New employee welcome pack: choose useful items

Useful options include notebooks, pens, water bottles, coffee mugs and planners. Company clothing or desk accessories may also fit the workplace. Review the quality and practical use of an item before adding it to the pack.

A small selection with a clear use gives the employee less to sort through. Keep the contents relevant to their working environment and explain any item that has a specific purpose.

Keep first-day information available without waiting for a parcel. A digital pack can contain the agreed start time, address or meeting link, first-week schedule, manager and buddy contacts, and links to current company information. Explain where to find the latest version.

Add a short welcome note: “Welcome to the team. Your first meeting is with [name] at [time]. You can find your first-week plan at [link]. If anything is unclear before you start, contact [name] through [agreed channel].” Replace every placeholder and check the links before sending.

Personalisation might mean a named notebook or mug, or clothing selected for the person. Check details needed for the item rather than assuming an employee wants identical merchandise to every colleague.

A personal conversation can give the item context. Introduce the people who prepared the welcome and explain what happens next. Let the employee ask practical questions about the start as well as the pack.

Company branding can introduce the organisation visually. Colleagues and managers still need to explain how values appear in the work, through examples, team conversations and everyday decisions.

Use the company culture in onboarding guide to plan that discussion. Keep a welcome gift in proportion to the other arrangements, including a prepared workplace, clear role expectations and useful introductions.

Tell the employee what to expect when they arrive. Arrange a contact who can welcome them, introduce the team and help them find the information and equipment needed for the day.

Use the preboarding tips guide to connect the pack with practical preparation. Keep essential arrival details available separately so someone can find them before receiving the items.

Set the budget before selecting items. Include personalisation, packing and delivery, then decide who orders the pack and checks that it reaches the employee. Separate essential work equipment from optional gifts so a merchandise delay does not hide a missing laptop.

For a remote employee, confirm the delivery arrangement through the employer’s approved channel. Tell them whom to contact if the package does not arrive. Keep the digital information and personal welcome ready even when a physical item is delayed.

A fictional financial aggregator welcomes a remote implementation colleague with a notebook and a short note from their manager. The digital pack includes the first meeting link, a team contact list and the approved company introduction.

HR confirms delivery separately, while the manager explains the first-week plan in their welcome call. The open banking employee journey connects that preparation with later introductions and learning. The gift is optional; the colleague’s practical information and contact route remain available without it.

The employee needs opportunities to learn the role, get acquainted with colleagues and ask questions. Arrange the training and support alongside any welcome activity or informal team gathering.

The employee onboarding checklist template can help you assign those arrangements. Review the full welcome with the employee after they start, including what was useful and what they still need.