5 tips for an unforgettable welcome gift for your employees!

As an organisation, you put a lot of time and effort into attracting new talent — new team members who fit perfectly into your organisation and can help your company grow. But recruitment is only a small part of the "war for talent"; good onboarding is just as important.

Retaining talent is just as important as attracting new talent — after all, you don't want your new employee handing in their notice after just a few months. Good onboarding of a new team member can help your new talent feel at home in the company faster, and can lay the foundation for a productive, positive, long-term working relationship.

New employees want to quickly feel like they're truly part of the company culture, that they have a network to rely on, and that they don't have to figure everything out on their own. A personal onboarding process leads to efficient, quickly settled-in, and above all happy newcomers.

So what makes good onboarding?

• Getting an early start is half the job done:
  

Don't wait until the first working day to connect with your new employee. Some time usually passes between signing the contract and the first day at work. Your new employee can't wait to get started, so it's important to stay in touch regularly to keep that enthusiasm going. Reach out before the first day to discuss the practical details and ease any concerns they might have.

• Assign a mentor:
  

A mentor can give the newcomer something to hold on to and the feeling of having someone to rely on. The mentor can show the new employee how the company works, helping your newcomer build enough confidence to get started independently before long. Choose an experienced, positive mentor to take your newcomer under their wing right away.

• Sort out the practical matters:
  

This seems like the most obvious tip, yet it still goes wrong far too often. There's nothing worse than arriving on your first day and finding out your access badge hasn't been arranged, you don't have a computer, and your desk is still cluttered with mess. It certainly doesn't make the new employee feel welcome and leaves a poor first impression of how the company operates.

• Create an onboarding programme: 
  

Choose someone from the team to welcome the employee and show them the basics (where to find the toilets, where the canteen is, a first quick introduction to the team, a short tour of the office, and so on). Go for that first cup of coffee (or tea, of course) together and have a chat! Plan a few get-to-know-you meetings and organise a welcome lunch with the whole team. And last but not least, choose a welcome gift to make your new employee feel truly welcome.

5 tips for an unforgettable onboarding gift

A welcome gift is becoming more and more common for welcoming new employees and helping them feel like they belong, faster. Now that many people work from home, a thoughtful gift for onboarding a new employee has become even more important. That's why we're happy to share 5 tips to make your onboarding box unique and unforgettable:

• Personal:

Never underestimate the impact of a personalised gift with a handwritten welcome note from the new colleagues. A small gesture that takes little effort but can make a big impression. From the moment they open the box, the new employee feels welcome, valued and expected.

• Branded:

Your new employee can't wait to get started and is proud of their new employer. There's no better way to build a connection with your new employee, while nurturing that pride, than offering a branded gift. This could be a branded hoodie with the company logo, or equally handy tools that make daily work life easier, like a power bank, a smartphone holder, trendy earbuds, and more. 

• Original: 

Avoid clichés and well-worn paths and think "outside the box" (pun intended). Everyone's already received enough pens and notebooks. Give something your newcomer will genuinely enjoy and appreciate. Think of an inspiring book for a smooth start, a relaxing scented candle, seeds for a fresh desk plant, and so on.

• Create connection: 
  

Especially now that we mostly work from home, it's extra important to make your new employee feel at home in the team. So organise activities to welcome them from a distance. Hold a digital get-together with the whole team, for example, and send your newcomer a personal invitation, a bottle of gin from a local producer and maybe a nutritious nibbles thrown in.

• Healthier:

Let your newcomers know you care about their wellbeing by offering them nutritious snacks in their box. JustBite can help you make onboarding unforgettable by focusing on more nutritious onboarding boxes. Fully styled to match your company, with a more nutritious and tasty content, tailored to you. To dive in together with plenty of energy.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression to make, so make your company's first impression as an employer unique and unforgettable with great onboarding!

Discover our onboarding boxes