Make onboarding unforgettable: kickass additions to your employee welcome kit

If your company doesn’t already have an employee welcome kit as a part of the onboarding process, then you’ve landed in just the right place. Keep reading to see why. If your company does have one, that’s great, and you’re on the right track—keep reading to make it even better.

Recent research revealed that organizations with strong onboarding processes can increase new hire retention by 82% and improve employee productivity by 70%. Moreso, 70% of new hires who had memorable onboarding experiences are genuinely happy with their jobs. So why is it that 88% of employees believe their company doesn’t do a great job when it comes to the onboarding process?

Whether on-site or remote, how your new hires experience their transition from candidate to employee can be a huge factor in making or breaking retention. And while there are numerous elements to the onboarding process, we’ll be specifically addressing employee welcome kits, because not only do they mark the beginning of a newcomer’s journey, but they’re also a prime opportunity to make a great first impression.

To add to that, the gesture of giving your employees a thoughtful welcome gift can make them feel valued, while familiarizing them with the company culture.

On another note, getting some of these gifts customized and branding them with your company logo is an effective marketing tactic that’s been around for a long time, and it works!

If you’re wondering what to compile to make a truly unique employee welcome kit, look no further, because this one’s the only list you need:

1. Warmly welcome them with a personal letter

First and foremost, your new hire should get a personal message from the hiring manager, warmly welcoming them and letting them know that what they bring to the table is valued and acknowledged from the get-go. This will ensure that the welcome kit is personalized for each individual, which is important if you want them to know they’re appreciated. It doesn’t have to be long—a few words of affirmation can go a long way.

Bonus tip: to make it even more welcoming, have other teammates sign the letter, as well!

2. Promote wellbeing and reduce stress with plants

‍Plants have long been proven to reduce stress and enhance wellbeing, all while being aesthetically pleasing addition to any workspace.

Lively Root guides you through choosing the perfect plant gift to fit your needs, and lets you personalize it by adding a logo, a special note or custom design. Plus, a portion of every purchase helps fund their annual commitment to the Arbor Day Foundation, which is a nonprofit conservation and education organization dedicated to connecting opportunities, people, and organizations to plant trees and forests, with the goal of combatting some of the most critical issues facing our planet.

Even just being able to see a plant in their peripheral vision is enough to boost psychological engagement with your work. What a way to plant the seeds of success!

3. Prevent screen-time fatigue with blue light glasses

The reality is that more often than not, your employees are spending a great deal of time looking at screens. Whether it’s work-related or not, they’re being exposed to more blue light than they really need, and studies have shown that exposure to too much blue light has the potential to cause eyestrain, fatigue, headaches and sleeplessness.

One way to prevent this is wearing blue light glasses. These glasses have special filters in their lenses that absorb the blue light, making screen time less intense on the eyes. And in this highly digital age, we can all benefit from owning a pair.

For this reason, blue light glasses are one of the most useful items to include in your employee welcome kit. They’re a reminder that you care about the wellbeing of your people and they’re budget-friendly.

KUGO Glasses is a great supplier that offers branding and personalization options., All it takes is giving out a special code redeemable on KUGO’s website for employees to choose the model and the customization they wish to have.

4. Throw in a feelings wheel sticker to help with emotional regulation

Regardless of title, physical location, or context, emotions can confuse or overwhelm your people at any given time. Sometimes, these confusing emotions will pay your employees a visit when they’re dealing with work-related matters. This is completely normal, but what if they had a tool within reach that could help them better understand and regulate their emotions?

Psychologist Robert Plutchik created the wheel of emotion, a graphic illustration of both major and minor emotions, depicting the differing degrees and complexity of various sentiments. As a tool, it can help your people in recognizing emotions and learning to manage them in various contexts—cultivating greater self-awareness.

Your employees can benefit greatly from placing this sticker somewhere they’ll be able to easily look at while they work; whether that’s on their laptop, water bottle, desk—whatever works for them!

You can browse through a range of sticker options and place a bulk order on Zazzle.

5. Reusable cutlery set for travels

Not only are reusable utensils great environmentally friendly tools to have on hand during one’s travels, but they’re also a hygienic way to stay prepared for meals on the go any time, any place!

TREA offers customizable cutlery sets with high quality utensils and straws that come in different designs and materials to cater to your requirements. These sets will surely be put to good use by those who prefer to pack their own lunches to work, but if your team has some outdoor adventure junkies or remote employees that like to travel and work from different locations, then you’ve also hit the jackpot with this gift!

BPA-free, shatter-proof and eco-friendly; get yours here.

6. Take protective measures with a webcam cover

With cyber-security becoming a more serious concern by the day, having a webcam cover is an easy way to take precautionary measures and protect your team’s privacy.

According to this article on ScienceABC, millions of people are affected by cyberattacks every year and this number is only expected to grow as the proliferation of the internet increases. Financial scamming, breach of privacy, and identity theft are only a few of the chilling crimes that your employees will have higher chances of avoiding if they take this simple step.

These tiny gifts are not only a way to give your people a higher sense of security, but they’re also super affordable and easy to use. Promo leaf offers a variety of different customizable designs to order in bulk.

We’ll leave you with some tips to consider:

You can always include more conventional items in your kit, like office supplies, notebooks, snacks or reusable water bottles; but going a little further and adding some different elements to the basic welcome kit is a sure-fire way to make it unique and memorable.

Here are some things to remember when choosing what to add to your employee welcome kit: