Welcome Pack for New Employees: Ideas & Real Examples

A welcome pack is a set of tools and materials that supports the onboarding of a new hire. It helps shape that crucial first impression, lowers the stress of starting a new job, strengthens a sense of belonging, and kicks off onboarding as early as the preboarding stage.

And while unboxing photos tend to dominate "first day at my new job" posts on social media, a welcome box is about far more than reach and likes. A welcome kit is a physical link to a new workplace and a meaningful part of the process we call onboarding. But do you really need lavish, expensive sets? What should go inside one? Let's take a look.

Table of contents

• What is an employee welcome pack?
• Why hand out a welcome kit, and what does it do during onboarding?
• What a welcome pack does - how does it build a sense of belonging?
• How to put together a welcome gift? 5 ideas for an original welcome pack
• Does a welcome pack in preboarding support new-hire onboarding?

What is an employee welcome pack?

It's a set of items personalized for a new hire. The contents depend on the industry, the company culture, and... your imagination. Inside you might find branded company swag, such as a branded notebook, mug, or hoodie.

Common elements of a welcome set include sweets, books, pens, the company's own products, or backpacks, tote bags, and other small gifts carrying the organization's logo. The only limits are the creativity and budget of the employer.

These sets usually reach new employees during preboarding, often alongside the equipment they'll need. Starting the introduction to your company culture this way helps the new hire feel reassured that they made the right decision.

Typically, HR prepares these welcome packs - sometimes in cooperation with the hiring manager and the team. Together they make the welcome feel more personal.

Why hand out a welcome kit, and what does it do during onboarding?

A well-designed welcome pack supports onboarding on three levels: emotional (feeling welcome), organizational (first pieces of information and tools), and cultural (the company's values and the way it works).

A handful of small gifts can turn preboarding into a springboard for a positive employee experience, and that, in turn, feeds your employer branding.

A personalized welcome set - can a welcome box actually build relationships?

Absolutely - as long as it's well thought out. And to get there, do you have to use every personalization option available?

You don't have to, but you can. Especially since personalization doesn't mean HR specialists have to hand-pick every single item; a nice touch is a personalized note from the manager or a QR code linking to a short welcome video from the team. Seemingly small additions like these help a newcomer feel part of the team before they've even properly settled in.

Personalization doesn't have to mean an expensive set. Often a single element is enough for the recipient to know the gift isn't "mass-produced" but created with them in mind.

How to make a great first impression at the start of onboarding?

Welcome boxes should support the culture area - one of the C's in the 4C onboarding framework described by management professor Talya N. Bauer. An ideal welcome pack isn't just pleasant; it helps the new hire get familiar with the organization's culture: its history, values, mission, and vision. That's why one element of a welcome pack, especially in preboarding, is often a handbook - it pairs beautifully with company swag and gives new employees the essential information they need.

Welcome pack for a new employee - examples and a few tips

A great example of a welcome box aligned with company values is the "induction box" created by Ogilvy & Mather, the global marketing agency. One of its centerpieces is the book "The Eternal Pursuit of Unhappiness" by David MacKenzie Ogilvy, the agency's founder. The induction box is also inspired by his 8 creative habits.

Another interesting case is the welcome package from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex). Even though Frontex is a more formal institution, its employees receive a welcome box with a dash of creativity.

People joining the team in Poland are greeted by a cover with scattered letters that spell out "Hello Poland." Inside, there's basic information about the organization plus a knowledge nugget that helps new employees with their move to Warsaw.

In his introduction, the agency's director Fabrice Leggeri called it a "pre-arrival welcome pack" - and we'd love to give this preboarding a shout-out. You can tell it's part of something bigger!

What a welcome pack does - how does it build a sense of belonging?

There are many takes on what to include when putting together a welcome pack so it becomes the perfect welcome set. What should you keep in mind so it's a valuable part of bringing a new person into the company, and not just a flashy expense?

Let your... organizational culture drive the personalization of welcome sets

We're mentioning this again because it really matters: preboarding is a key moment for a new person to tangibly experience the organization's culture and the values that matter in their new work environment.

And building a positive culture is more than tossing random swag into a nice bag. The earlier Ogilvy & Mather example illustrates this perfectly, but if your company doesn't happen to have book authors on staff to add to the box, an onboarding guide is a great start.

It's a good idea to tie your choice of small gifts to your values. A reusable bottle nicely reinforces a sustainability narrative, and if your organization champions remote work, any gadgets that make home office life better will resonate with a "remote-first" culture.

Another nice option is adding something local from where the company is based (for example, gingerbread from Toruń or St. Martin's croissants from Poznań - or whatever regional specialty fits your story).

An ideal welcome pack should be useful! Example contents

We've seen far too many preboardings where the swag looked like the result of clearing out the company warehouse... Nobody likes a gift that misses the mark. It's better to give a few small things that are actually useful. Here are some examples.

Welcome pack ideas - what can go into a welcome set?

