Workspace ready for a new colleague or intern: checklist and budget
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
A starter kit that you assemble once and then hand out to each new colleague. Including what it should contain, what it costs, and who maintains it.
On the first working day of a new colleague or intern, it usually becomes clear what's missing. There's no pen. The desk is empty, but there's still someone else's box underneath it. The phone needs charging, and the only free USB port is at the back of the computer. Nothing dramatic, but it costs the new person half a day of running around and you half a day of interruptions.
September and October are the months when this happens most often: interns start, vacancies from the summer are filled, and people move to other positions. Below is a checklist you create once and then reuse every time, with an indication of the cost.
The basics: what should be on every desk
Start small. A workstation is not complete when there's a laptop; it's complete when someone can write, stick things, and store their belongings somewhere.
In total, you're looking at around €28 for the writing and desk basics. That's the cheapest investment you can make in the first week.
Charging and connecting: where things go wrong in practice
Most irritation at a new workplace is about power and ports. The laptop has two, one of which is occupied by the keyboard, and then there's still a mouse, a headset, and a phone to connect.
A hub solves this without having to touch the building's wiring. The USB 2.0 Hub 4 Ports with Switches - White (€9.95) has separate switches per port, which is useful if you want to turn off a device without unplugging it. If several people work in one place, a USB Charging Station 8 Ports with Fast Charge and PD (€14.95) is a shared point where everyone can charge their phone, instead of five separate chargers in the meeting room.
A mouse is the third thing people rarely bring themselves. A basic model like the RGB Gaming Mouse 3200 DPI - 6 buttons - USB costs €12.95 and works on any computer with a free USB port.
The shared part: cleaning, mail, and the small things
A workstation is never self-contained. Make sure shared supplies are well-stocked before someone starts, otherwise the new colleague will be the first to discover they've run out.
That knife set might seem excessive for an office, but eight pieces for €4.95 means there's one in every room, and no one has to struggle with scissors to open a box anymore.
Break and lunch: the underestimated part
A new colleague who doesn't know where to get coffee or warm up their lunch usually waits a week to ask. Have that ready on day one.
A personal mug saves cups and is the simplest welcoming gesture; check the Mugs collection for something that suits the person. If you're at a location without a microwave — a construction site, a van, an office where the kitchen is shared with fifty people — then an electric lunchbox is a serious solution. The Faitron HeatsBox Pro costs €119.95 and heats the meal directly in the box; the expansion set for HeatsBox Style and Style+ is €39.95. That's not a purchase for every new employee, but it's one you make once for a role where that problem is structural.
How to make it a repeatable package
The benefit isn't in individual purchases but in documenting it once. Three steps:
Write down the list with item, quantity, and price, and include a total amount. For the basics above, including a hub and mouse, you'll be around €65 per workstation.
Buy one extra set and store it separately in a box, for example, an Action Moving Box 480x430x330 mm for €3.50. Label it "starter kit." For the next new colleague, you grab that box and you're ready in ten minutes.
Assign one person responsible for replenishment. Without an owner, the box will be plundered within three months without anyone noticing.
Also, expect that some items won't return. Pens, markers, and knives disappear; that's not carelessness but the nature of the items. Therefore, buy those categories in multipacks, not individually.
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