We all have heard the old adage that the first impression lasts forever. Thoughtful welcome gifts for new employees help your organization make a great first impression as an employer and make new team members feel welcomed. The biggest asset of any company is its employees. Welcome gifts for new employees is intended to help them feel valued and like a company’s member. Engaging a worker begins as soon as they walk through your door. But occasionally even before that. It sets the tone for a positive employee experience and reinforces the company culture from the get-go.
A great welcome to the team gift package demonstrates your concern for your staff and desire for a positive workplace environment. Additionally, new employees are happier, more at ease, and more involved right away.
Therefore, a list of office welcome gift ideas for a new employee is crucial for a smooth onboarding process for a new hire. Statistics show that the new employee welcome kits effectively boosts employee performance by almost 20%.
Benefits of welcome gift
The advantages of giving your new hires onboarding gifts are listed below:
- New employee feels a sense of excitement.
- Sets the tone for a pleasant working environment.
- Enhances company culture and incorporates new hires into it.
- A bond is established between the company and the employees
- It helps in improving work quality.
- Encourages the employees to uphold business principles.
- Retention percentage reduces.
Welcome gifts ideas for new employees
Whatever your budget is, there are many things you can include in your new employee welcome package. Let’s explore some ideas for welcome gifts for new employees!
Customizable joining and company Swag kit
The welcome kit can be a great option allowing employees to use it from their first day at work. The onboarding gift box will offer the recipient a joyous start to their trip. A customized joining kit is something every employee wishes when they join any company. You can order different customized corporate gifts from any print-on-demand vendors. Also Swag kits are a great addition. Swag stands for Stuff We All Get. Company Swags are some of the company-branded products and the bag includes:
- Water bottles
- Customized branded t-shirts
- Notebooks
- Name embedded pens
- Mousepad
- Notepad or notebook
- Tote bag/backpack/laptop bag
- Coffee cup/mug/tumbler
You can make the welcome gifts more special by having them inscribed with the employees’ names.
Handwritten welcome note
Another great gift is a handwritten welcome note which adds a personal touch to the first work day. A short message expressing excitement over the new employee is enough. This helps create a great first impression of the company, which is important to boosting new hire retention.
According to Clear Company, “organizations with an excellent onboarding process increased new hire retention rates by 52%”.
Noise-canceling headphones
Another excellent gift is noise-canceling headphones if you have the budget. A comfortable headphones and something with minimal sound leakage can make your employee enjoy music without bothering their colleagues and also blocks chatty coworkers.
Office Supplies
Office supplies are call “necessities,” and not having them might make it very difficult to complete a task. Proper office supplies will greatly simplify life for a new employee, such as:
- Workplace Storage and box holders
- Notebooks and notepads
- Pens, Markers, Highlighters
- Scissors, staplers, double tape
- Folders, envelopes, and business cards
- Office cleaning kit with cleansing wipes, spray for desk and screen, hand sanitizer, cleaning gel
Focus on supplies that your employees truly need to avoid unnecessarily cluttering their desks.
Cookies or other goodies
Providing cookies and snack boxes is another great gifting idea as it will provide good nourishment when hunger strikes while working.
Employee’s wellbeing should be considered and invest in healthy and high quality snacks like fruits, nuts, veggies, trail mix, granola bars etc. Also include refreshments like coffee, tea, or juices. Also, always ask about allergies and dietary restrictions before considering cookies and snack boxes as your welcome gifts for new employees.
Powerbank
If possible providing good power bank can be another great gift if your employee is working while traveling. A trusted backup power bank with decent capacity, should work great.
Gift cards and vouchers
Gift cards are an excellent option as it allows them to choose the stuff they really want. Gift cards from popular platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and Target etc. can be a great option. Moreover, employees can enjoy the shopping experience gift cards provide, contributing to employee satisfaction.
You can choose gift cards for a local coffee shop or restaurant.
Similar to gift cards, vouchers are also an affordable and lovely gift to new staff. There are also plenty of voucher selections like vouchers for staycations, weekend trips, meal subscriptions, or dinners at fancy restaurants.
Books
Giving books to your new hires show you are invested in their growth and development.
Buy books related to their business or industry. Choose selections that will help them excel in their role or increase their expertise.
Some companies give their employees an eBook reader like Kindle; you can also consider that and preload it with books.
Eco-Friendly Gift
Another great option if you want to c0ommit to the environment, eco-friendly gift packages are fantastic. Some of the gifts that can be included in an eco-friendly gift hamper are:
- Customizable environment-friendly cap
- Bamboo finished water bottle
- Environment awareness note
- Greeting card made of eco-friendly material
- Shopping bags with custom brand logo
Employee handbook
This contains more comprehensive information such as history, mission, vision, and values of the company. It also discusses the company’s different policies and regulations, such as:
- Employment conditions
- Compensation and benefits
- Attendance and time off
- Working conditions and hours applicable to onsite/remote/hybrid staff
- Work performance
- Business policies and procedures
- Communication
- Antibullying and anti-harassment
Office accessories
There are many accessories and gadgets that can make the lives of desk workers, whether in-office or remote, easier and more pleasant. We’ve listed a couple of ideas below.
- Wireless mouse
- Blue light glasses
- Laptop microphone
- Laptop stand
- Monitor stand
- USB drive
- Standing desk mat
- Ergonomic keyboard
Tips for the best welcome gifts for new employees
Consider employees’ needs
Always consider what would make their time at workplace and what could help them be more productive?
For example, headphones may not be the best gift for a receptionist, while deskless workers don’t need an office cleaning kit.
Avoid purely decorative gifts
Try not gifting decorative items as they are disregarded or thrown away.
Personalize the gifts
Employees enjoy personalized gifts as it makes them feel special.
Consider employees’ preferences wherever you can.
You can ask questions during pre-boarding to uncover some of those.
Instill the company’s core values
It’s of utmost importance for the employee to start on a right note. By instilling core values effectively, companies can help ensure that new employees will strive to embody these from the first day forward. Consider company’s core values with your gift selection.
Make your welcome gift packaging attractive
An attractive package makes the welcome gift more appealing. It’s best to use company branding on your wrapping paper, paper bag or box or put your gifts in a branded tote bag.
Select gifts with DEIB in mind
If gifts vary across departments, ensure they’re all of the same value. Also, keep gifts gender-neutral and unpolitical. Keep in mind the different ethnicities, backgrounds, and cultures.
Get employee feedback
Take feedback, include few questions about the gifts in your new hire satisfaction survey, such as:
- Did they find them helpful?
- What would they add?
- What would they change?
- Analyze the feedback and see what you can improve.
Overall
Welcoming a new employee in a memorable way does not require a large budget. Just by adding a personal touch and providing something that could improve their daily work experience goes a long way.