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Mon 25 Aug 2025 23:10

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HR and L&D teams pay a lot of attention to onboarding because nearly a quarter of new employees leave within the first 45 days. But did you know that the solution to reducing turnover during the onboarding period doesn’t have to happen during onboarding? After all, if you wait until day one to engage a new employee, you’re already falling behind: in 2019, 65% of employers reported hiring people who didn’t show up on their first day
Preboarding is the time between signing an employment contract and starting the job, and it can make all the difference in a new employee’s experience. If preboarding is not handled properly, 80% of employees struggle with anxiety while waiting to start their new job, and this feeling lingers after their start date and damages enthusiasm, productivity and loyalty. Even worse, doubts can lead to the cancellation of an accepted position: according to a 2019 survey, 28% of professionals have done so

Most important points

Are you missing a step in your preboarding?

Good preboarding is critical to giving new employees a warm welcome and helping them feel at home quickly in their new roles. If you find that your preboarding process is not going quite smoothly, there may be a step missing. Here are some common steps you may be overlooking:

By adding these steps to your preboarding process, you can ensure that your new employees feel valued and well-prepared before they show up for their first day of work

1. Send preboarding gifts (or a personalized welcome)

Sending preboarding gifts is a great way to show new employees that you are serious about building a good relationship with them. While a job offers a salary, opportunities for career advancement and perhaps even health benefits, small gestures can be just as important. Sending a welcome package or personalized gift during the preboarding period can get the new employee excited and confirm that he or she made the right decision
Tech giants such as Dropbox, Salesforce and Google send elaborate welcome packages that include branded pens, notebooks, mugs and tote bags. Alternatively, opt for more creative gifts (such as slinkies, granola, enamel pins or a potted plant) to better tell a story about your company’s identity and values
Not every organization can afford extravagant welcome packages, but as with birthday gifts, it’s the thought that counts. A handwritten, personalized postcard, for example, can show without high cost that you know your new employee is worth a little extra effort
You can also send a welcome email expressing your excitement about them joining the team, an introductory onboarding video from the CEO or hiring manager or a letter from a team member with some on-the-job anecdotes and insider tips
Here’s a small but impactful plug-and-play email we send to each of our new hires during the preboarding period:

Subject: Welcome to [company name]
Hello [name],

We would like to welcome you to [company name] and thank you for choosing us as your new employer. We are very excited to work with you and look forward to meeting you on your first day of work
In the meantime, we'd like to give you some information to help you prepare for your new role. In this email you will find a link to our onboarding portal, where you can find important information about our company culture, our products and services, and our expectations of you as a new employee
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. We're here to help you and want to make sure you get off to a flying start at [company name]
Sincerely,

[Name]]

A welcome e-mail can be a great way to show the new employee that you are excited about their arrival and that you are ready to support them. It’s also a chance to share some useful information and help them prepare for their new role

2. Ask for feedback on your hiring process

Asking for feedback on the hiring process marks the transition from candidate to team member and allows you to gather top-of-mind comments to improve your hiring process. It is important to emphasize employee empowerment as it promotes productivity, creativity and alignment of personal and company growth. It is easiest to establish this from the beginning. By asking your new employee for feedback during preboarding, you prepare them to feel valued and encourage them to make an impact. This also establishes an ongoing line of feedback, which are important strategies for increasing retention
Soliciting feedback is not only important for the new employee. There is no better source of insight into your hiring process than a recent participant, and those insights can have a significant effect on your bottom line. In 2018, 72% of job seekers posted about a bad experience with a company while recruiting, and this bad publicity can discourage top talent from applying: 55% of job seekers avoided applying to a company after seeing a bad review online
To gather feedback, create a short survey about the candidate experience. A balance of closed-ended questions (such as rating scale and true/false questions) and open-ended questions (usually beginning with “what,” “how,” and “why”) will give you a mix of quantitative data and nuanced personal experience to refine your hiring strategies and processes

3. Start with administrative tasks

During the preboarding, the new employee is likely to be nervous and excited; don’t let this energy go to waste. Give the new employee a chance to get a head start by completing administrative tasks before the first day of work begins
No one wants to spend their entire first day at work signing forms and setting up accounts. Make expectations clear: emphasize that filling out paperwork is not required to be completed ahead of time, but explain why it may be helpful to start with this
While employees tick items off their to-do list, most of the work – namely staying organized – will fall on HR. Create a single, centralized list of tasks for new employees to work through, including:

Consider organizing and communicating these tasks using a tool such as Trello. For reference, this is the template that can be used to track preboarding tasks:

Task Responsible Deadline
Activate company accounts HR 2 days before start date
Verify personal information New employee 1 day before start date
Add personal information to payroll software New employee 1 day before start date
Fill in government documents New employee 2 days before start date

It is important to ensure that the new employee feels welcome and not overwhelmed by administrative tasks on the first day of work. Completing these tasks ahead of time allows new employees to focus on getting to know the company and their new colleagues

4. Answer their questions about what to expect before they have to ask

It is important for companies to inform their new employees of expectations as soon as possible. In fact, not knowing the most important details can lead to additional stress and nerves for new employees. This can be prevented by creating a list of frequently asked questions. These can include questions about working hours, dress code, parking, equipment needed, and where employees can go with questions
It is also a good time to share important resources such as an employee handbook, a summary of benefits and information about the specific position. This can help new employees better prepare for their first day of work and ease nerves
Jonah Goldstein, the head of learning at the company, stresses the importance of answering new employees’ questions as soon as possible to put their minds at ease. By communicating this information in a clear way, companies can prevent new employees from feeling unsure of what is expected of them

