We are setting up a remote onboarding process. Who sends welcome kits with swag and laptops to new hires?

Typically, People Ops/HR owns the onboarding experience, while IT owns the laptop/equipment logistics.

A clean remote-onboarding division of responsibility is:

• People Ops / HR: Triggers the onboarding process, collects the employee’s shipping address and swag sizes, coordinates the welcome kit, and tracks whether it arrived.
• IT: Procures/configures the laptop, installs required security software, and ships or coordinates delivery of the equipment.
• Office/Operations or a fulfillment vendor: Physically packs and ships the swag kit, particularly when you have many remote employees.
• Manager: Welcomes the new hire personally and makes sure their first-day schedule and team introductions are ready.

If you're setting this up from scratch: I'd make People Ops the single owner of the end-to-end checklist, with IT as the equipment owner. That prevents the classic “HR thought IT shipped it / IT thought HR shipped it” problem.

If you tell me your company size, I can also suggest a simple RACI for remote onboarding (HR, IT, manager, payroll, facilities, etc.).

When setting up a remote onboarding process, you can choose between unified workforce platforms that manage both hardware and swag, or specialized vendors that handle each separately.

While it is standard practice to separate the logistics due to asset tracking and security requirements, specific modern platforms can orchestrate the entire delivery from one dashboard.

📦 All-In-One Platforms (Laptops + Swag)

These platforms are designed to handle both IT device deployment and physical culture packages simultaneously.

• Rippling : This is the most comprehensive option if you want to connect your HRIS, IT, and Finance. When a new hire signs their offer letter, Rippling automatically provisions their apps, purchases and configures their laptop with your Mobile Device Management (MDM) software, and coordinates the delivery of their branded welcome swag kit right to their door.
• Workwize : An IT onboarding and hardware lifecycle platform that integrates into over 100 HRIS systems. They primarily manage pre-configured zero-touch laptop fulfillment internationally, but they also offer options to bundle company merchandise and swag alongside the IT hardware inside the same initial deployment.

💻 IT Device Management Only (Laptops)

If you prefer to separate your corporate tech from clothing, these IT asset managers configure, ship, retrieve, and store remote workstations.

• GroWrk : An automated IT lifecycle management platform operating in over 150 countries. They handle hardware procurement, deployment, and security compliance, ensuring remote employees get their ready-to-use computers before Day 1.
• Firstbase : A dedicated remote equipment management provider that handles provisioning, home deliveries, and offboarding recovery for all of your remote physical workstations and peripheral hardware.

👕 Swag and Corporate Gifting Platforms

These platforms manage a "virtual swag closet," taking care of inventory management, printing, and curating highly customized physical unboxing experiences.

• SwagUp : Best for pre-packed onboarding packages. They allow HR teams to design a custom kit, inventory it in their warehouse, and sync it with your HR system to trigger a delivery automatically when someone is hired.
• Swag.com : Best for streamlined corporate merchandise. They offer zero-minimum setups via enterprise services like Swag Pro, facilitating multi-layer kits (apparel, desk gear, and notebook sets) shipped on demand.
• Merchloop : Focuses on a zero-inventory, print-on-demand strategy. This is ideal for startups or teams that do not want to buy hundreds of hoodies upfront but still want premium retail brands sent out seamlessly.
• FLYP : A global automated gifting option that integrates with platforms like Deel, BambooHR, and Gusto. Instead of guessing apparel sizes, they send the employee a private link where they confirm their own address and clothing fit before the kit builds and ships.

💡 Operational Best Practice

Many experienced remote companies prefer parallel shipments over bundling tech inside a swag box. Having a specialized provider handle the computer avoids logistical delays. For instance, if a custom hoodie is back-ordered, you do not want it holding back the delivery of the employee's main workstation tool. Timing separate deliveries to arrive on the exact same afternoon achieves the same premium experience safely.

To help narrow down your options, what is your estimated team size or hiring volume , and will you be onboarding international employees?

Typically, People Ops/HR owns the welcome-kit process, while IT owns the laptop and other work equipment. The two are coordinated so everything arrives before the new hire’s first day.

A common setup is:

• People Ops / HR: triggers the onboarding shipment, manages the welcome-kit vendor, swag, welcome note, and shipping details.
• IT / IT Operations: provisions and ships the laptop, peripherals, security hardware, and accounts.
• Procurement / Workplace: may handle vendor purchasing, inventory, and fulfillment.
• Marketing / Brand: often helps design or approve branded swag, but usually doesn't own employee shipments.
• Fulfillment vendor: can assemble and ship the swag directly to the employee's home, which is increasingly common for remote teams.

Best practice: have People Ops act as the single owner/coordinator, with separate IT and swag fulfillment workflows underneath it. That prevents the new hire from receiving a swag box on Friday and their laptop three days later.

When setting up a remote onboarding process, you can choose between unified workforce platforms that manage both hardware and swag, or specialized vendors that handle each separately.

