A new team member's first few days, and indeed, their first few weeks, are critical to how they’ll work with the company long term. A superb employee welcome package is important for helping new team members settle in quickly and be productive almost immediately.
Employee welcome packages might take a bit of time to put together, but they save loads of time during employee onboarding. They provide clear expectations and ideas about a company’s culture while also outlining company policies and administrative information.
Let's take a look at why team member welcome packages are important and discuss how you can create your very own for your company, using inspiration from some of our favourite employee welcome kit examples.
Note that there’s no “right way” to create an effective welcome package, so don’t be afraid to take small risks and experiment.
Numerous industry-leading companies welcome new employees in fun and creative ways. Introduce your culture in your own unique way. Even the small gestures can drastically increase a new team member’s comfort level.
Overall, a welcome package is an important tool for developing your company’s culture. First impressions count, and every new team member deserves a stellar first day.
An employee welcome package should help them be productive right away.
We’ve all been there. It’s your first day at a new job, and after being introduced to everyone and handed a key to the office, you sit at your desk, twiddling your thumbs, unsure of what to do next. No one has come by to begin the training and you’ve managed to finish reading the employee handbook in your first 15 minutes. So you sit there and wait.
Not being given directions or guidance on your first day is incredibly frustrating. And as an employer, why would you hire someone and not have them be productive as soon as possible? Help a new employee be as productive as possible on their first day by getting them prepared with all the information, tools, and guidance needed to hit the ground running right away.
The welcome package should also lay out expectations clearly and answer any common first-day concerns.
The employee handbook (found within the employee welcome package) should lay out the expectations of the office. Everything from the expectations of their specific department to the shared expectations of team member performance amongst every employee.
This includes scheduling out your new employee's first day on the job. The last thing you want is your new team member sitting around waiting for the next steps, so be sure to provide a detailed first day schedule so new teammates know what to expect.
Use clear and simple language free of any company jargon to make the onboarding process easier.
Be sure to detail how communication is handled in the office as well. Speaking over the phone, through email, Slack, or in person are great ways to get in touch. But it's difficult to know which medium is most suitable for a given situation. For example, suggestions on snacks for the kitchen may be organized in a Slack channel dedicated to office feedback. Outline all communication channels for a new employee so they are informed.
Be sure to answer any commonly asked questions, incorporating feedback from previous employees’ onboarding experience.
The best employee welcome packages are created over long periods of time and with heaps of feedback. If you're creating your first welcome package, it will be hard to know what works and what doesn't. That's why collecting feedback from your team members is crucial. Feedback will allow you to preempt frequently asked questions and concerns any new employees will have with more foresight and efficiency. The quicker you can address questions and concerns, the faster a new employee will be up and running.
Examples of solid employee welcome packages
Boxed
Online wholesale shop Boxed built this branded welcome kit for their new hires. In it, they have the typical welcome package suspects, including office supplies, a welcome card, a notebook, a t-shirt, a water bottle, stickers, and more.
We love the branded items and the playful presentation. Making that extra effort to brand everything in the welcome kit adds a little flair and gives new hires a taste of your brand's culture.
Salesforce
The user experience team at Salesforce has this slick welcome package waiting on the desks of new hires on day one. As a UX designer, one who appreciates great design, this would be an stellar start to your first day.
Salesforce doesn't slouch when it comes to employee welcome packages. New UX designers get handy reading materials, pens and pins, t-shirts, a credit for new headphones, and more. The entire package shows how much Salesforce values their design team. The mix of personal development materials and fun items like the Nerf gun showcases their definitive and unique company culture. Salesforce is about being your best self, but also about having fun.
Uber
Uber keeps things simple with their employee welcome kit. New hires get the full gamut of Uber swag on their first day, such as a jacket, a mug, a notebook, a hat, and more. Uber also adds in a personal touch with the furry dice. We love it when companies include a small item to show off the culture and personality of the team.
Square
New Square employees are given the full Square experience on their first day. Business Insider gave readers an inside look at Square's employee welcome package. When new hires start, they're given a "welcome kit comes in the form of a sleek black box. In it, there's a square-shaped pamphlet that explains 'The Four Corners Of Square'." The four corners of a square are meant to signify the four company values:
- We start small
- We collaborate in commons
- We round the square
- We craft the entire span in a breathtaking way
There's also a Square card reader and a book that Jack Dorsey gives to all his new hires called, The Checklist Manifesto: How To Get Things Right by Atul Gawande. Dorsey says he gives it to everyone as a guide to help make better decisions.
With a well thought-out welcome kit like this, Square's new team members are instantly ready to get started.
You only get one chance to make a great first impression on a new hire's first day. A good welcome package is meant to get your new team members started on their first day as efficiently as possible. It can also double as a primer for your company's culture. If the only item a new employees get on their first day is an employee handbook, your company is missing out on a great onboarding opportunity.
Discover how to create the ultimate welcome package that makes a monumental impression on your new employees right from day one by downloading our ebook, The Ultimate Guide to Creating an Employee Welcome Package.