Universal yet useful items a thoughtful welcome pack might include:

• a notebook/planner/bullet journal,
• a USB cup warmer,
• a gift card for buying company products,
• a water-filter bottle/insulated mug,
• a branded hoodie/slides/branded apparel item (a lanyard isn't necessarily a great idea - when did you last actually use one?).

Should a welcome set match the industry and role?

Absolutely! Given everything mentioned above, you've probably guessed that the contents of a welcome pack will be different every time.

Manufacturers can add their own products. Tech companies can include gadgets for geeks; service businesses can offer a voucher to try their offering (which, by the way, is a great preboarding element, isn't it?).

If you're after a WOW effect, the contents can be something the employee doesn't quite expect - and ideally something that can't be bought or replicated. It could be a personalized note or card signed by team members.

Oops, we may have gotten a little ahead of ourselves...

Personalized welcome packages - fitting them to company culture, custom swag, and why you actually need all this

Personalization makes a new hire feel less anonymous. If you play it right, the first day at work will come with curiosity and anticipation rather than stress.

Wearing the company hoodie, having used a voucher for the new organization's services, looking at a card stuck to the fridge with a photo of their desk and the note "All we're missing for complete happiness is you :)" - the newcomer knows that onboarding at this company is something worth looking forward to.

(And to keep their stress down, drop an onboarding guide into the welcome box - who knows, maybe that handbook will be the key element of the set?)

Does the look of the box matter?

We'd be lying if we said looks (in this case) don't matter. They do. Not more than the contents, but still important.

A welcome box that's easy on the eyes, creatively packaged, and pleasantly surprising is the recipe for a welcome gift with a WOW effect. Unboxing it will be an enjoyable, maybe even inspiring, experience.

Of course, the whole design should be created in line with the company's visual identity. 

How to put together a welcome gift? 5 ideas for an original welcome pack

Here are a few examples of interesting sets prepared by well-known organizations. They differ in content, but each can serve as inspiration.

More than office supplies - TikTok doesn't hold back!

TikTok goes big. It sends new employees a welcome package full of snacks, a branded bag, a mini suitcase, and even a DIY kit for building your own single-lens reflex camera.

Allegro bets on the practical benefits of welcome packs

The welcome gift from Allegro, a leading European e-commerce platform, is a great example of pairing branding with usefulness. Socks, a notebook, and a laptop sleeve are universal, useful things. Everything fits into a handy branded drawstring backpack.

Zalando - welcome pack ideas that reinforce company values

Beyond the standard items like a notebook, snacks, or company stickers, this welcome package also includes... a resistance band and a workout idea. After many hours at a desk, a little warm-up helps you loosen up and shake off stress.

Twitter goes for a celebratory welcome

Twitter encourages newcomers to raise a toast by adding a bottle of wine with the hashtag #RaiseAGlass on the label (though a more neutral idea would be, say, good coffee or a bottle of fine olive oil).

LiveChat - the welcome pack as an integration tool

LiveChat put together a welcome set with an "initiation" twist: by company tradition, a new crew member brings something sweet to the office. To make the task easier and ease the new person into the ritual, the welcome package includes not only the welcome gifts but also a ready-made cake recipe.

Does a welcome pack in preboarding support new-hire onboarding?

Absolutely! One element of the set can be the first onboarding task - a starting point for further communication, activity, and engaging the newcomer in the onboarding process. Especially if, when assembling the welcome pack, you keep in mind not just the bundle of welcome gifts but the whole job of bringing a new person into the organization.

Sending a gift creates opportunities to blend offline onboarding with digital communication. A well-designed welcome pack can prompt the employee to complete their first onboarding task, log in to the onboarding app, or send the new team a selfie or a message on Slack or another company messenger.

There are plenty of options, so we encourage you to get creative and not assume that a "welcome package" has to be a physical box. Sometimes an interesting task brings more joy than a company hoodie (and it can be a bit cheaper, too... ;)). A welcome pack with a special mission baked in creates an engaging, interactive experience.

Putting together an interesting set is one thing, but delivering it smoothly (and ideally automatically!) is what truly creates the WOW effect. In the Gamfi app, you can design a process where everyone involved always knows what to hand the new person, and when.

FAQ - welcome package

What should the ideal welcome pack contain?

The contents are usually company swag, but whether that's the case depends on your company's culture, the nature of your industry and the role, and... your willingness and resources. As many companies, as many sets. The box should align with your company's values and culture. An onboarding guide is a good addition.

When should you hand over the welcome gift?
Ideally during preboarding, and at the latest at the start of onboarding.

Why hand out a welcome package?

A well-thought-out gift helps new employees find their footing in a new work environment and makes the stress of the first day shrink while the excitement grows.

Is a good welcome pack expensive?
It can be, but it doesn't have to be. Above all, a welcome gift should be useful and consistent with the company's values - and it doesn't have to be costly. It might include a handbook to ease onboarding, a gamified task, a note from the manager, or a QR code with a welcome video from the team - none of these are financially demanding, yet they deliver a great effect.

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