be confusing trying to remember everyone’s names on the first day or even the first week. Make your new hires feel more comfortable by providing a management organization chart in the employee welcome pack. This will help your new employees understand who to look for and who to report to.

Charts can include the photos, titles, and contact information of the different teams employees will liaise with. If your team is working remotely, you may also want to add the different time zones and country flags where each individual is from. This will help make the new employee package as informative as possible.

Items to improve employee health and wellbeing

With taking care of one’s mental health, well-being, and healthy eating all hitting the mainstream, it’s high time for new employee welcome packages to become new employee care packages. Items that fall into this category don’t have to break the bank; even just blue light glasses, candles, and sustainable tote bags will do.

For those willing to spend a little more, how about including:

• Nutritious snacks
• Kindle
• Yoga mat
• Small potted plant
• Eco-friendly lunch box

Lighthearted quizzes & surveys

Starting a new job can be stressful, so why not make the onboarding process a little more fun with a few quizzes? A new employee welcome package could include quizzes about the company and the senior management team, other team members, and even the office layout. The winner with the most correct answers could even get awarded a small prize.

You can also use this chance to find out how smooth the company process has been thus far with a pre-onboarding survey.

Key Takeaway

An employee welcome pack doesn’t need to have the same amount of ‘swag’ that the likes of  Google, Facebook, Microsoft, or Apple new employee welcome packs do. That said, your new hire package should still aim to create the same level of excitement for new hires.

Welcome packets for new employees are key in creating satisfied employees right from the get-go. This is an incredibly important factor in retaining talent in the long run, so make sure that your new hires are provided with as much information about their role as possible.

A new job isn’t all work no play though, so don’t forget to include enough goodies in the onboarding employee starter pack.

And lastly, never underestimate the power of (branded) stickers. Everyone loves branded merch, not just new hires, so include this in your new employee welcome package.

--- Originally written by Eva O'Mara ---