5. Clarify the onboarding schedule with calendar invitations

A clear onboarding schedule is essential to keeping new employees organized during the hectic first few weeks. It is important to send out these invitations in a timely manner so that new employees do not get stuck in preboarding limbo
You can fill new employees’ calendars with training sessions, meetings with supervisors/colleagues and company-wide events (such as celebrations, all-hands meetings and volunteer days) to emphasize that they are joining an active community. Providing this information in advance reassures new employees and ensures a smooth onboarding experience

6. Invite them to a preboarding hangout

While asynchronous working is preferred, nothing can beat face-to-face contact to build community
An informal gathering with team members is a great opportunity for new employees to build relationships before they start. Meals and happy hours are popular, but short conversations to get to know each other can also help build early bonds. Don’t let the new normal get in your way – building community virtually is still possible
Consider pairing new employees with one or two of their future colleagues who excel in the company culture. Don’t limit invitations to a new employee’s immediate supervisor: nominate individuals who represent your company to act as an onboarding buddy throughout the onboarding process

7. Let them poke around on your learning platform

By the time a new employee reaches the preboarding stage, they have likely already been told about the company’s culture and values. Early access to the learning platform provides an opportunity to deliver on these promises
Learning platforms are an important part of onboarding and on-the-job training. Therefore, it is not a bad idea to become familiar with the tool before the employee starts working. More importantly, access to the learning platform allows new employees to see the company’s values in action
At ENBOQ, for example, we live and breathe collaborative learning. It’s not only central to the product they offer, but it’s also how they get the work done. For them, there is no better way to understand their culture of learning than by seeing the transparent learning platform in action

8. Let them create a personalized introduction

In preboarding, personalization is ideal, and so is the introduction of new employees. It is important to give new employees the opportunity to have control over their first impression and to build a community on their own
However, the idea is not to paralyze new employees with too many options. It is better to offer a few parameters, such as creating a two-minute video introduction, creating a slideshow with photos and fun facts, or completing an acquaintance quiz. Digital introductions are especially important for large or remote organizations, where the new employee will not be able to walk through the office and shake hands
The purpose of the introduction is to encourage new employees to make a friendly and personal introduction to their new teammates. For example, Wistia, a video marketing software company, has a great employee introduction video that can serve as an example
It is important to give new employees the freedom to create their own introduction, while also giving them some guidelines to help them through the process

9. Make an internal announcement to prepare the team for a warm welcome

During the pre-boarding phase, it is important to create a sense of community. But ultimately, the responsibility for this lies with the team. Therefore, it is important to align the team for a warm welcome on the first day
The announcement should include the new employee’s name, position and start date, along with their personalized introduction from step 8. If your company is large and hires new employees quickly, these announcements can quickly become old news. Therefore, consider notifying only the new employee’s immediate team
It is best not to make the announcement too far in advance so that it stays fresh in the team’s mind. To add extra effort, ask employees to set aside some time for a first (virtual) lunch or at least send a celebratory GIF. The team should welcome new employees in a way that feels authentic to the company culture; just make sure they are on time for a warm welcome
Like this virtual lunch we invited our new Product Marketing Director to a week before her first day:

Date Time Participants
10/04/2024 12:00 – 13:00 New Product Marketing Director, Marketing Manager, Product Manager, HR Manager

Hosting a virtual lunch is a great way to welcome new employees while creating a sense of community, even remotely

Hold on: building on a successful preboarding program

A successful preboarding program is just the beginning of a well-integrated and engaged employee. At ENBOQ, they continue to pursue these goals again and again by fostering a culture of learning. This begins at the preboarding process, continues during the onboarding process and — if all goes well — remains part of the employees’ daily routine. In addition to the nine strategies to make preboarding successful, you can also consult ENBOQ’s preboarding checklist to make sure no steps are skipped

Book your ENBOQ demo now

ENBOQ allows you to effectively induct your new employees. To learn more about how this solution can be tailored to your specific needs, book a demo now. The demo takes only 30 minutes and is completely free and without obligation

Frequently asked questions

How can preboarding contribute to the success of new hires?

Preboarding can contribute to the success of new employees by giving them a sense of connection with their new employer before they actually start work. This can increase new employees’ motivation and help them become productive faster

What elements are essential in a preboarding program?

There are several elements that are essential in a preboarding program, including:

What are effective activities to include in preboarding?

Effective activities to include in preboarding include:

How does preboarding differ from onboarding and offboarding?

Preboarding takes place before a new employee’s first day of work and aims to prepare the new employee for his or her new position and to give him or her a sense of belonging to the organization. Onboarding occurs on a new employee’s first day of work and aims to integrate the new employee into the organization and provide him or her with the necessary knowledge and skills to be successful in the new position. Offboarding occurs when an employee leaves the organization and aims to help the employee transition to a new job or career

What steps should be included in a preboarding checklist?

Some of the steps that can be included in a preboarding checklist are:

In what ways can ENBOQ improve the preboarding process?

ENBOQ can improve the preboarding process by:

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