What to put in an employee welcome kit, and what to leave out
A practical checklist for employee welcome kits in India: what new joiners actually use, what ends up in a drawer, how to brand it and when to ship it.
6 min read. Updated 2026-11-02. By the Eka team.
Most welcome kits get put together in a hurry, the week before a batch of new joiners arrives. The result is familiar: a tee in the wrong size, a keychain nobody asked for and a mug that goes straight to the back of a cupboard. A good kit costs about the same. It just has fewer, better things in it.
This is the checklist we use when HR teams ask us to build one.
Start with what they will use in week one
The first week is laptops, meetings and a lot of new names. Things that help with that week get used, and things that get used get remembered.
The core five
- A notebook with decent paper, for all the names and passwords they will write down
- A pen that actually writes well
- A steel bottle or a mug for the desk
- A desk accessory: a laptop sleeve, a cable organiser or a small stand
- Something to eat: coffee, tea or a snack box for the first few days
Add one thing that feels personal
The core five are useful. The sixth item is the one that gets photographed. A card from their manager, a small plant for the desk or a book the founder recommends all work better than one more branded object.
A note beats a gadget. If you only add one thing, make it a note from the person they will report to. It costs almost nothing and it is the item people keep.
What to leave out
- Clothing, unless you have each person's size. Wrong sizes end up as gym clothes or gifts to cousins.
- Cheap tech like unbranded earphones or power banks. They break in a month and take your logo with them.
- Anything with a huge logo on the front that nobody would carry outside the office.
- Food with a short shelf life, in case the kit sits at reception for a week.
Branding: less is more
Put your logo on the box and on one or two hero items, like the notebook and the bottle. A printed sleeve or a foil stamped lid makes the whole kit feel branded without stamping every pen. Ask for a digital mockup before anything is produced, so you can see it in place.
Remote joiners and timing
For people joining from home, the kit should arrive before day one, not after it. Share joining dates in batches and ship each kit to the home address with tracking. If you hire every month, it is easier to pack a batch in advance and dispatch as people join.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| 4 weeks before | Pick the items and approve the branding mockup |
| 2 to 3 weeks before | Kits are packed and checked |
| 1 week before | Kits are dispatched to the office or to each home |
| Day one | The kit is waiting on the desk or at the door |
Welcome kits you can order today
- First Day Welcome Kit: Everything a new joiner needs on day one, minus the laptop. From ₹2,200 per box, minimum 25 boxes.
- Good Mood Snack Crate: Healthy snacks that do not taste like a compromise. From ₹750 per box, minimum 50 boxes.
- Remote Starter Kit: For teams who work from the couch, the café and everywhere else. From ₹2,900 per box, minimum 25 boxes.
Want to choose every item yourself? Build a Box shows the price per kit as you go. Or browse all our employee welcome kits.