One of the best ways to be welcomed to a new team or company is with a new hire swag kit. Opening a custom box that contains an apparel item, a durable drinkware, a tech accessory or two, a couple of fun extras, and a personal note from a new manager is an experience that beats the standard “Welcome to the team” message on Slack or Teams.
And we’re not just saying this! The data backs it up, too. Matter of fact, according to Brandon Hall Group, effective onboarding boosts new hire retention by 82% and productivity by 70%. And yet Gallup finds that only 12% of employees strongly agree their organization does a great job welcoming new hires.
That’s not a problem that Uber has. After all, Uber’s new hire swag kits (specifically for its corporate employees, not the drivers) are cohesively designed and curated to be genuinely useful for its new employees.
But what is inside Uber’s onboarding kit that makes it great? How has it changed over the past years? And what can you, as a part of an HR team, borrow when designing your own new hire welcome kit?
What’s in Uber’s new hire swag kit?
Uber’s new hire kit typically includes a branded hoodie or jacket, a hat, a notebook, a pen, and a drawstring or laptop backpack. In more recent versions, new hires also shared that they’ve received reusable drinkware like a water bottle and recyclable coffee cup, a USB drive, and a welcome letter, all wrapped in minimalist black-and-white branding.
The exact contents have shifted over the years, but most accounts of the kit cover the same core categories. Here’s what’s most consistently reported across recent posts of Uber’s new employees:
Branded hoodie or jacket
Hat or beanie
Notebook or journal
Pen (often a bamboo pen in newer kits)
Tote, drawstring, or laptop backpack
Reusable water bottle
Reusable coffee cup
USB drive
Welcome letter from leadership
Older versions of the Uber welcome kit also included small personality items like fuzzy dice, a nod to Uber’s rideshare roots. The mix of practical pieces and small unexpected touches is part of what gives Uber’s kit its reputation as a thoughtful employee onboarding kit.
What makes Uber’s new hire kit a good onboarding kit example?
Uber’s swag kit pairs design discipline with utility. The minimalist black-and-white branding feels premium, every item is genuinely useful, and the packaging itself doubles as part of the brand experience. But there’s more! Let’s break down every reason why you should emulate Uber’s new hire swag kit:
Design consistency: Every item in the Uber new hire kit shares the same visual language. The hoodie, notebook, and bag all look like they belong together, which keeps the kit feeling premium. This is the kind of feel you should go for!
Utility-first items: A notebook, water bottle, and pen all have a place in a new hire’s routine. There’s nothing in the Uber kit that feels like filler.
Packaging as experience: Some versions of the Uber kit are shipped in a custom video box, which plays a personal welcome message from the leadership team. Such an approach already elevates the onboarding experience to the next level!
Quality over quantity: The Uber new hire swag kit doesn’t pile on items just to make the box feel full. In reality, Uber chooses fewer, better swag items that are actually useful for its new hires.
Sustainability signals: The newer versions of Uber’s new hire swag kits lean more into eco-friendly picks like reusable water bottles, bamboo pens, and recyclable coffee cups. This is a detail that signals that the company pays attention to what new hires (especially younger ones) actually care about.
Key Onboarding Lessons From Uber’s New Hire Kit
As mentioned, there are three principles that drive Uber’s kit: utility, design consistency, and packaging as part of the gift. Now, in this section, we’ll discuss how those principles translate into practical guidance if you’re part of a team designing an onboarding kit for your new hires.
Cap the item count
There’s a thing as too much. Six to eight swag items for your onboarding kit are already plenty. More than that, and the kit will start to feel cluttered. Resist the urge to add more extras even though you think they add personality to the kit. Sometimes, less is more.
Pick one design style
Similar to the item count, picking one consistent design style is a good option for your swag kit. Choose a color palette, a logo placement standard, and a typography style, then apply it everywhere. Such cohesion makes your new hire swag kit feel premium.
Select one standout piece
If you’re on a budget, simply pick a jacket, premium hoodie, or quality bag that carries the kit. Everything else (the stickers, the notebooks, the pens) supports it.
Choose items your new hires will actually use
You yourself probably received a lot of swag items that ended up in your trash. That’s why, when you’re assembling an onboarding kit for your new hires, make sure that the ones you pick are practical.
Treat the box as part of the gift
Swag kits are all about the unboxing experience. Failure to customize the packaging means failing to impress your new hires. Add your company branding or print a welcome card to make the swag kit feel more cohesive.
Layer in a personality touch
A small unexpected swag item (Uber’s furry dice are the canonical example) makes the kit memorable without inflating the budget. Consider a small plushie or a keychain of your company mascot to give more life to your new hire swag kit.
Swag Ideas for Your Own New Hire Kit
So, now that you know how to build your own onboarding kit inspired by Uber’s, it’s time to delve into the swag items you should consider for your new hire kit. We compiled a list of them here. Let’s take a look!
Branded apparel
Apparel anchors a new hire kit. It's the most-worn and most-photographed part of what arrives in the box, and it sets the tone for how new hires picture themselves at the company.
