# New Hire Welcome Packet > A personal welcome handbook for a new hire. It has a note from the team, the company story, a 90-day roadmap, a team directory with bios, and answers to first-week questions. Source: https://buildpdfs.com/templates/new-hire-welcome-packet Category: Business A personal welcome handbook for a new hire. It has a note from the team, the company story, a 90-day roadmap, a team directory with bios, and answers to first-week questions. ## What's included - Personal welcome letter addressed to the new hire by name - Company story: what we make, who it is for, how we make it - Team directory with a photo, role, and one line per person - 90-day roadmap with a named project and milestones - Day-one to-dos: accounts, workshop access, and kit checklist - Frequently asked questions new hires actually ask, plus key contacts ## Sample content Fernway New-hire handbook Studio & Workshop · Portland, OR A handbook made for one person ### Welcome to Fernway, _Maya._ **Maya Okafor**Product Designer · Packs & Shelter team Your manager: Nia Adeyemi Day one **Mon 3** November **Freya Lindqvist**, founder. She sewed the first Fernway pack on a kitchen table in 2016 and still fixes the zips herself. Your start Mon 3 Nov, 9:30 Where 214 Tannery Row Ask for Priya at the front desk Dress code Warm layers Welcome, Maya. Machine 3 is yours now — oil it Fridays. — Walt, stuck to your monitor 01 · A letter from Freya #### Hi Maya — We have been looking forward to Monday for weeks. When you walked us through your tent-pole sketches in the interview, Walt went quiet and then said “she’ll do,” which from Walt is a standing ovation. Fernway is eighteen people in an old tannery who think gear should last twenty years and be easy to fix when it doesn’t. You are joining at a good moment: the Kestrel pack ships in spring and the new two-person tent is still mostly chalk lines on canvas. Your fingerprints will be on both. This handbook started as my messy notes. It has the practical stuff — who to ask, where the coffee is, the wifi — and a little of how we think. Read it on the bus. You don’t need to remember any of it. Nobody expects you to know anything in week one except where the kitchen is. Ask everything. Take the long lunch on Friday. Welcome to the crew. Freya Freya Lindqvist · Founder · freya@fernway.co **P.S.**Bring layers. The warehouse is cold until about ten, and the good blanket in the quiet room is already claimed by the dog. **Fernway** · Welcome handbook for Maya Okafor 2 Field test · Mount Hood, October 02 · The short version #### Fernway, in _one page._ We make packs and tents that are light enough to forget about and tough enough to hand down — designed, prototyped and repaired under one roof. ##### What we make Eleven products: daypacks, the Kestrel 38 trekking pack, two tents and a small line of repair kits. Every product has a published spare-parts list. ##### Who it’s for Weekend walkers and slow travellers, not summit racers. People who camp twice a year and want one tent that just works, for a decade. ##### How we make it Designed and prototyped here, sewn by two family-run partners in Portland and Porto. Anything that breaks comes back to our repair bench. **2016** Founded in Freya’s garage with one sewing machine **18** People on the team. You make it nineteen **4,200** Free repairs done at our bench since 2019 **20 yr** Warranty on every pack and tent we sell **Fernway** · Welcome handbook for Maya Okafor 3 03 · Monday to Friday #### Your first week, _day by day._ Light on meetings, heavy on people. Every afternoon has open time so you can wander, read, and sit in on whatever looks interesting. Mon3 Nov _Arrive & settle_ 09:30 Coffee & building tour Priya · meet at the front door, Tannery Row 11:00 Laptop, logins, key fob Priya · your desk in the design studio 12:30 Welcome lunch, on us Whole team · the long table in the kitchen Tue4 Nov _The product_ 10:00 1:1 with Nia — your first projects Nia · quiet room 13:30 Line walk: all 11 products Samuel · sample library 15:30 Read the repair log Theo · repair bench, workshop Wed5 Nov _The workshop_ 09:30 Sew your own stuff sack Walt · machine 3, workshop. Yes, really. 