After sifting through numerous resumes, conducting a slew of candidate interviews, and navigating the offer negotiation process, you’ve finally hired the perfect fit for your team– congrats!
Now that your amazing new hire is starting soon, it’s important to kick things off on the right foot, and what better way to do that than sending your new employee an employee welcome kit?
Whether your company has an official employee milestone program or not, sending an employee welcome kit is an impactful way to recognize your employee’s first formal company milestone– their very first day of work! With a recent rejuvenation in the era of employee care, more companies than ever before are looking for unique and genuine ways to foster meaningful connections with their employees.
According to a recent Gallup report, employees who have an exceptional onboarding experience are 2.6 times more likely to be extremely satisfied with their workplace. Of course, the onboarding experience is much more than sending a new employee welcome kit. However, welcome packages are an amazing way to establish an immediate connection with your new hires at a critical moment in their onboarding process.
“Two things remain irretrievable: time and a first impression” – Cynthia Ozick
Let’s make the most of our time and dive right into how you can make a great first impression with your new hires and some of the awesome benefits of sending employee welcome gifts!
1. Makes a Positive Impact on the Employee’s First Day
The most obvious benefit of sending new hire welcome kits is its positive impact on your new employee’s first day. We’ve all been there before– it’s your very first day at a brand new job and that can feel a bit like you’re the new kid on the block. First days can be a little scary and intimidating, so welcome kits are a great way to ease those new hire jitters and help employees begin to feel comfortable right away.
To have those welcome kits ready to gift on Day 1, it’s important to pre-plan and coordinate closely with your HR team during the pre-onboarding process. If you encounter some bumps in your timeline, don’t panic– get the kit to your new hire by the end of their first week instead.
Pro-Tip: Let Caroo’s New Hire offering take the wheel here! Partner with Caroo’s curation experts to build the perfect new employee welcome package for your company that will undoubtedly make a great first impression with your new team members!
2. Promotes a strong company culture
New hire welcome kits help to introduce your company culture and values to your new employees in a meaningful way. It shows that your company culture places a focus on its people and the importance of an inclusive and welcoming onboarding experience. When building your employee welcome package, include items that align well with your company culture.
For example, if your company culture values employee wellness, consider including some healthy brain-food snacks to help fuel your new hires as they absorb their week 1 onboarding information.
In SHRM’s 2022 Global Culture Research Report, they found that 90% of workers who rate their work culture poorly have considered quitting. Come out of the gate strong with your new hires by giving them a positive and memorable introduction to your company culture. It’s much easier to build off a positive interaction than remedy a negative one.
3. Increases connection with remote employees
With the relatively recent rise in remote and hybrid work stemming from the pandemic, it can be more challenging than ever before to connect with your employees. Corporate gift boxes, particularly welcome boxes for new hires, help bridge that gap by establishing meaningful connections with remote and in-office workers alike through a personal touch.
Fostering connections with remote hires during the onboarding process is no easy feat. Adding new hire welcome kits into your onboarding repertoire goes a long way in helping your new employees feel part of a positive workplace environment, regardless of where they’re doing their actual work.
Pro-Tip: Explore Caroo’s Milestones & Onboarding platform to customize gift boxes and kick your onboarding gifting into high gear!
4. Reduces employee turnover
Now that you’ve found the perfect new hire, what a shame it would be to lose them, right? Fortunately, another benefit of sending new hire welcome kits is that it helps reduce employee turnover by establishing a positive & immediate connection with new employees. Keep in mind that about 31% of new employees leave their jobs within their first six months of employment. Many times a negative onboarding experience is to blame for these early departures.
As mentioned earlier, the onboarding experience is much more robust than welcome gifts alone, but don’t underestimate the significant and lasting impact that welcome kits can have on a new hire’s attitude towards your company. The more positive the onboarding experience, the more likely your new hire will be satisfied with their new role and work environment resulting in employee loyalty and higher retention rates.
5. Shows employee appreciation
Sending new hire welcome packages is a fantastic way to show your new employees that they are appreciated and are valuable additions to the company. Who doesn’t love receiving a thoughtful gift and showing a little appreciation? Showing employee appreciation should be an ongoing company priority to keep employee happiness and productivity levels elevated.
Welcome kits help set a tone of appreciation for you to continue to build upon in the weeks, months, and hopefully years to come. SHRM’s 2022 Global Culture Research Report found that a whopping 87% of employees who rated their workplace culture poorly indicated that their company does not care about them.
