Email template · Onboarding
New hire IT setup email
In short
A new hire IT setup email tells a new employee how to get their laptop, activate their accounts and set up multi-factor authentication before or on day one. Below are templates for a remote laptop shipment, account activation, frontline and shared-device staff, and the request HR sends IT to set up access.
When to send it: The IT request goes to IT as soon as the offer is accepted, ideally 10 business days before the start. The employee email goes three to five days before the start date.
New hire IT setup email: 4 versions
Remote: laptop and accounts
SubjectYour laptop and account setup for [Start Date]
Hi [First Name], Your laptop is on its way and should arrive by [Delivery Date]. Tracking: [Tracking Link]. Please don't open the box until your first morning; setup takes about 30 minutes and needs your activation code. On [Start Date] at [Time]: 1. Power on the laptop and connect to your home Wi-Fi. 2. Sign in with your work email, [Work Email], and the one-time code we'll text to [Mobile Number] that morning. 3. Set your own password and set up multi-factor authentication with the [Authenticator App] app on your phone. 4. Join the IT welcome call at [Time]: [Video Link]. If the laptop hasn't arrived by [Date], or anything goes wrong, contact the IT help desk at [Help Desk Phone] or [Help Desk Email]. One security note: we will never ask for your password by email, text or phone. If you get a message like that, even if it looks like it comes from us, forward it to [Security Email]. See you soon, [IT Contact Name] [Title], [Company]
Account activation (onsite)
SubjectYour [Company] account is ready
Hi [First Name], Your work accounts will be ready on [Start Date]. Your username is [Username]. On your first morning, [IT Contact Name] will meet you at [Location] at [Time] to set your password, set up multi-factor authentication on your phone and hand over your [laptop / badge / headset]. Please bring your phone; you'll need it to sign in. Questions before then? [Help Desk Email]. [IT Contact Name] [Company] IT
Frontline / shared devices
SubjectGetting signed in on your first shift
Hi [First Name], On your first shift you'll use a shared [workstation / handheld scanner / tablet]. Here's how sign-in works: - Your login ID: [Username] - Your trainer, [Trainer Name], will help you set your PIN on day one. - You'll also download the [App Name] app on your own phone for schedules and pay stubs. Download link: [App Link] If you can't sign in, tell your trainer or call [Help Desk Phone]. [Company] IT
HR to IT: setup request
SubjectNew hire setup: [Full Name], starts [Start Date]
Hi IT team, Please set up the following new hire: - Name: [Full Name] - Job title: [Job Title], [Department] - Manager: [Manager Name] - Start date: [Start Date] - Location: [Site / Remote, with shipping address] - Equipment: [Laptop model / monitor / headset / phone] - Access: [email, system list, shared drives, distribution lists], same as [Peer Name] - Personal email and mobile for activation: [Personal Email], [Mobile Number] Please confirm by [Date] and send tracking for any shipped equipment. Thanks, [HR Contact Name]
Subject line ideas
- Your laptop and account setup for [Start Date]
- Your [Company] account is ready
- Getting signed in on your first shift
- Before day one: your IT setup
- New hire setup: [Full Name], starts [Start Date]
- Your equipment is on its way
SMS and WhatsApp version
Hi [First Name], [Company] IT here. Your laptop arrives by [Delivery Date]. On [Start Date] at [Time], sign in with [Work Email] and the code we'll text you. Need help? Call [Help Desk Phone]. We never ask for your password.
Placeholders to replace: [First Name], [Full Name], [Start Date], [Delivery Date], [Tracking Link], [Work Email], [Username], [Mobile Number], [Personal Email], [Authenticator App], [Help Desk Phone], [Help Desk Email], [Security Email], [Trainer Name], [App Name], [App Link], [Job Title], [Manager Name], [IT Contact Name], [HR Contact Name], [Company]
Start with the request to IT
Most day-one IT failures start in HR, not IT: the setup request goes in three days before the start date, or without the access list. Send it as soon as the offer is accepted and the background check is under way. Ten business days is a safe lead time for a shipped laptop; five is often enough for onsite hires with standard equipment.
The best requests name a peer whose access the new hire should mirror, plus any exceptions. "Same as Maria Lopez, plus the billing system" is clearer to an IT tech than a list of 14 applications. Trigger the request automatically from your onboarding workflow when the candidate reaches the right stage, so nobody has to remember.
What the employee email should cover
- Delivery date and tracking for any shipped equipment, and what to do if it doesn't arrive.
- Username or work email, so they recognize messages sent to it.
- How they'll get their first sign-in code, and on what device.
- Multi-factor authentication setup, and that they'll need their phone.
- A help desk contact that works on day one, including early shifts.
- A security warning about password requests.
Send it from IT, and mention it in the HR or recruiter onboarding email before the start date so the new hire expects it and doesn't mistake it for phishing.
Security: never send credentials in one email
Never put a username and password in the same email, and avoid sending passwords by email at all. Use one-time activation links or codes delivered to a second channel such as SMS, with the employee setting their own password at first sign-in. New hires are a favorite target for impersonation scams: attackers find announcements on social media and send fake "IT setup" or "payroll" emails asking for credentials or gift cards. Telling new employees what IT will and won't ask for is the cheapest protection you have.
Keep a record of what equipment went to whom, with serial numbers, so recovery at separation is straightforward.
High-volume and frontline hiring
A warehouse or contact center onboarding 40 people every Monday can't set up each one individually. Batch it: one setup request per class, accounts created from the HRIS feed, devices pre-imaged and labeled by name, and an IT person in the training room for the first hour of day one. For staff on shared devices, the email is short and the real setup happens with the trainer. The new hire first day email should then point to the same room and time so the sign-in happens before training content starts.
Mistakes to avoid
- Late requests that leave a new hire sitting with nothing to log into.
- Passwords in plain email.
- Generic access, so the new hire spends week one requesting permissions one by one.
- No help desk coverage for early-morning or weekend starts.
- Shipping equipment without tracking or a backup plan.
Frequently asked questions
What should a new hire IT setup email include?
Equipment delivery details and tracking, username or work email, how the first sign-in code will arrive, multi-factor authentication steps, a help desk contact and a warning that IT never asks for passwords.
When should IT set up a new employee's account?
Start as soon as the offer is accepted. Aim to have accounts created and equipment shipped five to ten business days before the start date, with access activated on day one.
How do you send login details to a new employee securely?
Send the username by email and a one-time activation code or link through a separate channel such as SMS. Have the employee set their own password and multi-factor authentication at first sign-in.
Who sends the new employee account setup email?
IT usually sends the account and equipment details, while HR sends the setup request to IT and tells the new hire to expect the IT email.
How should laptops be shipped to remote new hires?
Ship with tracking to arrive two to three business days before the start, tell the employee not to set it up until day one, and have a backup plan such as a loaner or pickup if it is delayed.