We all know the feeling of excitement that comes with a new job. There’s new people, new challenges, a new environment, and most importantly— new swag!
Onboarding kits are now a staple for companies invested in making sure all of their new employees feel welcomed and prepared to hit the ground running from day one. Traditionally, onboarding kits are something that new employees find on their desk when they first arrive at the office. Opening them up is one of the joys of the first day.
Times are changing however, and onboarding kits have to as well. It’s no longer taken for granted that employees will be in the office full time— in fact, you might not have an office at all! Onboarding kits become all the more important in cases like this where they become the only physical touchpoint with your company.
In either case, we have some simple steps you can use to think through what the perfect employee onboarding kit will look like, and then how to build it! Remember that Swag.com can help you get fully custom boxes delivered to remote addresses all over the world. Whether you’re onboarding ten new employees at the office, or 100 WFH hires, we can help you get the job done.
Let’s get started!
Step 1: Set your goals
Every company will have a slightly different set of goals when it comes to building an onboarding kit for their new hires. For example, you might have a team working full time in the office— and your goal is simply to give them things that will excite them about your brand. You could also be sending these boxes to remote employees working from home offices, in which case you should include all the items they need to set up their space to work.
Here are some of the common goals our customers have when building new hire kits:
- Equip their employees for day one work, no matter what that looks like
- Build excitement and company pride
- Send a heartfelt welcome message
- Tell the story of your company
You may have more goals than this, or only one of them. The important thing is to keep them at the front of your mind as you go through the rest of the building process. Choosing the right products and finishing touches will be so much easier if you have overarching goals to guide you!
Step 2: Choose the right items
Now comes the fun part! There’s no hard formula for what exactly belongs in an onboarding kit. But with the knowledge you gained in step one, you should have some idea of what might get the job done for you!
With that being said, there are a few common categories that our customers turn to time and time again when building onboarding kits. We’ll go over them, and hopefully something will spark some inspiration for you.
Apparel
Clothing that can show off your branding is a surefire way to get people excited about working for your company. Standard onboarding kits usually include a t-shirt, hoodie, hat or some other combination of fun items your new hires can wear with pride.
Desk and office supplies
Outfitting your new hires with the things they need to be successful on day one is a crucial component of the onboarding kit. Including items that will help them stay organized is a great way to set them up for success!
WFH supplies
If your employees are going to be WFH most of the time, you should think about gifting them some custom items they can use to make their home office more comfortable and productive. High-quality custom blankets are another cozy home office gift we love.
Commuting supplies
Commuting into the office can be a drag— but not when you’re well equipped with gear that makes it a breeze! Here are some of our favorite items you can use to encourage people to come into the office.
*If you want to include a backpack as part of an onboarding kit, please let us know by visiting our contact us page!
Drinkware
A true staple of the onboarding kit. Mugs, water bottles, tumblers and more are all fair game. We suggest at least one item that can keep caffeinated beverages at the right temperature, however.
See our full line of custom drinkware here.
Gadgets
Electronics have become important components of our day-to-day lives. Quite frankly, they are essential to getting everything done between home and work life. Make it easy on your new hires with custom gadgets.
Company pride items
How will your employees let the world know they work for you if you don’t give them a way to show it off? Including small branded items they can use to express their pride is a surefire way to build a healthy company culture.
Something fun
Once you have all the essentials included, think about adding an item or two that simply makes people smile! It doesn’t have to be anything big, just fun or exciting. Of course, you can go all out if you want to…
Read more: 20 “Oddball” Unique Swag Ideas to Make Your Brand Stand Out
Step 3: Add personal touches
Once you have all of the items you want to include in your box, complete with their own customizations, add some cool personal touches that will take your onboarding kits to the next level!
At the checkout process for your boxes, you’ll be offered the chance to include items like personalized notecards, snacks and more!
Step 4: Stick the details and delivery
We believe that the experience of receiving an onboarding kit can be just as meaningful as what’s inside. So— we make it easy to tailor each unique experience to the exact needs of your business.
For example, we allow you to choose the level of customization you want for the box itself. We offer a number of options, from a plain brown box with a sticker, all the way to a fully customized box that has your branding printed on every surface. You can learn more about your options for box customization here.
When it comes to how your audience receives their kits, we give you lots of options too! Here are just a few:
- Send your boxes all at once to your office and distribute them onsite yourself
- Use our swag distribution system to send custom boxes to individual employees around the world
- Use our corporate gifting feature to let your employees choose a box of their liking, and we’ll send it directly to them.
It’s that simple.
Whatever you decide you want to do to make your new hires feel welcome, we’re happy to assist you in any way that we can! If you want to speak with one of our expert swag representatives, please fill out the form below, and someone will reach out to you as soon as possible to discuss your swag needs.
