For new employees, organizational culture begins even before the first day on the job. Some companies send welcome kits to new hires, or gift onboarding kits on the first day. The best kits are not only beautifully designed, but also help introduce new hires to the company's values in a tangible way. I wrote about Dropbox's Cupcake Welcome Kit on Huffington Post, but I came across several other ideas for Welcome Kits and Onboarding Kits while doing research that I wanted to share here! What kits have you come across? Let me know in the comments.
Dropbox: Cupcake Welcome Kit
One of Dropbox’s five core values is simply an image of a smiling cupcake. Why? Because Dropbox doesn’t want to take itself too seriously. When Dropbox makes an offer to a new employee, the employee receives a special delivery at home: a cupcake kit in a beautifully designed box. This ritual reflects Dropbox’s fun nature, and brings delight to its employees—even before they’ve joined the company. (Reposted from Huffington Post)
Dropbox's Cupcake Kit, Image Credit: Kurt Varner
Ogilvy's Induction Box
Ogilvy's South Africa office designed a welcome box for employees on their first day. The box was inspired by the advertising agency's founder, David Ogilvy, who wrote a short book, The Eternal Pursuit of Unhappiness and also created his famous eight habits of highly creative communities. According to AdWeek, the motivation for creating the box was "to make people feel like they belong, like they have found a place here. Working at Ogilvy is so much more than just another job. We wanted to create something that reflects this. The Induction Box solidifies the importance of what we stand for."
Ogilvy's Induction Box, Image Credit: Adweek
Adobe's Kickbox
Adobe employees receive a special red box to kickstart their own innovative ideas. The box contains a candy bar, a Starbucks gift card, and a debit MasterCard pre-loaded with $1,000! Adobe believes the money "empowers individual employees to follow their instincts about emerging opportunities." Adobe encourages innovators use these funds to validate their idea. The box also includes scorecards, frameworks, exercises, and other materials to develop ideas. Once employees move through a checklist of actions, they can pitch their ideas back to the company. Adobe has funded some of these ideas. This idea was so successful, Adobe now has a guide on its website to teach other companies how to start their own Kickbox.
Adobe's Innovation Kickbox, Image Credit: Forbes
IDEO's Welcome Kit
On my first day at IDEO's San Francisco office, I arrived at my desk to find a beautiful spread of all my favorite office treats (Vosges chocolate, sunflower seeds, and Bengal Spice tea). Every new hire also receives a copy of the Little Book of IDEO, which narrates the IDEO values. How did IDEO find out what my favorite treats are? That's a mystery for another day. :)
My very own welcome kit at IDEO
Also check out these articles for more ideas: How Percolate Does Onboarding; Jack Dorsey Gives Everyone He Hires the Same Red Book; Salesforce's UX Onboarding Kit; The best agency employee welcome kits and Getting New Employees Off to a Good Start.
What kits have you come across? Let me know in the comments!