Learn how staff welcome kits can give your business an edge in the battle for talent.
Most employers are struggling to find employees right now. According to a recent survey, 77% of companies have reported difficulty recruiting qualified talent[1].
Not only are businesses falling short in their attempts to bring the right people in, they’re also facing a tough challenge to keep hold of their best people. Gartner have revealed that 91% of HR leaders are concerned about employee turnover in the immediate future[2].
Never before has it been so important to make your employees feel wanted. It makes sense to start as you mean to go on. An appealing high-value staff welcome kit is a great way to make a great first impression and start the relationship off on the right foot.
So what is a Staff Welcome Kit?
A staff welcome kit or new hire kit is a welcome pack for all those joining the company. It’s usually either presented on the first day or, better still, sent to the employee’s home before they start, providing a memorable surprise and building that sense of anticipation for what’s to come.
These kits are a great way to make starters feel welcome, valued and prepared for their new job. Research indicates that 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for at least three years if they experience great onboarding[3].
Building a sense of belonging
With the work model changing for many companies since the pandemic, and an increase in the amount of hybrid and remote working, it has become harder than ever to establish a company culture.
Due to the new ways of working, only 32% of employees hired in the past 12 months feel a sense of belonging within their organization[4]. That makes new hire kits increasingly important as a way of enabling starters to feel part of the team, right from the outset.
[1] https://go.manpowergroup.com/talent-shortage [2] https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/09-30-21-gartner-survey-reveals-ninety-one-percent-of-hr-leaders-are-concerned-about-employee-turnover-in-the-immediate-future [3] https://www.octanner.com/insights/articles/2018/9/14/an_onboarding_checkl.html [4] https://hrexecutive.com/how-virtual-onboarding-is-failing-employees/?eml=20210402&oly_enc_id=7809F0437878D8B
What goodies go into these kits?
As you might imagine, the worse the talent shortage becomes the more effort companies are making with staff welcome kits, and the more they are tending to invest in them.
In most packs, you’ll find a welcome letter or a personalised note from the Company CEO, the Department Head or the HR team. This introduction is likely to be accompanied by useful background information about the business. That might be a brochure, for example, or a handbook featuring the company values, employee benefits, such as healthcare support and the pension scheme, a list of FAQs and key contact details.
Company branded merchandise
Then, there’s usually some kind of company-branded swag. This could come in the form of a pen, a notepad, a bag, a mug, a water bottle, a t-shirt or a baseball cap. Or, these days, it could well be all of the above.
Some companies are going beyond the obvious and opting for a single item that’s a bit more substantial, like a high-quality branded anorak that might retail for somewhere around the £100 mark.
Tap into the expertise of Arcadia
If you’re thinking about introducing new hire kits or upgrading them, then you should definitely have a chat with Arcadia. We specialise in the supply and distribution of quality, ethically sourced, environmentally friendly and sustainable promotional products, including staff welcome kits, which we can deliver to the office or to home addresses.
We can make the whole process effortless for you to fulfil by automating the kitting process with an online redemption portal. To give you ultimate flexibility, gift codes can be generated and automated for each new employee who can then redeem the gifts on the portal themselves.
Connect with one of one of our experts
To discuss staff welcome kits or any other aspect of branded merchandise, for either external or internal purposes, just drop us a line and we will get straight back to you.
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