Set new hires up to thrive with clarity, community, and purpose.
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As Fall 2025 approaches, organizations across sectors are gearing up for another wave of hiring. But in today’s world, onboarding is more than just legal paperwork and orientation slides, it’s your brand in action. The way you welcome new hires sends a signal: about who you are, what you care about, and how you expect people to show up. And in an era where employee retention, engagement, and values-alignment are top priorities, that first impression can shape months or even years of experience.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through:
Why onboarding matters more than ever (especially now)
Core principles for creating an impactful onboarding journey
A phased onboarding strategy
How sustainable welcome kits (swag, thoughtfully done) reinforce your values
Let’s dive in.
Why Onboarding Matters More Than Ever
The stakes are higher now
Companies often think onboarding is “just HR’s job” or a checklist to tick off in week one. But organizations that treat it that way risk losing talent and losing alignment. Poor onboarding correlates with early departures: many organizations lose up to 20% of new hires within the first 45 days if the experience isn’t strong (DevlinPeck).
Meanwhile, structured, human-centered onboarding can boost new hire performance, increase discretionary effort, and enhance retention. It helps employees feel confident, supported, and connected and that pays off in productivity, engagement, and long-term loyalty.
In 2025, some of the biggest onboarding trends tie directly to greater expectations around employee experience, personalization, and sustainability. Candidates are asking smarter questions. Employees want to feel included from the start. And HR teams are being challenged to deliver high-impact onboarding without waste or redundancy.
A story: first impressions that last
Imagine two new hires joining two different companies. On Day 1:
At Company A, the new hire arrives at a bare desk, a stack of forms, and a generic “Welcome to the team” email from HR.
At Company B, the new hire gets a personalized welcome email before arrival, a role-specific onboarding portal, and a sleek sustainable welcome kit at their desk (or delivered to their home). Their manager meets them, introduces them around, and clarifies expectations for the first 90 days.
Which employee feels more excited? More confident? More willing to lean in? The difference isn’t about complexity, it’s about thoughtfulness. That’s the power you unlock when onboarding is treated as an investment, not a burden.
Onboarding = culture, retention, and belonging
Every interaction, big or small, reinforces your employer brand. When onboarding is disjointed or impersonal, you risk alienating new hires before they’ve fully joined. But when onboarding is clear, caring, and values-driven, you accelerate belonging.
An often-overlooked signal is the welcome kit (aka “swag box,” “onboarding kit,” or “welcome parcel”). Done right, it becomes a tangible touchpoint that:
Aligns the new hire to your mission and culture
Signals the values you live (especially around sustainability)
Creates excitement and a sense of belonging
Pays itself back when people share, use, or talk about it
Onboarding is a key opportunity to go beyond policy and procedure to communicate what it really means to be part of your team.
Core Principles for Impactful Onboarding
To make onboarding effective in today’s world, we need more than a polished schedule. We need intention. Here are foundational principles we lean into when designing onboarding (and welcome kits) that truly land.
1. Clarity over ambiguity
From Day 0, give new hires a clear map: What happens in the first week? First 30 days? First 90 days? Who are their key allies? What roles, relationships, and deliverables should they aim for? Ambiguity breeds confusion and stress.
Clarity also means defining responsibilities among managers, mentors, and HR. Who owns the pre-boarding email? Who’s checking in at day 30? Mapping roles ensures no touchpoint is missed.
2. Community over isolation
Even remote-first roles need connection. Assign a peer mentor, schedule informal get-tos, build cohort touchpoints, and use onboarding rituals (icebreakers, shared playlists, team intros) to create relational glue.
We’ve seen teams use “onboarding buddies,” internal Slack channels, or virtual lunch vouchers to build early bonds. Whatever your format, the goal is simple: no one should feel like they’re onboarding alone.
3. Purpose over process
Onboarding shouldn’t just walk people through systems and policies, it should help them answer: “Why does this role exist? How will I make an impact?” Weave in stories of your mission, customer outcomes, and how this hire contributes to the bigger narrative.
It helps to include customer testimonials, founder videos, or real-life success stories in your onboarding content. People want to know they matter.
4. Personalization and role relevance
Not all roles are equal. A developer, a salesperson, and a people operations hire need different tools, context, and integration paths. Tailor learning, engagement, and swag contents by role or team when feasible.
Think of this like tailoring a meal to dietary needs, iit doesn’t have to be wildly different, but thoughtful tweaks go a long way.
