The Welcome Pack, or the art of welcoming new employees: examples and benefits

Have you come to the end of a recruitment process and finally found the rare pearl? That's great news! But don't stop there: give your new recruit the warmest of welcomes by offering him or her an onboarding welcome pack.

What is a welcome pack? What is the purpose of a welcome pack and how can it help optimise your HR onboarding? Explanations and ideas for welcome packs in this article!

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What is a welcome pack? Definition

A welcome pack, or welcome kit, is a welcome kit given to each new person joining a company. During your recruits' first week with the company, it might be a good idea to give them this kit to make them feel welcome in the team and that they are now part of yours.

It may seem trivial, but it's a real integration tool (also known as onboarding in English). The person's arrival has been planned and prepared, right down to the smallest detail: their recruitment is not a matter of chance.

A welcome pack can contain a wide range of goodies, which can be personalised as required:

• a welcome message from management and/or the team,
• goodies that reflect your employer brand, such as a business card holder,
• office supplies (notebook, pen, notepad),
• items to make everyday office life easier (a mug for coffee, a computer cover for teleworking days, a rucksack, an umbrella),
• textiles (t-shirts, sweatshirts, socks),
• a snack for the break.

Note: we're talking here about the employee welcome pack, but some companies also use the customer welcome pack. The principle is the same: welcome a new customer, start a customer relationship on the right footing with the aim of building loyalty.

©️ Welcome to the Jungle

The welcome pack can be accompanied by or contain a company welcome booklet, a guide to understanding company life and adapting to it more easily.

Why create a welcome pack?

To welcome and help integrate new employees

This HR tool is a way of saying " welcome" to someone new to the company. It implies that their arrival has been prepared for and that the whole company is ready to integrate them and work with them.

It also helps to create a sense of belonging, from day one, and to develop team spirit.

💡 Think about personalising the message and/or promotional items, with the person's first name for example, to take the welcome process all the way!

Passing on your values

The welcome pack is the first thing a new recruit will see on their desk on the day they arrive. It's an opportunity to pass on your values and your corporate culture.

• Who are you? What is your DNA?
• What are your habits?
• What are the company's core values?
• How does the company or team operate?

The choice of items that make up your welcome pack should convey the answers to these questions. Onboarding, or the first day of an employee's integration, is the moment when he or she must win over their new colleagues, but the company must also win over this new recruit!

Remember that the aim is to ensure successful integration, so that people adapt quickly and are successfully recruited in the long term.

Engaging employees

Employee commitment is an increasingly important issue for company management and human resources departments. How can we ensure that employees are committed and want to invest in their company?

Successful recruitment is not just about matching skills. The working environment, human relations and organisation are all decisive factors in ensuring that an employee feels comfortable in their new position and wants to continue the adventure with their new company.

In this sense, the welcome pack is not just a material detail, but an attention paid to the new recruit so that he or she wants to stay in the job in the first place, and then so that he or she is motivated and wants to commit.

Strengthening your employer brand

Developing your employer brand should be part of your HR strategy for attracting talent. But once again, recruitment doesn't end on the first day of onboarding a new person.

Knowing how to welcome, put someone at ease, train them and help them grow is not necessarily easy, but it's also part of a successful integration. And a well-integrated and committed recruit means an employee who is capable of attracting new talent when other recruitment needs arise.

Another example of a welcome pack at Sega's London offices:

©️ SEGA UK - Company profile on Glassdoor

What to put in a welcome pack?

Put it into practice! How do you put together your welcome pack? Useful, corporate, ecological or gadgets? The choice is yours.

You can choose to :

• use a service provider who will prepare the welcome packs for you according to your wishes (examples: welcome-pack.net, pimpmypack.fr),
• opt for ready-made welcome packs, which are more impersonal but practical if you don't have much time,
• choose all the elements that will make up your tailor-made welcome pack: personalisation guaranteed!

We've put together a list of original and more traditional ideas for creating your welcome pack.

The essentials of a welcome pack

• a personalised welcome card with a message from the team,
• a notebook, a notepad,
• Post-it notes
• pens
• a key ring,
• a USB key,
• a mug bearing your brand logo and the person's first name,
• a calendar,
• a personalised t-shirt, sweatshirt, socks or cap.

Welcome pack, some original ideas

• The team's trombinoscope with offbeat photos,
• a universal charger,
• a portable battery
• earphones or headphones for listening to music or making calls,
• a computer case or carry bag,
• a cam cover,
• a photo frame so you don't forget your family or your cat at the office,
• a cinema or theatre season ticket,
• a gym membership,
• discounts at local retailers,
• a free lunch on the first day,
• coffee or tea,
• a snack by 4 p.m,
• fruit.

Why not an eco-friendly welcome pack?

Is ecology important to you and part of your values, or even your CSR policy? Show this in your welcome pack by choosing items that have less impact on the planet. A few well-chosen objects are more relevant than gadgets that will end up in a drawer.

• a message on seeded paper to be planted,
• a reusable bag or tote bag, if your new recruit doesn't already have fifty at home,
• a mug made from bio-sourced materials (recycled plastic, plant-based plastic, bamboo, recycled coffee grounds, etc.)
• a water bottle to avoid the use of cups or water bottles,
• a lunch box to avoid meal-related waste,
• a plant to decorate the office.

Why not let your employees choose?

Some companies opt for a predefined budget and give new arrivals the freedom to choose what they want to put in their welcome pack.

For example, the Lunchr company uses the Panopli website:

• the online shop dedicated to Lunchr employees includes branded items with the company's image;
• new recruits can choose from the items they prefer or need most.

©️ screenshot Panopli

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Create your welcome pack with your teams!

Would you like to set up or improve your company's welcome pack? Call on the creativity and ideas of your teams! Putting together the welcome pack collaboratively is also a way of getting them involved, and who knows, your employees may come up with ideas that you didn't.

What is your ideal welcome pack? Which item do you think is essential?