How the Pandemic Is Transforming Employee Welcome Kits

Employers, with input from medical professionals and government leaders, will soon be returning many of their employees to office settings after a prolonged period of remote work. As companies adjust even more to novel ways of going about business, many will will look for ways to welcome back staff. But employee welcome kits that may once have contained notebooks and mugs might now take on a more practical and health-centered look.

The work-from-home world has helped us to become more acquainted with certain goods, and while those will continue to be important as many locations debate returns to their space, it makes sense for other products to receive some recognition, too. As Inc. notes, mugs and tote bags have garnered attention as mainstays of welcome kits, but such tokens for returning employees stand to be far less desirable and apt as gloves, hand sanitizer, masks, gloves, thermometers, Vitamin C supplements and variations of the CleanKey, with the final element of that bunch being one of the more inventive items to come out of the pandemic.

new from me: if you're going to ask workers to come back to the office, give them what they need to feel safe when they get there. https://t.co/30NSrfZVCQ

— Sophie Downes (@sophiewdownes) June 15, 2020

These kits could also be the new norm moving forward as companies look to hire again. But Inc. also points out that newbies need not be the only ones to benefit from such bundles, as welcome kits can dovetail with back-to-work amenities to strengthen employers’ ties with their laborers.

It is no secret that the last few months have taken significant tolls on us, and the gradual establishment of reunions between workplaces and staffers, while being an occasion to foster innovation on their part, could also provide chances for promo industry personnel to come up with great ideas or stress even more the ones that have yielded impressive sales. While acknowledging the PPE fatigue that has affected many in this area, we suggest that with the rest of the year—by which time most places will have presumably mapped out their office return strategies—employers make this season’s must-have products elements of welcome kits. In doing so, they will not only show concern for workers’ health, but also reinforce the practicality and strong ROI of promotional products.