A welcome packet for new employees is two halves with different purposes, and keeping them apart is what makes the packet both complete and welcoming. The signing half: the contract, the handbook with its acknowledgment page, the tax, payroll and eligibility forms, the equipment record. The settling-in half: the welcome letter, the first-week schedule, the team by name with a line about each, the buddy's name, a note from the owner. The onboarding checklist on this site prints the list, and the contract tool and handbook template print the documents, free and without an account.
The signing half
Returned by the date in the welcome email, signed and dated, kept against the hire. The employee contract tool and the employee handbook template on this site print the two largest with the hire's details; the forms are the government's current versions; the equipment record is signed on day one.
The settling-in half
Read on the first evening and kept on the desk: the schedule, the people, where things are, who to ask. Written for this person, which is why it is not a template. It is written for this person, with their team, their buddy and their first task, and it is the half they keep on the desk.
Why keep them apart
The signing half has deadlines and a retention rule; the settling-in half has neither. A packet that mixes them forgets to chase the contract because the lunch map arrived. The checklist on this site lists the signing half with dates and the settling-in half without, for that reason.
The record
The signing half against the hire, dated, exportable. HeadcountDesk Pro keeps it; the checklist and the tools print it. From the vendors' own pricing pages, cited below: Homebase lists its Essentials plan at $30 per location per month billed monthly or $24 billed annually, with unlimited employees, and a Basic plan at $0 for one location with up to 10 employees; BambooHR starts at $10 per employee per month for Core and $17 for Pro; Deputy's Core plan is $6.50 per user per month. HeadcountDesk Pro is $24 per month per location.
Questions people ask about welcome packet for new employees
When does the packet go out?
The signing half with the welcome email; the settling-in half two days before the start.
What is most often missing from a packet?
The handbook acknowledgment page.
Is the checklist free?
Yes, without an account.