Some apparel swag items you can include in your new hire swag kit:
Bella + Canvas Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve Tee ($7.69) - A reliable everyday tee that wears well at office events and team off-sites. The retail-fit silhouette stays modern, and the side-seamed construction holds its shape after washes.
Gildan Unisex DryBlend Jersey Polo ($10.79) - A step up from the standard tee for client meetings or trade show shifts. The 50/50 cotton-poly blend wicks moisture during long days on the floor.
New Era Unisex Tri-Blend Hoodie ($20.99) - Soft tri-blend fabric makes this hoodie the kind of layer new hires actually reach for, whether the office runs cold or they're working from home. The three-panel hood gives it a modern fit that wears outside of work too.
Drinkware
Drinkware earns its spot in a new hire kit because it gets daily use without much effort from the recipient. How many times have you seen a branded bottle or mug show up on Zoom calls? That’s exactly what you’re aiming for here.
Some drinkware swag items you can include in your new hire swag kit:
Bates 15oz Ceramic Mug W/ Cork Base ($7.58) - The matte outer wall and natural cork base give this Bates mug a more grown-up look than the standard branded ceramic.
TYESO REVIVE Sports Hydration Bottle | 25 oz ($15.99) - Tyeso's REVIVE holds 25 ounces of double-wall vacuum-insulated capacity, which keeps water cold long enough to last through most of the workday.
YETI Rambler 42 OZ Mug W/ Straw Lid ($46.25) - The cup holder-friendly anchor for new hires who live in their cars or on the go. The straw lid handles everything from smoothies to all-day iced coffee, and the whole build is dishwasher-safe.
Bags
A solid bag is the piece new hires actually carry to work and on the road. Including one in the kit signals that you and the company expect them to need a reliable everyday workhorse.
Some bag swag items you can include in your new hire swag kit:
OGIO Logan Pack ($55.88) - Built for hauling laptops and tablets without sacrificing organization. The padded compartments fit most 15-inch laptops, and the front panel keeps cables and chargers from tangling up.
Professional Travel Backpack ($39.29) - Microfiber vegan leather gives this travel backpack a polished look that holds up across business trips and daily commutes. The dedicated laptop sleeve makes it work-ready out of the box, and the PETA-approved construction lands well with new hires who pay attention to materials.
Timbuk2 City Compass Flap Backpack ($69.98) - Timbuk2's City Compass is the kind of daily work bag new hires keep using past their first job. The padded laptop sleeve handles up to 15 inches, and the lifetime warranty means it sticks around for the long haul.
Tech accessories
Tech accessories get used constantly and solve small daily annoyances that hybrid and remote workers run into. They're also easy to ship globally compared to bulkier items.
Some tech swag items you can include in your new hire swag kit:
5-In-1 Recycled Charging Cable ($2.49) - A reliable backup cable for anyone juggling Apple and Android devices. The 5-in-1 setup covers every common tip, and the casing is made from 100% recycled materials.
Rotate 2Tone Flash Drive 8GB ($11.80) - The aluminum cover folds over the connector for a cleaner look than the typical branded flash drive. Plug-and-play on most Mac and Windows machines, which keeps it useful for new hires moving files between devices.
Accord Wireless Charger Mouse Pad with Kickstand ($13.70) - A desk piece that earns its space by doubling as a mouse pad and a 15W wireless charger. The built-in kickstand also props up phones for video calls.
Extras or add-ons
Extras are the items new hires don't expect, which is exactly what makes them memorable. A small, unexpected item often lands as the favorite piece in the kit, even when the apparel and drinkware do most of the practical work.
Some extra or fun add-on items you can include in your new hire swag kit:
Custom Sticker Pack ($7.34) - Sticker packs end up on laptops and water bottles long after a new hire's first week. Premium vinyl prints hold up to wear, and the resealable Kraft bag keeps the pack organized until each design gets used.
Lightweight Round Stress Reliever ($1.29) - A soft, squeezable stress ball that lives on a desk and gets used during long calls. Light enough to toss between coworkers when the meeting runs over.
Fully Custom Plushie | 4" and 5" ($8.95) - A custom plushie shaped like a brand mascot or internal joke makes the kit memorable beyond the standard items, and the 4 or 5-inch sizes fit on a desk without taking over.
What can you learn from how other tech companies handle welcome kits?
Aside from Uber, Amazon, Google, and Netflix have also put serious thought into their onboarding kits. Let’s take a look at the unique ways they welcome their new employees.
Amazon
Amazon takes a different approach with its employee onboarding kit: heavy on tools, light on extras. The standard issue is a laptop, a headset, and a basic backpack, with newer reports suggesting hoodies, notebooks, stickers, and tumblers getting added to the mix for some teams. The kit’s priority is getting employees productive on day one, aligning perfectly with Amazon’s operational scale of onboarding hundreds of thousands of people each year.