13:00 Patterns & CAD walkthrough Daniel · design studio 16:00 Weekly design crit (just listen) Product team · The Tent meeting room Thu6 Nov _The customer_ 10:00 Two hours on customer email Theo · you read, he answers 14:00 Brand, photo & tone of voice Lucía · photo bay 16:30 Coffee with Freya Freya · wherever she is. Bring questions. Fri7 Nov _Look back_ 10:00 Week-one check-in Nia · quiet room · what surprised you? 12:30 Long Friday lunch Whole team · someone cooks, everyone eats 15:00 Repair Friday Workshop · fix something a customer sent in Heads up → Wear shoes you can stand in all day on Wednesday. The workshop floor is concrete and Walt does not believe in stools. **Fernway** · Welcome handbook for Maya Okafor 4 04 · Meet the crew #### The people _you’ll meet._ ##### Nia Adeyemi Head of Product · your manager **Ask me about:** why the Kestrel has six pockets, not seven. ##### Freya Lindqvist Founder **Ask me about:** the 2017 tent that leaked on the whole team. ##### Walt Hendricks Workshop Lead **Ask me about:** 34 years of sewing machines, and which one is yours. ##### Priya Raman Operations & People **Ask me about:** payroll, keys, laptops — and the best dosa in town. ##### Daniel Cho Patterns & Prototyping **Ask me about:** turning your sketch into a cut file by Thursday. ##### Samuel Mensah Materials & Suppliers **Ask me about:** recycled nylon, and our mills in Porto and Taipei. ##### Lucía Ortega Brand & Photography **Ask me about:** the shoot calendar and the field-test trips. ##### Theo Brandt Customer Care & Repairs **Ask me about:** what customers actually break, in order. and you! Photo on Friday ##### Maya Okafor Product Designer **Ask me about:** …we’ll fill this in together at Friday lunch. **Fernway** · Welcome handbook for Maya Okafor 5 “If we can’t fix it on our own bench, we don’t ship it.”Walt, every design crit 05 · How we work #### Five things _we believe._ 1 ##### Make it repairable A product isn’t finished until we know how to fix it. Spare parts come before launch dates. **Like**The Kestrel’s hip belt unscrews, so a broken buckle is a $4 part, not a new pack. 2 ##### Show the sketch early Pin rough work to the wall on day two, not day twenty. Early feedback is cheap feedback. **Like**Wednesday crit only accepts work that is “embarrassingly unfinished.” 3 ##### Test it outside Opinions are free; a wet night on a ridge is data. Every product spends 30 nights outdoors before it ships. **Like**You get two paid field days a year to take prototypes camping. 4 ##### Small team, no heroes Nobody works weekends to save a deadline. If the plan doesn’t fit, we change the plan. **Like**Slack is quiet after 6 pm. Freya schedules her late messages for morning. 5 ##### Write it down Decisions live in Notion, not in someone’s head. If you asked twice, it should be a page. **Like**This handbook. It began as Freya’s notes and now it’s yours to edit. **Fernway** · Welcome handbook for Maya Okafor 6 06 · The first three months #### Your first _30 · 60 · 90_ days. A guide, not a test. Nia will adjust it with you at each check-in. 30days Learn ##### Know the line, the people and the bench. * Meet everyone one-on-one for coffee (18 people, about 4 a week). * Sew a stuff sack and a simple tote with Walt. * Read the last 12 months of the repair log. * Shadow two Wednesday crits, then present at the third. * Redesign one small part: the Kestrel’s lid buckle. 60days Contribute ##### Own a piece of the new two-person tent. * Lead the vestibule and door design with Daniel. * Build two full-size prototypes in the workshop. * Run your first field test — one night, one ridge. * Present findings at the January product review. * Write your first decision page in Notion. 