Short answer: the best welcome message for a new employee is short, sent before their first day, and specific about three things — who their buddy is, when lunch is, and that questions are welcome. Copy a line from the lists below. Then, instead of pasting it into an email, put it in the Welcome to the Team card: a free, interactive first-day story where they tap the office door open, explore their desk, wave at the team, read your note and tick off a first-day checklist — with your company logo throughout. About two minutes to make; send it the Friday before they start.
What a welcome message is actually for
Nobody remembers the welcome email. They remember whether someone knew their name on the first morning, whether they knew where to sit, and whether lunch was awkward. A welcome message earns its place by answering those three worries before Monday:
- Who do I go to? Name the buddy.
- What happens on day one? Name one or two real things — the ID card, the 10 am call, lunch at 1.
- Is it OK not to know things? Say so, in plain words.
Everything else — values, history, the org chart — can wait for week two.
The card that does the welcoming for you
The Welcome to the Team card turns the message into a first day they play through. Six acts, about 40 seconds if nobody taps, in bright paper and your brand colour:
- The office door. A glass double door with your logo across the seam. They tap it, the doors slide apart and "hello, Aarav!" is waiting inside.
- Their desk, ready. Four things to tap: the nameplate (name and role), the laptop with your logo on the lid (their team), the wall calendar (first day) and the mug (their buddy).
- The team is already here. Every teammate you list is a coloured bubble. Tap one and it waves back: "👋 hi Aarav!"
- A note from the team. A taped card with your logo and your message, signed "see you Monday".
- First-day checklist. Up to six items they tap to tick off. The last tick sets off confetti.
- You're in. Your logo, "You're in, Aarav.", their role, team, company, start date and every teammate's chip.
Nothing is mandatory: leave the phone alone and each act completes by itself. Dots at the bottom show where they are; a replay button lives in the corner.
Open the Welcome to the Team card
Step 1 — The facts
- Name, role, team. "Aarav Mehta", "Product Designer", "Design". Use the first name the team will actually use.
- First day and buddy. "Monday, 5 October" and the buddy's name. Both appear on the desk.
- Logo. Square or round, transparent PNG if you have one. It goes on the door, the laptop, the note and the finale. Pick your brand colour in the colour slot and the door and buttons follow it.
Before you send
Put the onboarding buddy's real name in, not "your buddy". The card introduces them before the first coffee, which is the entire point of having a buddy.
Step 2 — Write the note (240 characters)
One warm line, one concrete detail, one permission. Sign it from whoever is sending.
We're so glad you're here, Aarav. The Design team has been looking forward to this day. Ask anything, break nothing you can't fix, and come to lunch — the first one's on us.
Welcome to the team! Your desk is ready, your buddy is Priya, and the Wi-Fi password is on a sticky note that we will absolutely deny exists. See you Monday.
Hi Aarav — from all of us in Design: welcome. You were the unanimous choice, and we cannot wait to see what you do here. Day one is easy: show up, say hi, eat.
Step 3 — The team and the checklist
Paste teammates' names comma-separated — Priya, Arjun, Meera, Rohan — and each becomes a bubble they can tap for a wave (up to 12). Then write up to six checklist items. Real ones:
| Office joiner | Remote joiner |
|---|---|
| Collect your ID card at reception | Laptop arrived? Charge it |
| Find your desk (nameplate's on it) | Join the 10 am welcome call |
| Meet Priya, your buddy, at 9:30 | Coffee with your buddy at 11 |
| Set up the laptop — IT is on floor 2 | Post one line in #introductions |
| Team lunch at 1 pm | Add the (virtual) team lunch invite |
| Say hi in #design | Log off by 5. Seriously. |
Welcome messages for a new employee: copy a line
Each fits the card's 240-character note. Swap the names.
From the whole team
Welcome aboard, Aarav! We've cleared a desk, saved you a mug and argued about where to take you for lunch. Monday can't come soon enough.
Hi Aarav, welcome to Design. There are eight of us, we are all slightly too fond of sticky notes, and we're very glad you said yes. See you Monday at 9:30.
Welcome to the team! Rule one: there are no stupid questions in your first month. Rule two: lunch is at 1 and attendance is mandatory. That's it.
