Onboarding Merch: What to Put in a New Starter Kit
First day at a new job is a weird one. New faces, new logins, new coffee machine to figure out. A decent onboarding kit sitting on the desk (or waiting at home for remote starters) does more than most people give it credit for - it's the first physical proof that a company actually planned for you to arrive.
Most starter kits fail for the same reason: someone grabs a leftover branded tee, chucks in a pen, and calls it done. Here's how to actually put one together.
Start With Something They'll Wear
A t-shirt is the default, but it's not always the right call. Think about how the role actually works day to day. Office-based hybrid teams get more mileage out of a branded hoodie or half-zip than a tee - it's the thing people actually reach for on a Wednesday. Trades and on-site roles are better served by a proper branded polo or workwear piece they'll wear on the tools, not just to the pub quiz.
Get the sizing right before day one. Nothing undercuts a "welcome to the team" moment like handing someone a shirt that doesn't fit. A quick pre-start size survey takes five minutes and saves an awkward first impression.
One Genuinely Useful Item
Every kit needs at least one thing the new starter will use without thinking about it - a drink bottle or keep cup, a decent notebook, a laptop sleeve, a cap if the role's outdoors. Useful beats novel. A fridge magnet or stress ball gets binned by week two; a good drink bottle sits on the desk for two years and quietly does its branding job the whole time.
Something With Their Name Or Team On It
A generic company tee says "we bought a bulk order once." A shirt with the new starter's name, department, or a small personalised touch says someone actually set this up for them specifically. It doesn't need to be complicated - a name printed on a luggage tag, an embroidered initial on a cap, or a role-specific line on a lanyard all do the job without blowing out the budget.
A Card Or Note That Isn't Corporate Boilerplate
Merch lands better with a bit of context. A short handwritten card, a team photo, or even a printed note from their direct manager turns "here's some stuff" into "we're glad you're here." This costs nothing and is the part people remember longest.
Keep The Packaging Part Of The Experience
How the kit arrives matters almost as much as what's in it. A logo box or a branded tote bag the items are packed into feels considered. A garbage bag of leftover merch from three events ago does not. If you're running onboarding regularly, it's worth setting up a standard merch pack once so every new starter gets the same consistent, unboxing-worthy experience - not whatever happened to be in the cupboard that week.
Why Bother
New starters who feel set up properly settle in faster and talk about it - to their new team, and often outside work too. It's a small, one-off spend against the cost of hiring, and unlike a lot of onboarding admin, it's the one part that's actually enjoyable to unbox.
It also compounds. Every hoodie, polo, and drink bottle that leaves the building on someone's back or in their bag is doing quiet brand work in public, long after the induction paperwork is filed away.
Building A Kit For Your Team
If you're setting up onboarding merch for the first time - or your current kit needs a refresh - we can help you land on the right mix of apparel and useful extras without blowing the budget on stuff that ends up in a drawer. Have a look at our merch packs and gifting options, or check out corporate and workwear if uniforms are part of the picture.
Ready to build a kit? Get a quote and we'll put a pack together around your team, your roles, and your budget.