A new hire welcome and onboarding program helps new employees feel part of the team from day one, then keeps celebrating them through their first 90 days. New hires get a warm welcome the whole team can join in on, earn points they can spend on rewards, and see their early milestones recognized. You decide what each milestone looks like, how many points it’s worth, and who gets thanked for helping along the way.
This guide walks you through a first 90 days journey from start to finish. Once it’s set up, every new hire gets the same great experience automatically, with no dates to remember.
At a glance
Goal | Help new hires feel welcome and connected through their first 90 days |
Who can join | Every new hire, or a group such as one department, location, or team |
What you’ll set up | An automatic day-one welcome, automatic 30-day and 90-day milestone posts, rewards for finishing onboarding tasks, and a thank-you for buddies and mentors |
Who runs it | An HR or People admin, with managers and onboarding buddies joining in |
How often | Automatically for every new hire, on their hire date and each milestone after it |
How to measure | How many new hires are celebrated on time, how many teammates join in, and whether new hires start recognizing others |
Example: Run a first 90 days journey
In this example, every new hire is welcomed on their first day, celebrated again at 30 and 90 days, and rewarded for finishing onboarding. Once it’s live, the posts go out automatically.
Before you start, make sure every employee has a hire date in Bonusly. If you use a connected HRIS, hire dates sync automatically. Otherwise, see Adding birthdays and hire dates.
Step 1: Welcome every new hire on day one
First impressions stick. A public welcome on day one introduces new hires to the whole company and invites teammates to say hello. Bonusly makes it easy to post an automatic welcome on each person’s hire date, with points from the company and a message everyone can add on to. In Bonusly, this is called a New Hire celebration.
Here’s how to set it up:
Go to Admin > Recognition > Celebrations, click Create new, and select New Hire.
In Basic Info, name it Day One Welcome, choose who can see the post, and choose the audience. Select Everyone, or pick specific locations, departments, or teams.
Leave the delay at 0 days so the post goes out on the hire date.
In Point settings, enter the Amount in Points, like 100. Enter 0 to send the welcome without points.
In Post customization, add an icon, a headline like “Welcome to the team! 🎉,” a message like “We’re so glad you’re here. Teammates, say hello and share your best tip for week one!,” and an image.
Click Preview, then Save.
Step 2: Celebrate their 30-day and 90-day milestones
The excitement of day one fades fast, and the first few months are when new hires decide whether they belong. Bonusly makes it easy to post automatic milestone celebrations a set number of days after each hire date, so check-ins happen on time for everyone. You can run several at once, each with its own message and points. In Bonusly, these are also New Hire celebrations.
Here’s how to set it up:
Go to Admin > Recognition > Celebrations, click Create new, and select New Hire.
Name it 30-Day Milestone, choose the same audience as your day-one welcome, and set the delay to 30 days.
Enter the points, like 100, and write a message, like “One month in! Thanks for everything you’ve already brought to the team.”
Click Preview, then Save.
Repeat for a 90-Day Milestone with a 90-day delay, more points, like 250, and a message like “90 days down! You’re officially part of the crew. 🚀”
Celebrations are locked in 72 hours before they post, so make hire date changes before then.
Step 3 (optional): Reward new hires for finishing onboarding
Onboarding tasks are easier to finish when there’s a small reward at the end. Bonusly makes it easy to set up a task new hires complete once, submit proof for, and earn points. In Bonusly, this is called an incentive.
Here’s how to set it up:
Go to Admin > Recognition > Incentives and click Create new.
Describe the task: name it Onboarding Complete, add an image, and explain what counts, like “Finish your onboarding training and give your first recognition.” In the proof field, ask for a screenshot of the completed training.
Choose who can join: leave it open to everyone, or click Filter audience to limit it to one department or location.
Set the points per claim, then choose Limit claims per employee, set it to 1, and choose lifetime so each person can earn it only once.
Choose Specific people must provide approvals if HR should check proof first, or keep automatic approval.
Click Create.
Learn more: Incentives. Share Claiming Incentives with new hires so they know how to submit.
Step 4: Thank the buddies and mentors who help new hires settle in.
Great onboarding usually comes down to one helpful teammate. Bonusly makes it easy to set aside a company-funded pool of points that managers or HR can give to the buddies and mentors who show new hires the ropes. In Bonusly, this is called an award.
Here’s how to set it up:
Go to Admin > Recognition > Awards and click Create new.
Name it Onboarding Buddy, and explain who earns it, like “For the teammate who helped a new hire feel at home in their first 90 days.”
In Eligibility settings, choose who can give it, like managers in each department or your HR team.
Under Maximum budget per period, enter a budget and choose per month. Set a fixed Points per award amount.
In Recognition posts, choose Public so the whole team sees the thank-you.
Save the award.
Learn more: Awards
More ways to run it
The same setup works for other welcome and onboarding programs. Change the timing, the audience, and what new hires receive.
Idea | What changes from the example | Learn how |
Welcome gift | Give each new hire a gift from your rewards catalog on day one, like company swag or a coffee gift card | |
Referral bonus at 30 and 90 days | Let the employee who referred a new hire claim points when the hire reaches 30 days, then again at 90 days, with the new hire’s name as proof | |
Six-month check-in | Add another milestone celebration with a 180-day delay. Milestones can go up to 365 days, when the work anniversary takes over | |
Intern or seasonal cohort welcome | Create a separate welcome for one department or location with its own message and points. Same-day celebrations can’t share an audience, so narrow your main welcome first | |
Welcome to Bonusly | Welcome people when their Bonusly account is created instead of on their hire date. This is useful at launch or for contractors without hire dates | |
Welcome back | Celebrate returning employees, like boomerang hires or people back from leave, with an award managers can give | |
Onboarding scavenger hunt | Give new hires a list of tasks, like meeting five teammates or finding the team wiki, and let them claim points when they finish | |
Mentor of the month | Let new hires nominate the teammate who helped them most, then give the winner an award |
Measure it
A healthy onboarding program celebrates every new hire on time, draws teammates into each post, and has new hires recognizing others within their first 90 days.
What to check | Where to find it | When |
Whether every new hire was celebrated on time | Admin > Recognition > Celebrations > Export to CSV | Monthly |
Whether teammates are joining in on welcome posts | Click Review Post in the celebration’s action menu to see every post to date | Monthly |
Whether new hires are giving recognition | Quarterly | |
How many new hires finished onboarding | Admin > Recognition > Incentives > Export to CSV | Quarterly |
If teammates aren’t joining in, ask managers to add on to each welcome post, or write a message that asks a fun question.
Note: You’ll need admin permissions, and the onboarding task and buddy steps use features available on the Team and Organization plans,.
FAQ
What happens if a new hire doesn’t have a hire date?
If a new hire doesn’t have a hire date, their celebrations won’t post. Add the date through your HRIS or in Users > Manage, and make changes more than 72 hours before the celebration date.
Can I send a welcome without points?
Yes, you can send a welcome without points. Enter 0 in Amount in Points, and the post goes out with just the message.
What if a milestone lands on a weekend?
If a milestone lands on a weekend, Bonusly can move the post to the previous business day so the team sees it.
Do celebration points come out of anyone’s allowance?
No, celebration points don’t come out of anyone’s allowance. They come directly from the company.