Welcome packs or gift sets for new people in an organization are an increasingly common part of onboarding.
We decided to analyze how Polish companies approach the topic. How many of them have already opted for this benefit and what goes into it. Therefore We surveyed 50 companies in various industries, including. medical, financial and IT. We divided it into:
- companies that already use welcome packs,
- companies that have not yet decided to do so.
This allowed us to further understand the needs of Polish companies. After analyzing the survey, we have compiled the following report.
Are welcome packs a popular benefit?
Among our respondents, as many as 72% admitted that welcome gifts are given at their companies. This means that welcome packs are slowly becoming the standard that employers will strive for.
Companies that have not yet introduced this benefit have most often simply not considered the idea. Others decided to wait for more people in the organization, and another said the project required too much work.
Companies using welcome packs
What is most commonly found in welcome packs?
What will be included in the welcome packages depends mainly on the ingenuity of those involved, as well as the budget. However, the most common choices are office supplies, thermal mugs and water bottles and apparel with the company’s logo.
Relatively often, welcome packages will also include the equipment needed for work. This option was marked by 1/3 of respondents.
The implication is that employers want their gifts to be practical and therefore frequently used. For example, company clothing also worn during leisure time or a thermal mug in which employees take their daily takeaway coffee from a nearby coffee spot. This is especially important when the gadgets bear the company’s logo, which can perform additional functions, such as advertising.
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What guides companies in completing welcome packs?
Some employers choose to create welcome packs in-house, while others use a single provider.
Ordering goodies from several suppliers combines with the need to involve someone in-house to coordinate the delivery, packaging and shipping of the gifts. In our respondents, this is usually handled by an office manager or the HR department.
However, all logistics can be taken over by an outside company, saving staff time. At MerchUp, in addition to assembling gifts, we also offer packaging according to company guidelines, as well as shipping directly to employees.
When choosing a supplier, the ability to mark items was also very important.
Prints make products unique, for example, hoodies with the company’s logo will only have people from the team.
Where do companies store welcome packs?
Depending on how fast the company grows, it may need 2 or 20 welcome packs per month. It is customary, however, to order a larger number of packs for a whole year, for example, and store them on the office premises. However, with large quantities of packages, storage can be a problem. It is solved, for example, by ordering gifts on a regular basis, which unfortunately increases their cost.
At MerchUp, we give you the opportunity to store and ship welcome packs from our warehouse. Although new to the market, almost half of those surveyed are willing to use the service. This shows that storing gifts in the office can sometimes be problematic.
The biggest difficulties in implementing welcome packs
Implementing such a project alone is complicated. We asked our respondents what caused them the greatest difficulty throughout the process. The four aspects described below were most frequently repeated in the responses.
Idea
Coming up with attractive welcome pack content is not that easy. It requires project managers to analyze the market and the needs of employees. It doesn’t help that most of the ideas have probably already been implemented, such as the holidays.
Quality
Most people found it a challenge to find good quality products. Typically, orders for gadgets or apparel are placed online, where it is difficult to verify that the products are durable and aesthetically pleasing.
At MerchUp, customers receive a sample pack before placing an order. As a result, they know what product they will receive and are more confident in their investment decision.
Formalities
Sometimes organizers also struggle to prepare and place orders. This requires them to do a lot of work and communicate efficiently with their supervisor and the supplier. When the flow of information is disrupted, it is difficult for them to designate the right number of packages, provide the necessary data, or even confirm an order. This sometimes results in delays that could easily have been avoided.
Small budget
In many companies, the budget allocated for welcome packs does not allow these most interesting ideas to be realized. Creating attractive packages on a small budget often requires a great deal of creativity and days spent on research.
At MerchUp we are aware of this problem, so we have versions of welcome packs for different pockets and are open to new suggestions.
Companies not using welcome packs
What would companies like to include in welcome packs?
Let’s go back for a moment to companies that are just thinking about including welcome packages in their benefits. We asked them what they would like to include in them. Analyzing the selected items, we can see that they hardly differ from the products currently presented by other companies.
What is most important for companies when choosing a supplier?
We were also curious about the companies’ priorities when selecting a parcel supplier. On the podium were, of course, quality and price, but we were surprised by the need for a comprehensive service.
This means that entrepreneurs are looking for someone to take over from them, as many of the project responsibilities as possible, including warehousing and shipping.
More and more companies are trying to incorporate caring for the environment into their policies. Welcome packs are no different.
Fortunately, eco options are really plentiful on the market and there is no problem finding them. For example, at MerchUp, in addition to the eco collection, we also have eco gadgets, such as the Circular mug.
For this part of the respondents, the option to put logos on products was also important.
Welcome packs are becoming increasingly popular, and in some industries they are already the norm. Employers rely on practical gifts, usually signed with their logo. What is important to them is the environmental aspect and the ability to delegate as many responsibilities as possible to the product supplier.
Companies often opt for company logo apparel that makes new employees feel part of the team from day one. Such clothes can also be used for corporate events, trade fairs, or photo shoots.
If you’re thinking about welcome packages, check out our offer!