Google’s Noogler kit turns the new hire into a walking ritual. The propeller-topped Noogler hat is so widely shared across social platforms during orientation week that it functions as a public initiation into the company. Combined with a branded backpack, notebooks, and sticker sheets, the Google kit’s strength is identity. It marks the moment someone becomes part of Google in a way that’s recognizable inside and outside the company.
Netflix
The Netflix new hire swag kit is part of what the company calls its “welcome home” onboarding philosophy. New hires receive a branded swag bag with items like a t-shirt, hat, and water bottle, paired with a structured first-week experience that includes a meticulously arranged desk and one-on-one time with onboarding buddies. The kit works because it leans on a brand most new hires already subscribe to, and that existing connection gives even the basic pieces an emotional weight.
All of these tech companies have one thing in common: they invest in their new hire swag kits to make sure that every employee who joins their teams feels welcome, even from day one.
Create Your New Hire Swag Kit with PerkUp
PerkUp powers onboarding kit programs for companies across industries and geographies, from large-scale new hire programs to premium executive gifts spanning 65+ countries. Microsoft, Inhabit, Kunai, and Acceleration Partners all use the platform to ship kits that hold up to the same intentionality bar Uber sets.
Microsoft’s Cloud Ecosystem Security
For Microsoft’s Cloud Ecosystem Security internship program, they also provided their interns with a swag kit that made them feel part of the team. Swag items include a backpack (the statement piece), a hoodie, a t-shirt, an umbrella, and a YETI tumbler. These items speak for themselves.
Inhabit
Inhabit also trusted PerkUp to deliver their onboarding kits to their new employees before day one. For the kit, they opted for a notebook, a reusable tumbler, a t-shirt, and a welcome note. It’s a simple swag kit, but every item has its function, which is exactly what your swag items should have, too.
Kunai
The new hire swag kit of Kunai focused on simplicity and functionality. What they did was to provide their new employees with a notebook, a mug, a cable, and a personalized welcome note. It’s understated, but it drives home the point of: welcome to the team.
Acceleration Partners
Acceleration Partners’ new hire kit was designed to be premium and coherent. With an all-black design (barring the white logo of Acceleration Partners), the company chose a notebook and pen, a mug, a tumbler, and a small insert card to welcome their newest team members.
Beyond swag kits, PerkUp’s catalog covers the full range of what an onboarding program needs: bulk swag for items like drinkware and notebooks, On Demand swag for apparel where sizing makes inventory risky, and 5,000+ gift cards for occasions beyond onboarding.
Native HRIS integrations with Workday, Rippling, BambooHR, ADP, HiBob, and Paylocity also mean your new hire swag kits can ship automatically when a new member’s start date hits, with no manual tracking from your team. And the global warehouse network across the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Europe, India, China, and Australia means kits land on time without surprise customs fees, since PerkUp ships delivery duty paid in most cases.
Designing A New Hire Kit Your Team Will Actually Use
Uber’s kit treats day one as a real brand and a welcome moment for its new employees. The lesson you can take away from this is that it all comes down to the discipline behind it: fewer swag items, better materials, cohesive design, and packaging that makes the welcome kit for new employees feel like a gift.
When you’re ready to put a kit together for your own team, book a demo with PerkUp, and we’ll walk you through how companies like Microsoft and Acceleration Partners scaled their onboarding swag.
Commonly Asked Questions about New Hire Swag Kits
Can PerkUp build branded employee onboarding kits?
Yes! Onboarding kits are one of the most common use cases for corporate swag programs. PerkUp triggers onboarding kit fulfillment from HRIS events through integrations with Workday, Rippling, BambooHR, ADP, HiBob, and Paylocity, so a new hire's start date automatically queues their kit for shipping. Kits ship from separate facilities rather than as On Demand swag, which means more customization options and consistent unboxing across hires.
What should be included in a new hire swag kit?
A solid new hire swag kit usually includes one anchor apparel piece like a hoodie or jacket, one or two drinkware items such as a reusable water bottle, a notebook or pen for daily use, and a personality touch like a sticker pack or custom plushie. Most teams round it out with a printed welcome letter and cohesive branded packaging.
How long does it take to put together a new hire swag kit?
For bulk swag kits, plan for around five weeks total: three weeks of production, one week of kitting, and one week of customer approval before shipping. Building a buffer early prevents last-minute scrambles for a new hire’s first day.
Should new hire swag kits be ordered in bulk or as On Demand swag?
Use bulk swag for the predictable parts of a new hire kit like drinkware, notebooks, and hats, where sizing isn’t a factor, and you can plan inventory. Use On Demand swag for apparel pieces such as t-shirts, hoodies, and jackets, where employee size variation makes inventory risky. Most mature onboarding programs run both, with bulk handling the staples and On Demand covering anything sized.
How do you ship new hire swag kits to international employees?
The cleanest way to avoid customs friction is to ship from inside the recipient’s region. PerkUp’s global warehouse network spans the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Europe, India, China, and Australia, so onboarding kits arrive as domestic shipments rather than cross-border ones. For regions outside the warehouse network, the platform handles customs documentation for you and ships delivery duty paid where possible.
