Welcome Kit for New Employees: Must-Have Essentials and 30 Gift Ideas to Inspire You

A good welcome kit says the company was ready for you before you walked in.

A welcome kit for new employees, also called an onboarding kit or new hire kit, is a curated collection of materials, tools and gifts that lands on or before someone’s first day. It introduces the company, hands over the practical basics, and gives the new hire something with the logo on it to use in week one.

BambooHR’s 2023 onboarding study found that 44% of new employees have regrets or second thoughts about their new role within the first week. A kit is one of the few things a company controls in that window.

What should a welcome kit for new employees include?

A welcome kit for new employees should include three things: the information the person needs in week one, the supplies they will use every day, and the branded gear. Culture and budget set the rest.

• Informational materials. A welcome letter from the manager or team, the company handbook, an org chart, a benefits overview, and IT login details with a support contact.
• Office supplies. A notebook, a pen, and drinkware for the desk.
• Company swag. A branded t-shirt, hoodie or polo, logo stickers, and a backpack or tote. Colleagues wearing the shirt and drinking from the mug make the new hire part of the team on sight.

Why do employee welcome kits work?

Employee welcome kits work because they hand a new hire the tools, the information and the shirt on day one, before anyone has to ask.

• Engagement. A kit shows the employer invested in the person before they produced anything.
• Culture. The items say what the company values. Eco-friendly products signal sustainability, tech gear signals a forward-looking environment, and a handwritten note says a person welcomed them.
• Productivity. Supplies, technology and a comfortable item for the workspace mean the new hire starts working instead of asking where things are.

How much should you budget for employee welcome kits?

Budget for employee welcome kits by tier, because the most effective kits are rarely the most expensive ones. Spend on the card and the packaging first; a handwritten note in a branded box does more than a bigger item in a poly bag.

• Entry tier. A t-shirt, a notebook, a pen, stickers and a handwritten card.
• Mid tier. Add drinkware, a tote or laptop sleeve, and one comfort item such as a desk plant or a blanket.
• Premium tier. Add a retail-brand piece: earbuds, a hoodie, or an insulated tumbler, plus custom packaging.

Choose the tier by role and by how many kits ship a year.

How do you personalize employee welcome kits?

You personalize employee welcome kits by keeping one core kit for everyone and adding a single touch per person, so the effort stays manageable at any hiring volume.

1. Fix the core kit. The same essentials for every hire: the information packet, the supplies, the branded gear.
2. Add one detail from the interview. Coffee gear for the coffee enthusiast, a desk plant for the gardener, a local restaurant gift card for someone relocating, their favorite snack.
3. Let them choose the rest. Send a Swag Gifting link and the new hire picks an item from your inventory, so the choice is theirs and the packing is not.
4. Ask for sizes with the offer paperwork. A shirt in the wrong size sends the wrong message.

30 New Employee Welcome Kit Ideas

New employee welcome kit ideas run from everyday essentials to the extras people talk about.

Branded essentials

Branded essentials give a new employee daily utility and a reason to show the logo.

• 1. A custom tumbler with logo. Insulated for hot and cold, used at the desk and on the commute.
• 2. A company logo mug. A ceramic mug for the morning coffee, the afternoon tea, or the pens on the desk.
• 3. A branded blanket. Embroidered or woven, for cold offices and work-from-home days.
• 4. A notebook with your logo. Lined pages for meetings, brainstorms and daily task lists.
• 5. A company-branded pen. A crisp notebook needs a reliable pen to go with it.
• 6. A branded t-shirt. Soft enough for casual Fridays, errands and the gym.
• 7. A company water bottle. For back-to-back meetings and the post-work workout, and one less disposable bottle each time.
• 8. A logo tote bag. Carries a laptop, paperwork or groceries, and doubles as a conference tote.
• 9. A branded laptop sleeve. Padded protection for the work laptop in transit, with subtle branding.
• 10. A custom microfiber cloth. Smudges off screens and glasses, safe for delicate surfaces.

Drinkware comes in at the mid tier, so take a look at the YETI 20 Oz. Rambler Tumbler, the 12 Oz. Inola Mug and the Owala 24 Oz. Freesip Water Bottle.

The desk and the cold office get the next three: the Field & Co. Sherpa Blanket, the Moleskine Softcover Notebook and the Recycled Aluminum Gel Ballpoint Stylus Pen.

Wearables carry the logo furthest: the Swag.com Unisex Cotton Crew T-Shirt, the Carhartt Unisex Midweight Hoodie and the Valucap Washed Classic Dad Hat.

The commute needs a tote, a laptop sleeve and a screen cloth to tuck inside: the Liberty Bags Susan Canvas Tote Bag, the Canvas Laptop Sleeve and the Tech Screen Cleaning Cloth.

Practical and productive items

Practical items answer the everyday work needs a new hire will not think to ask for.

• 11. An employee handbook. Policies, benefits and culture in one place.
• 12. An onboarding checklist. The first tasks and milestones, day one through week four.
• 13. A list of key contacts. IT support, HR and team leads, so nobody guesses who to ask.
• 14. Headphones or earbuds. For video calls, noisy offices and focus time.
• 15. Blue light glasses. Filtering for long days in front of screens.
• 16. A mouse pad with a wrist rest. Wrist support for extended computer use.
• 17. A small whiteboard and markers. Quick brainstorms and reminders you can erase.
• 18. Sticky notes in several sizes. Flags, reminders and messages that stay top of mind.
• 19. A lunch bowl. Leak-proof and microwave safe for the weeks before they learn the good lunch spots.
• 20. A portable charger or power bank. Devices stay charged in the office, on the commute and at home.
• 21. A reusable lunch box. Encourages bringing lunch and cuts waste.