On the flip side, only 8% of employees who rated their workplace culture highly felt as if their company doesn’t care. This stat emphasizes the importance of fostering a strong workplace culture where employees feel both seen and appreciated by their employers. Thoughtful employee welcome packages help companies do just that!
6. Improves employee performance and productivity
Another impactful benefit of sending new hire welcome packages is that they help boost your employee performance and productivity levels. Of course, it’s important that your new hire has all of their necessary tech equipment and fundamental tools up and running on Day 1 for them to be productive and make the most of their week 1 onboarding.
Side note: A Talmundo and Vlerick study found that a staggering 43% of new hires are without their core work tools for more than a week, which results in productivity plummeting.
Be sure you’re prioritizing this important pre-onboarding step with your IT department and setting your new hires up for success! In addition to their core work equipment, supplying your new hires with a welcome package helps bolster productivity as it helps your new employees instantly feel part of a team and energizes them to start their new role with enthusiasm.
7. Promotes brand awareness & employee advocacy
Think of your employee welcome kit as a subtle, yet impactful, extension of your marketing efforts. Branded company swag items like coffee mugs, notebooks, and hoodies, are quite common items included in new hire welcome packages.
And for good reason! Branded items with your company logo on them are a great way to promote brand awareness and encourage employee advocacy. You want your employees to be proud of where they work and literally show that pride on their sleeve.
Including branded swag items in your welcome kits helps to plant the seeds for that company’s pride to grow. A super-easy way to encourage brand awareness and employee advocacy is to include a handful of branded pens in your welcome kit for your new hire to share out with family and friends.
8. Provides information about the new hire’s role, the company & its values
Your welcome package and its contents are a fun way to introduce your new hires to their role, the company & the company value pillars. In addition to the branded swag items we just talked about, consider including an employee handbook highlighting milestones in your company history, introducing executive leadership, and sharing how your company brings its values to life.
Or keep it even simpler by including a brief welcome letter written by a member of the leadership team. A personalized greeting message from the executive team sets the tone for open communication and mutual respect between leaders and their employees.
9. Paves the way for employee engagement
Sending new employee welcome packages is an important step to include in your employee engagement action plan because it paves the way for future opportunities to connect with your new employees and keep their engagement levels high throughout the onboarding process and beyond.
Some benefits of high employee engagement include lower turnover rates, increased productivity, and better quality work output. With so many benefits of strong employee engagement, it’s easy to see why employee engagement is important and how it greatly impacts your company’s bottom line. Disengaged employees who feel disconnected and disinterested in their work negatively impact team morale, performance, and the overall work environment.
By making a positive first impression with your new hires with a welcome package, you’re beginning that relationship on a positive note and can continue to build off that forward-moving momentum.
10. Acts as a great icebreaker
Starting a new job can be quite intimidating and overwhelming, especially when you’re onboarding remotely. New employee care packages help break the ice and put your new hires at ease during what can be a stressful transitional period. Have fun with these welcome packages and don’t be afraid to personalize for certain departments or roles!
Some more light-hearted welcome gifts include humorous calendars or planners, an easy-to-care-for succulent, or a unique paperweight. Whatever you decide to include in your welcome package, the contents will serve as a great ice breaker and company introduction for your new hire.
People Also Ask These Questions About the Benefits of Sending Employee Welcome Kit
Q: How do I make my new employee feel welcome?
- A: To make your new employees feel welcome, you should send them a new hire welcome package during their first week of employment. In addition to the welcome package, send them a day one welcome email outlining relevant onboarding details and set up introductory meetings with key colleagues.
Q: What should I include in an employee welcome kit?
- A: An employee welcome kit should include a welcome note, branded swag items (for example a hat, t-shirt, or water bottle), office supplies (like a notebook and pens), and snacks or a delivery service gift card to fuel your new hire during their first week.
Q: What makes a good employee welcome kit?
- A: A good employee welcome kit establishes a meaningful point of connection between a company and its new hires. Whether your employee is an in-office, remote, or hybrid hire, a good welcome kit should instantly make that new hire feel part of the team and lay a strong foundation for employee engagement.
Q: Should all new hires receive an employee onboarding kit?
- A: Short answer is yes– all new hires should receive an employee onboarding kit. This ensures that the onboarding welcome process is consistent across departments and that each new hire has a positive introduction to the company.
