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Employee welcome kit checklist for employers in Canada

What goes in a new hire welcome kit, what to leave out, when it should arrive and how to personalize it for every hire.

Sourced, branded and shipped
Welcome kits built, warehoused and shipped across Canada
One partner, one invoice
Product, decoration, kitting and shipping on one account
Managed start to finish
HR submits a name, address and size. We do the rest
$500M+ buying group
Group buying power behind every quote
Black backpack with an embroidered logo on a new hire's desk beside blue tissue paper and a welcome card
The short answer

A complete employee welcome kit has four parts: a hero item they keep, a utility item they use on day one, a surprise that reflects your culture, and a personal welcome note.

It fits the person, carries your logo at a size people are happy to use, and arrives on or before the first day. Willwerth Promotions builds and ships welcome kits for employers across Canada from Mississauga, Ontario.

The checklist

The employee welcome kit checklist

Copy it, print it or share it with whoever runs onboarding. Every point is here in full, with no form to fill in.

Before you order 1 to 4

01
Count the hires
Annual hiring volume and the remote and in-office split decide the kit size, the budget and how stock is held.
02
Set a budget by tier
An entry, a mid and a premium tier let an intern and a senior hire each get a kit that suits the role.
03
Name one owner
One person in HR or People submits each new hire, so a kit never depends on someone remembering.
04
Find your logo files
A vector logo and a one-colour version cover every decoration method in the kit.

In the box 5 to 8

05
One hero item
Something they keep for years, usually apparel or outerwear. Most of the budget goes here.
06
One utility item
Used from the first day: drinkware, a notebook or a tech accessory.
07
One surprise
An item that says something about your culture, such as a local snack or a book the team recommends.
08
A welcome note
A card from the manager or the team. It costs little and makes the kit personal.

Personalize it 9 to 12

09
The right size
Collect the size with the name and address, so the hero garment fits the first time.
10
Their name
A name on the card, the notebook or the garment makes the kit read as theirs.
11
A logo people will wear
Keep the mark modest, such as a left chest logo on apparel, so the item gets used outside work.
12
Variants by role or region
Swap one item by team or province where it matters and keep the core kit the same.

Deliver it 13 to 16

13
Office hires
The kit reaches the office the week before the start date, so it is on the desk on day one.
14
Remote hires
The kit ships to the home address timed to arrive a day or two before day one.
15
Stock on hand
Kit contents and the size range sit in a warehouse, so each hire triggers a kit instead of a new order.
16
Delivery confirmed
Check every kit arrived before the start date, so no new hire starts without one.
In the box

What goes in an employee welcome kit?

Four parts cover it: a hero item, a utility item, a surprise and a welcome note. A fifth or sixth item usually adds cost before it adds any welcome.

Usefulness decides what stays. In ASI's 2026 Canadian research, 85% of Canadians say they keep a promotional item because it is useful to have.

Apparel earns the hero spot. Fleece and jackets rank second among the promotional items Canadians would be excited to receive, at 51%, behind food gifts.

Research provided by the Advertising Specialty Institute, 2026.

Price a hero item for your kit
Etched black tumbler, debossed navy notebook and an embroidered backpack on a new hire's desk
What to skip

What should you leave out of a welcome kit?

Five ways a welcome kit misses, and the fix for each.

01
A logo so large the item reads as an advertisement, so it stays in a drawer.
A modest mark on a quality item gets worn and used outside work.
02
Filler such as stickers and stress balls, added to make the box look full.
Put that money into the hero item instead.
03
One-size apparel, or sizes guessed from a job title.
Collect sizes with the start details and keep the size range in stock.
04
A kit that arrives after the start date.
Plan delivery back from day one, for office and home addresses alike.
05
No note at all, so the box feels like inventory.
Add a short card from the manager or the team.
Why personalize
78%

of Canadian consumers would have an even more favourable view of an advertiser after receiving a personalized promotional item.

Source: Research provided by the Advertising Specialty Institute, 2026.

Warehouse team packing new hire kits with a hoodie, tumbler and notebook into black mailer boxes
Personalizing at scale

How do you personalize welcome kits for every new hire?

At five hires a year, a spreadsheet and a supply cupboard can cope. At fifty or two hundred, sizes, addresses and start dates need a system.

At that size, kit contents and the full size range sit in our warehouse, and HR submits a name, an address, a size and a start date.

Names, role variants and the welcome card go into the same kit run, so every box is personal and nobody on your team packs one.

Set up a kit program
Is a welcome kit a taxable benefit in Canada?

Check with your payroll or tax adviser. The Canada Revenue Agency's gifts and awards policy defines a gift as one for a special occasion, such as a religious holiday, a birthday, a wedding or the birth of a child.

The same policy excludes small items of trivial value, which it lists as coffee or tea, T-shirts, mugs, plaques and trophies, from its $500 yearly limit on non-cash gifts.

Source: Canada Revenue Agency, Gifts, awards, and long-service awards (page updated 2026-07-27).

Opened mailer box on a remote employee's home desk with a royal blue crewneck and a white tumbler
Day one, not day three

When should a new hire welcome kit arrive?

On or before the first day. A kit that turns up on day three has missed the moment it was bought for.

For office hires, the kit reaches the office the week before the start date so it is waiting on the desk.

For remote hires, it ships to the home address timed to land a day or two ahead of day one, so the first morning opens with the box.

We ship kits to offices and home addresses across Canada from our warehouses in North York and Burlington, Ontario.

Plan delivery for your hires
Getting started

How a welcome kit program comes together

Start with the number of people you expect to onboard this year and the remote and in-office mix.

1
Tell us your hiring number
Annual volume, the remote and in-office mix, and the tier that suits your culture.
2
We design and price the kit
Hero, utility, surprise and note options with per-kit pricing, so you approve a number.
3
We stock the kit
Contents and the size range sit in our warehouse, ready for the next confirmed hire.
4
Each new hire triggers a kit
HR sends the details and the kit is packed and shipped to land for day one.

Questions about employee welcome kits

What should be in an employee welcome kit?

A hero item they keep, a utility item used from day one, a surprise that reflects your culture, and a welcome note. Quality matters more than item count.

How much should we spend per welcome kit?

It depends on the tier. An entry kit covers a utility item and a note, a mid kit adds a hero apparel piece, and a premium kit adds a surprise and presentation packaging. We price each tier once we know your hiring volume.

Can welcome kits ship to remote employees?

Yes. HR submits a name, an address and a size, and the kit is packed and shipped to the home address, timed to the start date, anywhere in Canada.

How are apparel sizes handled?

We hold the size range in stock. The size comes in with the hire's name and address, so nobody collects sizes one email at a time.

Do you warehouse the kit inventory?

Yes. Kit contents are stored in our warehouse, so each confirmed hire triggers a kit rather than a purchase order.

Can each kit be personalized to the new hire?

Yes. A name on the card, notebook or garment, apparel in their size and a role-specific item can all go into the same kit run.

What is the minimum for a welcome kit program?

There is no single number, because each item and decoration method carries its own minimum. Tell us your hiring number for the year and we design the kit around quantities that price sensibly.

Can the same setup cover work anniversaries later?

Yes. The same submit-a-name model runs milestone and anniversary gifts, so the welcome kit becomes the first touch in a longer recognition program.

Start with your hiring number

Tell us how many people you will onboard this year and the remote and in-office mix. We will design the welcome kit, price the tiers and set up delivery for day one.

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