Focus items earn their place on the first video call: the JBL Tune Flex 2 True Wireless Earbuds, Custom Blue Light Glasses and a Gel Mouse Pad.

Lunch and the commute get the EKOBO 25 Oz. Lunch Bowl, the Bamboo Fiber Lunch Box and the 5-In-1 Wireless Charging Power Bank.

Comfort and wellness

Comfort and wellness items show the company cares about the person.

• 22. A small desk plant. A succulent adds a little life to the workspace and asks almost nothing in return.
• 23. A hand sanitizer. Pocket-sized, for shared offices and travel.
• 24. A lip balm. Air-conditioned offices and cold climates make this one get used.
• 25. A hand cream. Self-care that fits in a desk drawer.
• 26. A stress ball or fidget toy. A discreet way to reset during intense stretches.
• 27. A desk calendar or planner. Important dates and meetings in one place, and an end to the question of what day it is.
• 28. Company-branded stickers. For laptops, bottles and notebooks; offer a few designs and let people pick.

The workspace gets the Petite Zebra Plant, the Classic Weekly Desk Planner and a Custom Sticker Sheet.

The bag gets the Noshinku Refillable Hand Sanitizer, an SPF 15 Lip Balm and a Microfiber Stress Ball.

Fun and engaging extras

Fun extras are optional, and they are the pieces people mention to friends.

• 29. A gift card to a local coffee shop or restaurant. An invitation to explore the neighborhood on the company.
• 30. A list of employee perks and discounts. Local businesses, gym memberships, software; the value of the job beyond the salary.

For ideas outside the usual categories, our list of unique swag ideas runs from hand-dipped mugs to custom shoes.

What do real employee welcome kits look like?

Real employee welcome kits are usually simpler than the idea lists suggest.

Swag Pro’s own welcome kit

At our enterprise solution, Swag Pro, our own welcome kits include notebooks, drinkware, wearables and other accessories from our catalog. We also send work-from-home items to make remote work easier.

The Barnraise Communications welcome kit

Barnraise Communications, a boutique content marketing firm, keeps its kit practical: a company-issued laptop and monitor, security key cards and an employee handbook. New hires also get a greeting card and a gift card to a nearby grocery store, which many use for lunch.

The Dispatch welcome kit

The on-demand delivery technology company Dispatch mixes practical and fun branded swag in custom packaging: ballpoint pens that double as touchscreen styluses, and an insulated mug for the office or the road.

How does Swag Pro run an onboarding kit program?

Swag Pro runs an onboarding kit program from one kit design: sizes collected up front, a CSV upload per start class, delivery to homes or offices. In our welcome kits video, we share that 74% of HR teams are not confident in the impact of their new hire kits. HR professionals named four challenges: deciding what to include, managing multiple vendors, shipping kits to remote employees, and keeping kits consistent.

1. Build the kit once. Our merch experts help with ideas, and the custom kit is branded inside and out, with a personalized note.
2. Collect sizes up front. The platform collects sizing from new hires before anything ships, so the shirt fits.
3. Ship to homes or offices. We send kits to employees’ homes or drop ship to your offices, and a CSV upload sends a whole start class at once.
4. Reuse the program for milestones. The same setup sends anniversary, promotion and new-parent kits, and an employee swag store lets people request items between sends.

HR teams say what they want from a kit vendor in our guide to what HR teams look for in a welcome kit vendor. The short version: one vendor for design, production, kitting and shipping, flexible quantities, and a curated starter kit. To see a program set up for your hiring volume, book a consultation.

FAQs About Employee Welcome Kits

What should you include in a new hire welcome packet?

A new hire welcome packet is the paper half of the kit, and it adds what the essentials list above does not. That means the first-week schedule, an onboarding checklist, a who-to-ask list for IT, HR and the team lead, and where to find the handbook and benefits details online. Put it on top of the box so it is the first thing opened.

What are some unique welcome kit ideas?

Unique welcome kit ideas are the things a new hire would not buy themselves: a sticker sheet in several designs, a live desk plant, custom packaging branded inside and out. Our unique swag ideas list has more, from bottle bands to hand warmers.

What are the best welcome packs for new hires on a budget?

A budget welcome pack for a new hire starts with the card and the packaging, then adds one supply and one wearable. The Swag.com Unisex Cotton Crew T-Shirt and the Liberty Bags Susan Canvas Tote Bag are the budget picks in the grids above.

How do you send welcome kits to remote employees?

Send welcome kits to remote employees by shipping from stored inventory to each home address rather than to an office. With Swag in a Box you build the kit and send it to one location or thousands, and Swag Distribution holds the inventory between hires.

How far in advance should you order employee welcome kits?

Order employee welcome kits ahead of the start date by the production time shown on each product page plus shipping, and add time for custom packaging. Ordering a quarter’s kits at once and shipping per hire avoids a rush every time someone signs.

Want an easy way to build your employee welcome kits?

Pick the products, build the box, and ship it to one new hire or a whole start class. Swag in a Box turns your cart into a custom welcome kit, and a swag consultant walks you through product selection, kitting and delivery.

Want help bringing your ideas to life? Fill out the form below and a Swag.com representative will be in touch to get you started.