5. Extend beyond Day 1
Don’t stop at the first week. Onboarding is ongoing - 30, 60, 90 days (or more). Check-ins, feedback loops, stretch assignments, and continuous learning keep the momentum alive.
Research shows it can take six months to fully ramp up in a new role. Plan for a long runway. Embed learning opportunities, peer feedback, and lightweight reviews throughout that arc.
6. Sustainability, inclusion & values alignment
In 2025, employees expect more than glossy perks, they expect values in action. Incorporate sustainability, social impact, and inclusive design into every touchpoint (digital, physical, experiential).
Make sure your onboarding reflects your environmental goals, your equity commitments, and your cultural tone. Avoid overproduced or wasteful onboarding materials. Invite feedback from diverse employee groups.
7. Measurement and feedback
Track early sentiment, participation rates, time-to-productivity, and retention. Solicit feedback at 30/60/90 days. Use insights to iterate your onboarding and kit offerings.
This isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about improving outcomes and elevating employee experience with data that drives action.
A Phased Onboarding Strategy (with Swag Touchpoints)
You can think of onboarding in distinct phases. Below is a typical structure, paired with examples of how welcome kits or swag can reinforce each phase.
Tips for execution
Time shipments carefully. You don’t want someone to receive a welcome box after they’ve already been in for weeks.
Leverage cohorts so multiple new hires share experiences, swap items, build camaraderie.
Mix functional and emotional items. Swag is effective when it’s useful (e.g. a quality water bottle, notebook, charger) and meaningful (e.g. branded storytelling, sustainability tie-in).
Iterate based on feedback. Use surveys at 30/60 days to ask: Which items did you use? Which felt redundant? Which created delight? Use data to adjust your kit contents.
How Welcome Kits Reinforce Your Values (Especially Sustainability)
The welcome kit is more than "swag" , it's a statement. When designed thoughtfully, it becomes a tangible anchor for your culture, values, and brand promise.
Why sustainable welcome kits matter now
Aligns values with actions. New hires quickly notice if the "values you say" differ from the "values you live." Offering plastic, disposable, or mass-produced swag undermines credibility.
Meets employee expectations. In 2025, many candidates expect companies to live with ESG commitments, not just talk about them.
Reduces waste and environmental impact. Think recycled, upcycled, compostable packaging, low-impact printing, and carbon-neutral logistics.
Makes the kit shareable in a good way. People love sustainable items and often reuse or brag about them, extending your brand presence.
Elements of a values-centered welcome kit
When choosing elements, think through the lens of value alignment, usefulness, and delight. Here’s a breakdown of categories and example items:
Logic of curation and content count
Don’t overload. Around 5–8 thoughtfully selected items often hit more than 20 low-value trinkets.
Avoid redundancy. If multiple items are similar (e.g. two notebooks), drop one for variety.
Tier items by role. A software dev might prioritize ergonomic tools; a marketer might get social media-friendly items.
Focus on future utility. Every item should be something people would keep and use—not stuff destined for the drawer.
Packaging & presentation matter
The unboxing ritual is a design moment. Use custom interior messages, tissue wrap, or narrative cards to connect emotionally.
Use sustainable packaging (recycled, compostable, minimal).
Consider modular inserts (role-specific compartments) to simplify fulfillment and visual storytelling.
Add QR links or "next steps" cards that lead to onboarding portals or welcome videos.
Rollout and logistics
Source local where possible to reduce shipping emissions.
Use carbon-offset shipping options or eco-friendly couriers.
Plan fulfillment so the kits arrive just ahead of or on Day 1 (not weeks or months later).
For remote and hybrid roles, send kits to home addresses.
Manage inventory or adopt print-on-demand / drop-shipping models to reduce waste.
Measuring success and ROI
Ask usage questions: Which items did you use? Which did you discard?
Correlate kit feedback with onboarding survey responses (NPS, engagement, clarity).
Track retention and productivity relative to past cohorts.
Iterate contents based on insights: drop underused items, test new ones, gather suggestions.
Final Thoughts
Onboarding is more than a weeklong task, it’s a cultural ritual. And swag isn’t just stuff! It’s a signal. When you combine thoughtful onboarding strategy with sustainable, values-aligned welcome kits, you help new hires feel seen, supported, and ready to contribute.
If you’re facing the swag challenge for your 2025 onboarding, we’re here to help. From sourcing ethical materials to curating kits that tell your story, we make it easy and impactful.
Let’s make onboarding matter.
Ready to align your onboarding with your values? Get in touch to start building your sustainable welcome kit today.