Welcome Guide for New Employees
The welcome guide is the document a new employee reads when they're not yet ready to ask questions. What it should include, in what order, and how it fits into the onboarding process: model index, 30-60-90 plan and HR checklist.
Published on September 3, 2026
What a Welcome Guide Is (and Isn't)
It's the guide the company gives to each new hire to help them understand where they've arrived: who we are, how we work, what's expected of them and who to turn to. It's not the employment contract, the safety manual, or the expenses policy: those documents are linked from it, but the welcome guide speaks in the first person and can be read in an afternoon.
It works when it answers the first month's questions before they're asked: real working hours, how to request a day off, where to eat, how to address people. It fails when it's a sixty-page PDF written by the legal department. The ideal length is 15–25 pages, with names, photos and links.
Model Index: The Eight Sections of the Welcome Guide
- 01 Welcome Letter
A page signed by management or the direct supervisor. Friendly tone, no brochure promises: why this person, why now.
- 02 Who We Are
Brief history, what the company does and for whom, figures that give scale, and values explained with real examples, not adjectives.
- 03 How We Work
Working hours and flexibility, remote work, tools, regular meetings, how decisions are made and communicated.
- 04 Your Team
Organisational chart with faces and names, who your supervisor is, who your 'buddy' is for the first weeks and who to ask depending on the topic.
- 05 The Practical Stuff
Payroll and payment dates, holidays and leave, absences, expenses, canteen or meal vouchers, parking, access and equipment.
- 06 Benefits and Benefits in Kind
Health insurance, training, flexible benefits plan if available, and the gifts the company gives throughout the year, with their tax treatment explained in a sentence.
- 07 Culture and Code of Conduct
Positive code of conduct, whistleblowing channel, equality, digital disconnection, how we celebrate and give feedback.
- 08 Your First 90 Days
What will happen and when: training sessions, follow-up meetings, probation period objectives and the 90-day conversation.
30-60-90 Onboarding Plan in Five Lines
- Before the first day: contract signed, equipment ready, access created and the welcome pack on their desk or at home.
- Day 1: tour, team introduction, welcome guide in hand and lunch with the buddy. No eight-hour training sessions.
- Days 2–30: block training, first real tasks with support and weekly meeting with the supervisor.
- Days 31–60: own objectives, first project from start to finish and structured feedback halfway through.
- Days 61–90: probation period evaluation, development plan and an honest question: what did we get wrong on the first day?
HR Checklist for Onboarding
| Time | What Needs to Be Done | Responsible |
|---|---|---|
| Contract Signing | Social Security registration, payroll data and welcome guide sent digitally | HR |
| Week Before | Equipment, access and accounts created; welcome pack ordered; buddy assigned | IT and direct supervisor |
| Day 1 | Badge, tour, first week's agenda and team lunch | Direct supervisor |
| Week 1 | Mandatory training (safety, data protection) and first one-on-one meeting | HR and supervisor |
| Day 30 | Expectation review and objective adjustment | Direct supervisor |
| Day 90 | Probation period evaluation, onboarding survey and plan closure | HR |
The Guide and the Welcome Pack Are the Same Welcome
The manual explains; the pack demonstrates. A box with the company's identity, something useful and something desirable, delivered before the first day, says 'we were expecting you' better than any paragraph. With corporate welcome packs, the new employee can also complete their kit by choosing with their own budget.
If the team works remotely, the box travels to their home and the manual goes inside, printed or as a code that opens the digital version. It's the same model we use for employee gifts throughout the rest of the year: budget per person, choice, and delivery sorted.
Frequently asked questions
Is it mandatory to provide a welcome manual?
There is no legal obligation for a manual as such, but in Spain, you must provide written information on the essential terms of the contract, risk prevention, and data protection. The manual is a friendly way to comply and to convey everything else.
How many pages should a welcome manual have?
Between 15 and 25 in digital format, with links to longer documents. If it exceeds 40, it's likely pasting entire policies that should reside on the intranet.
Paper or digital manual?
Digital as the source of truth, because it changes; and a short printed version or a card with a QR code inside the welcome pack for the first day. If the staff speaks several languages, so should the manual.
How often is it updated?
A light review every six months and a complete one annually, using real questions from recent hires as a guide for what's missing.