90days Own ##### Take the tent to a sample-ready design. * Final pattern signed off by Walt and Daniel. * Spare-parts list and repair guide drafted. * Materials locked with Samuel and the Porto mill. * Brief Lucía for the spring launch shoot. * Tell us one thing we should stop doing. ##### What a great first 90 days looks like You know every product well enough to fix it. The tent has your name on its pattern files. And when someone in the workshop has a design question, they walk to your desk first. Check-ins with Nia Date Week one Fri 7 Nov Day 30 Wed 3 Dec Day 60 Fri 9 Jan Day 90 Mon 2 Feb **Fernway** · Welcome handbook for Maya Okafor 7 07 · Tools & access #### Your kit, _ready on Monday._ Priya set most of this up last week. Tick the rest off with her on Monday at 11:00. ##### Hardware At your desk MacBook Pro 14″, M4Asset FW-031 · already enrolled Ready 27″ monitor & Wacom Intuos ProDesign studio, desk 4 by the window Ready Building key fobFront door 7:00–20:00, workshop, bike cage Mon Workshop kit: shears, rulers, chalkWalt hands it over on Wednesday Wed ##### Day-one to-dos Takes 20 min Sign the handbook & I-9 in GustoBring your passport or ID Mon Pick your health planWindow closes 30 Nov By 30 Nov Add a photo and pronouns to SlackLucía takes the photo on Friday Fri ##### Accounts Sign in with Google Google Workspacemaya@fernway.co · mail, calendar, drive Ready SlackJoin #studio, #workshop, #repairs, #lunch Ready Figma — Product teamEditor seat · start with “Kestrel 38” Ready NotionRead “Decisions” and “Line book” first Ready Rhino 8 + CLO 3DPattern work · licence moves from Daniel Mon 1Password — Studio vaultShared logins: suppliers, Shopify (read) Mon Linear — Product boardYour first ticket is already waiting Mon ##### Workshop access With Walt Safety induction20 minutes · cutters, irons, the big press Wed Machine sign-offMachines 1–3 first, the walking-foot later Wed Your first ticket · LIN-482 ##### Redesign the Kestrel 38 lid buckle Customers snap it in the cold. Theo has 41 returned buckles in a box for you, and Daniel has the old CAD file. No deadline in week one — just look. small part, big lesson → ReadySet up for you MonDone together on day one YouYours to do, no rush **Fernway** · Welcome handbook for Maya Okafor 8 08 · Around the studio #### Finding _your way._ ###### Hours **9:30 – 5:30, flexible**Core hours 10–4\. The building opens at 7:00 and locks at 20:00. ###### Coffee **La Marzocco, kitchen**Beans from Heart, two blocks away. Last one to empty the hopper refills it. ###### Bikes **Indoor cage by the dock**24 racks, a pump and a stand. Showers are next to the WCs. ###### Parking **Four spaces out back**First come. Street parking on Tannery Row is free after 6 pm. ###### Lunch **Bring, buy, or share**Fridays we cook together. Monday’s welcome lunch is on us. ###### Dogs **Juniper, mostly**Office dogs are welcome on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Never in the workshop. **Fernway** · Welcome handbook for Maya Okafor 9 09 · Benefits & time off #### Rest is part of _the job._ Everything here starts on day one unless it says otherwise. Questions go to Priya. | Benefit | What you get | How it works | | ---------------------- | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Paid time off | **25** days a year | Plus your birthday. Book in Gusto two weeks ahead for anything over three days. | | Winter close | **24 Dec–1 Jan** | The whole studio shuts. These days don’t count against your 25. | | Sick days | As many as you need | Tell Nia on Slack. No doctor’s note unless it runs past a week. | | Health, dental, vision | **100%** for you, 75% family | Three plans through Kaiser or Regence. Choose by 30 November. | | Retirement | **4%** 401(k) match | Through Guideline. Vests immediately. | | Parental leave | **16** weeks, full pay | For every parent, after six months with us. | | Gear allowance | **$600** a year | Any outdoor brand. Plus 50% off Fernway and free repairs for life. | | Field days | **2** paid days outside | Take a prototype camping. Write one page about what broke. | | Learning | **$1,000** a year | Courses, books, conferences. Just tell Nia what you picked. | | Commute | **$50** a month | Bike upkeep or a TriMet pass. Paid with your salary. | ###### Your first payday We pay on the 