Welcome kits for new joiners that people actually keep

A new joiner’s first day is mostly forms and laptop setup. A welcome kit waiting on the desk changes how that day feels. Done well, it says “we planned for you”. Done badly, it’s a box of things that go straight into a drawer.

Here is how to put together a kit people use.

Start with the box

The box is the first impression and the part that gets photographed and posted. A magnetic box is the most popular choice for welcome kits. It’s rigid, it opens and closes cleanly and people keep it for cables and stationery long after the kit is unpacked.

For larger kits or kits that will be couriered, a printed shipping box is lighter and tougher in transit, and the inside can be printed too.

Branding tip: put the logo on the lid, plain and centred, and save the fun stuff for the inside of the lid. A line like “Welcome to the team” printed inside gets more reaction than a logo on every side.

What to put inside

Pick items people use daily, so your brand is on their desk and in their bag, not in a cupboard.

Useful every day

• A mug or a reusable to-go cup
• A diary or notebook. See diaries and desk calendars.
• A tote bag for lunch, laptops and groceries
• Stickers for laptops

Clothing

• A T-shirt or polo
• A hoodie for air-conditioned offices
• A cap

Small personal touches

• A printed welcome card signed by the team or the manager
• An ID card and lanyard, if your office uses them
• A small snack or sweets for the first day

A welcome kit box. Brand shown is a sample.

Sizes: the part everyone forgets

Clothing is the most loved part of a kit and the hardest to get right. A few things that help:

• Ask for sizes in the offer letter or onboarding form. It’s the easiest place to collect them.
• Keep a small stock of each size so you can build kits as people join, rather than ordering every time.
• Offer a swap. Someone will get the wrong size. A simple swap process saves a lot of awkwardness.

Make it look like one brand

The kit works best when everything matches: the same logo, the same colours, one style. That’s much easier when one supplier makes the box, the clothing, the mug and the print. Colours on cotton, ceramic and paper all print a bit differently, and it takes someone checking them together to make them look like a set. We wrote about how we do that in how we check quality on every job.

Sending kits to remote staff

Teams are spread out now. Some new joiners will never visit the head office. You have two choices:

1. Kits delivered to the office, and HR sends them on.
2. Kits packed and sent directly to each person’s address.

We deliver across India and abroad, so ask us about sending kits to staff in other cities or countries. Read how we deliver worldwide for how that works.

Beyond onboarding

The same kit, with a different card, works for other moments:

• Work anniversaries
• Team offsites and conferences
• Client onboarding
• Festive gifts. See our Diwali gifting guide.

Getting started

Tell us how many people you expect to onboard and which items you’re thinking of. We suggest a kit, set up your logo for free and send a mockup of the whole thing. You get a quote within one working day, and a reorder for the next batch is one message. See the office starter set for ideas.