From the manager
Aarav, welcome aboard. I hired you because of how you think, so please keep thinking out loud. My door and my calendar are open — book me any time in your first week.
Welcome to the team. No expectations in week one except to meet people and ask questions. The real work starts when you're ready, not before.
Delighted to have you on board, Aarav. Priya will show you around, I'll see you at 11 for a proper hello, and the team lunch is on me. Welcome.
From the onboarding buddy
Hi Aarav, I'm Priya — your buddy for the first month. I know where the good coffee is, which meetings you can skip and who to ask about anything. Find me at 9:30 on Monday.
Welcome! I sat at your desk two years ago and someone was kind enough to show me around. Consider this me paying it forward. See you Monday.
From HR or People Ops
Welcome to Acme, Aarav! Your ID card is at reception, your laptop is on your desk and your buddy Priya knows you're coming. Anything at all, message me directly.
We're glad you chose us, Aarav. Day one is deliberately light: badge, laptop, buddy, lunch. Everything else can wait until you've found the coffee machine.
For an intern or campus hire
Welcome, Aarav! First job, first day — we remember ours, which is why yours will be gentle. Priya is your buddy, lunch is at 1, and nobody expects you to know anything yet.
Welcome to the team! You'll learn more in your first month here than in your last year of college, and most of it over coffee. See you Monday.
For a remote or hybrid joiner
Welcome aboard, Aarav! Your laptop should have arrived — charge it tonight. The welcome call is at 10 am, Priya will message you at 9:45, and #design is where we live. See you on screen.
There's no office door to walk through on a remote first day, so we made you one. Welcome to the team, Aarav — the 10 am call is your first stop.
Welcome back (parental leave, sabbatical, long leave)
Welcome back, Meera! Your desk is where you left it, the coffee machine is not, and the team has missed you more than it will admit. Lunch at 1 to catch you up.
In Hindi and Hinglish
Team mein aapka swagat hai, Aarav! Desk ready hai, buddy ready hai, aur pehle din ka lunch hamari taraf se. Monday ko milte hain.
टीम में आपका हार्दिक स्वागत है। नई शुरुआत मंगलमय हो — हम सब आपके साथ हैं। सोमवार को मिलते हैं!
Welcome to the team, Aarav! Sawaal poochna kabhi mat rukna, aur chai break pe zaroor aana. Pehla din easy rahega, promise.
आपका स्वागत है! पहला दिन आसान रहेगा — बैज, लैपटॉप, बडी और लंच। बाकी सब बाद में। मिलते हैं सोमवार को।
Step 4 — When to send it
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Offer accepted | Too early for the card; right for a one-line "we're thrilled" email from the manager |
| The Friday before day one | Send the card. They spend the weekend knowing the buddy's name and the lunch plan |
| Day one, 9 am | Play it again at their desk, or drop the link in the team channel so everyone waves for real |
| End of week one | A second card is overkill; a message asking what confused them is not |
Tap Share and send the link on WhatsApp, email or the team channel. It opens full-screen in any browser with no app and no account for anyone.
For HR: every new hire, automatically
If you onboard more than a handful of people a year, welcome cards are a calendar problem before they are a writing problem. MomentoCard for Business fixes the calendar: import employees once with their joining date, build one Onboarding campaign with this template, and it sends at 9 am their time on day one with the logo, {{firstName}}, {{department}} and {{designation}} filled in. Free for up to 10 people; pricing is here.
Which card for whom?
| Moment | Pick this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New joiner, first day | Welcome to the Team | Door, desk, team, note, checklist — with your logo |
| Remote joiner | Welcome to the Team | Gives them the door and the faces they would otherwise miss |
| Their first promotion | Promotion Trophy | Gold trophy and confetti |
| A rough first week | Sunshine Positivity | A bright, simple cheer-up |
| The other end of the journey | Retirement Team Tribute | Years of service and a signature wall |
Gift ideas for a new colleague's first week are in employee birthday gifts, and the automation side is in the automatic birthday wishes guide.
Before you send
Read the note as the new joiner would, on a Sunday night, slightly nervous. If it makes Monday feel smaller, it is ready.
Make yours now
Their name on the door, your logo on the desk, the team already waving. Two minutes.