15th and the last working day of the month. Your first pay lands on **Friday 14 November**. ###### Holidays already booked? Tell Priya in week one and we’ll honour them, even if you’re short on days. — no awkwardness, promise **Fernway** · Welcome handbook for Maya Okafor 10 10 · Who to ask for what #### Stuck? _Ask these people._ ###### Pay, benefits, keys **Priya** · #ops · ext. 101 ###### Laptop & logins **Priya** · #help-it ###### Your work, priorities **Nia** · DM, anytime ###### Patterns & CAD **Daniel** · #studio ###### Sewing & prototypes **Walt** · just walk over ###### Fabric & samples **Samuel** · #materials ###### Photos & brand **Lucía** · #brand ###### Customers & repairs **Theo** · #repairs ###### Anything else **Freya** · door’s open #### Questions people asked _in their first week_ ###### Can I work from home? Yes, on Mondays and Fridays if you like. Tuesday to Thursday we’re all in, because that’s when the workshop needs you. ###### Do I need to know how to sew? No. Walt will teach you enough to be dangerous by Wednesday afternoon. ###### What do I wear? Whatever you’d wear to a friend’s workshop. Closed shoes on workshop days. ###### Can I take samples home? Yes — sign them out in the sample library book and bring them back muddy. ###### Who books meeting rooms? You do. The Tent and the quiet room are in Google Calendar. The quiet room is never for calls. ###### What if I break something? Tell Walt. We fix things for a living. It has happened to all eighteen of us. ###### When do I get feedback? Every Friday 1:1 with Nia, and at the Wednesday crit. Nobody saves it up for a review. ###### Where do I park ideas? The cork wall in the design studio, or #ideas on Slack. Both get read every Monday. **Fernway** · Welcome handbook for Maya Okafor 11 #### We’re glad _you’re here,_ Maya. See you Monday at 9:30\. Come hungry — lunch is on us, and there’s a seat saved for you at the long table. ###### Key contacts **Nia Adeyemi**Your manager (503) 555-0142 **Priya Raman**Ops & People, day one (503) 555-0117 ###### **Freya Lindqvist**Founder (503) 555-0100 **Studio**214 Tannery Row Portland, OR 97214 ###### Wifi & codes Network Fernway-Studio Password pitchthetent2016 Bike cage code 4 · 1 · 9 · 7 Guests use **Fernway-Guest**, password **campfire**. Please don’t share the studio password. Fernway · Made to last, made to fix fernway.co ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a new hire welcome packet? A new hire welcome packet is a personal document a company gives a new employee before or on their first day. It welcomes them by name, introduces the team and the company, lays out the first 90 days, and answers the small questions a new hire is too shy to ask. ### How is a welcome packet different from an employee handbook? An employee handbook states company-wide policy, such as PTO, expenses, and conduct, for every employee. A welcome packet is personal to one new hire: it names them, introduces their actual teammates, and sets out their specific first 90 days. ### What should a new hire welcome packet include? Include a personal welcome note, a short company story, a team directory with who does what, a 90-day plan with real milestones, day-one logistics such as accounts and access, and an FAQ of common new-hire questions. This template has each section. ### Is this new hire welcome packet template free? Yes. You can customize the new hire welcome packet template for free and download it as a print-ready PDF for each new person who joins your team. ## Related reading - [How to design a professional PDF](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/how-to-design-a-professional-pdf) - [From Word or Google Docs to a professional PDF](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/word-google-docs-to-professional-pdf) - [What "client-ready" means for a client deliverable PDF](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/client-deliverable-pdf-client-ready) [Use this template](https://buildpdfs.com/signup?templateId=new-hire-welcome-packet) — free, no credit card required.