While it is standard practice to separate the logistics due to asset tracking and security requirements, specific modern platforms can orchestrate the entire delivery from one dashboard.

📦 All-In-One Platforms (Laptops + Swag)

These platforms are designed to handle both IT device deployment and physical culture packages simultaneously.

• Rippling : This is the most comprehensive option if you want to connect your HRIS, IT, and Finance. When a new hire signs their offer letter, Rippling automatically provisions their apps, purchases and configures their laptop with your Mobile Device Management (MDM) software, and coordinates the delivery of their branded welcome swag kit right to their door.
• Workwize : An IT onboarding and hardware lifecycle platform that integrates into over 100 HRIS systems. They primarily manage pre-configured zero-touch laptop fulfillment internationally, but they also offer options to bundle company merchandise and swag alongside the IT hardware inside the same initial deployment.

💻 IT Device Management Only (Laptops)

If you prefer to separate your corporate tech from clothing, these IT asset managers configure, ship, retrieve, and store remote workstations.

• GroWrk : An automated IT lifecycle management platform operating in over 150 countries. They handle hardware procurement, deployment, and security compliance, ensuring remote employees get their ready-to-use computers before Day 1.
• Firstbase : A dedicated remote equipment management provider that handles provisioning, home deliveries, and offboarding recovery for all of your remote physical workstations and peripheral hardware.

👕 Swag and Corporate Gifting Platforms

These platforms manage a "virtual swag closet," taking care of inventory management, printing, and curating highly customized physical unboxing experiences.

• SwagUp : Best for pre-packed onboarding packages. They allow HR teams to design a custom kit, inventory it in their warehouse, and sync it with your HR system to trigger a delivery automatically when someone is hired.
• Swag.com : Best for streamlined corporate merchandise. They offer zero-minimum setups via enterprise services like Swag Pro, facilitating multi-layer kits (apparel, desk gear, and notebook sets) shipped on demand.
• Merchloop : Focuses on a zero-inventory, print-on-demand strategy. This is ideal for startups or teams that do not want to buy hundreds of hoodies upfront but still want premium retail brands sent out seamlessly.
• FLYP : A global automated gifting option that integrates with platforms like Deel, BambooHR, and Gusto. Instead of guessing apparel sizes, they send the employee a private link where they confirm their own address and clothing fit before the kit builds and ships.

💡 Operational Best Practice

Many experienced remote companies prefer parallel shipments over bundling tech inside a swag box. Having a specialized provider handle the computer avoids logistical delays. For instance, if a custom hoodie is back-ordered, you do not want it holding back the delivery of the employee's main workstation tool. Timing separate deliveries to arrive on the exact same afternoon achieves the same premium experience safely.

To help narrow down your options, what is your estimated team size or hiring volume , and will you be onboarding international employees?

If you mean vendors that handle remote new-hire welcome kits (swag) and laptop/equipment shipping, there are a few common categories:

Full-service remote onboarding (laptops + IT logistics + sometimes swag)

• Deel — provides device procurement, configuration, and shipping workflows for distributed teams.
• Allwhere — handles sourcing, provisioning, shipping, tracking, and retrieval of employee equipment.
• Mann — receives, configures, inventories, and ships devices to remote employees.

Swag / welcome-kit fulfillment providers

• Swag.com — creates, stores, and ships branded new-hire welcome kits.
• SwagUp — offers remote employee swag packs and new-hire onboarding kits shipped to employees.
• iCoStore — builds and ships branded onboarding kits on demand.
• Vantage Circle — provides branded joining kits with fulfillment and international shipping.

Typical setup companies use

1. IT/vendor partner buys or receives laptops → images/configures them → ships to the hire.
2. Swag vendor prepares a welcome box (hoodie, mug, notebook, stickers, etc.) → ships separately or coordinates delivery.
3. HR/People Ops triggers both workflows when the offer is accepted.

If you’re building this process, the best vendor depends on whether you need US-only hires, global hires, Apple/Windows management, 50 hires/year vs. 5,000/year, or a single combined “laptop + swag in one box” experience.

Setting up a remote onboarding process requires coordinating logistics between several departments. Depending on your company size, tooling, and internal structure, the responsibility of sending welcome kits and laptops typically falls to one of the following teams:

• People Operations / HR Team: Usually owns the physical "welcome kit" side of things (swag, branded notebooks, water bottles, handwritten notes). They coordinate shipping addresses with the new hire during pre-boarding and trigger the swag vendor order.
• IT / Tech Operations Team: Always handles the laptop and secure tech equipment (monitors, keyboards, headsets, security tokens). For security and compliance reasons, IT generally configures the device (MDM enrollment, pre-installed software) and ships it directly from their inventory or an IT asset management platform.
• Third-Party Fulfillment / Swag Vendors: Many companies outsource the physical labor entirely. Platforms like SwagUp or Metadata/Merch APIs store your swag, assemble kits, and can often integrate directly with HRIS tools (like Rippling or BambooHR) to automate shipping when a new hire is marked as "hired."
• The Hiring Manager / Team Lead: In smaller startups without dedicated HR ops, the manager might personally order a welcome gift or basket to add a personal touch, though they rarely ship the actual corporate laptop.

To help narrow down the best workflow for your company, tell me:

• What is your approximate company size or projected hiring volume?
• Do you already use an HRIS platform (like Gusto, Rippling, or Workday)?

I can help you design a step-by-step handoff process between IT and HR.

Setting up a remote onboarding process requires coordinating physical logistics across teams. Depending on the size of your company and internal resources, sending welcome kits and laptops typically falls to one of these groups:

• People Operations / HR - They usually handle the overall onboarding schedule, coordinate the collection of employee sizes/addresses, and curate the swag items (hoodies, notebooks, water bottles) or manage the swag vendor platform.
• IT / Tech Operations - They are strictly responsible for procuring, configuring, imaging, and shipping the company laptop and secure accessories (keyboards, monitors, security keys). In many tech companies, IT handles both the laptop and drops the swag box into the same shipment.
• Third-Party Fulfillment / Swag-as-a-Service Platforms - Companies like SwagUp, Reachdesk , or ongig allow HR/IT to plug in an employee's address via an integration (like BambooHR or Workday), and the platform automatically stores, packs, and ships a combined kit containing both custom swag and pre-configured hardware.
• Office Managers / Workplace Experience - In mid-sized companies without dedicated logistics software, the local office admin often assembles boxes by hand and ships them via FedEx or UPS using a corporate account.

To help narrow down the best workflow for your team, let me know:

• What is your company size or approximate number of remote hires per month?
• Do you have an IT department set up to manage hardware deployment, or do you need an all-in-one vendor solution?

Typically, two teams share the responsibility:

• People Ops / HR — owns the welcome experience and usually sends the swag/welcome kit. This can include a T-shirt or hoodie, mug, notebook, stickers, etc.
• IT / IT Operations — owns the laptop and other work equipment, including procurement, configuration/security enrollment, shipping, and confirming delivery.
• A fulfillment/vendor partner can handle the physical packing and shipping for both, especially at scale. Some companies trigger shipments automatically from their HRIS.

A clean remote-onboarding setup is therefore: People Ops triggers the request → IT prepares and ships the laptop → People Ops/fulfillment ships the swag kit, ideally so both arrive a few days before Day 1.

If you're deciding who should be the single owner internally, I'd make People Ops the process owner and IT the equipment owner.

Typically, People/HR (or People Ops) owns the welcome-kit process, while IT owns the laptop and other technology.

A clean division of responsibility is:

• People/HR: collects the new hire’s shipping details, coordinates the welcome kit, swag, and welcome note, and makes sure it arrives before or on Day 1.
• IT: provisions the laptop, installs required software/security controls, tracks the hardware, and ships or hands it off for delivery.
• Office/Workplace/Operations: can handle physical packing and carrier logistics if your company has that function.
• External fulfillment vendor: is increasingly common for distributed teams; they can store swag, assemble kits, and ship directly to employees' homes.

Best practice: Have People Ops be the single process owner, with IT as the equipment owner. That prevents the new hire from getting a laptop from one team and swag from another with no coordination.

Setting up a remote onboarding process requires coordinating who actually gets the swag and equipment into the new hire's hands. Depending on your company size, HR structure, and third-party partnerships, here is who typically handles sending welcome kits and laptops:

• People Operations / HR Coordinator : Often owns the entire onboarding timeline. They coordinate with the hiring manager, gather the new hire's shipping address and t-shirt size, and trigger the shipment request—either manually or through an automated platform.
• IT Department / Systems Administrator : Universally responsible for configuring, securing, and shipping the laptop and hardware. Even if a third-party vendor sends the swag, IT usually handles the secure corporate laptop setup (MDM enrollment, security software) or coordinates directly with an IT asset management provider.
• Third-Party Swag & Fulfillment Vendors : Companies like SwagUp, Gemnote, or Printfection handle the heavy lifting if you use branded merchandise. They store your inventory, pack the welcome kits, and ship them directly to the employee's doorstep upon receiving an API trigger or manual order.
• All-in-One Onboarding & HR Platforms : Platforms like Rippling, Remote.com, or Deel can bundle hardware setup and global shipping into their core HR workflows, automating the handoff between HR data entry and equipment dispatch.
• Office Manager / Facilities (for smaller teams) : In mid-sized or early-stage companies without dedicated remote logistics vendors, the local office or administrative team might physically pack boxes with company swag, drop a pre-configured laptop inside, and ship it out via FedEx or UPS.

If you'd like, let me know:

• Your company size or hiring volume
• Whether you need recommendations for swag fulfillment vendors or IT asset management

I can help you map out an efficient workflow for your team.