There is value to be found in those days between an initial job offer and a new employee’s first day at work. It’s time well spent on employee preboarding: establishing a connection and a sense of belonging, setting expectations and tone, getting the most tedious aspects of onboarding started, and ultimately ensuring your organization’s newest additions make quick and smooth transitions into their new roles.
In this article, we’ll cover what preboarding is, and how you can utilize it to set your people and your business up for success.
Set New Employees Up For Success with Preboarding
A solid employee preboarding process creates a great foundation for a new employee’s overall success, paving the way to stronger outcomes for your business. Consistent, clear communication right from the get-go will foster a more meaningful connection and alleviate day-one anxieties, boosting the new employee’s sense of belonging and better preparing them for their role.
Preboarding will set the stage for greater long-term successes for your business.
The Benefits of a Strong Preboarding Process
Great preboarding will demonstrate that your organization values its employees, and in turn, will foster loyalty.
By welcoming a new hire early with pre-onboarding communication, you can potentially boost the overall onboarding experience by 83%, better preparing employees for their roles.
With a thorough preboarding tracking process in place, a new employee is more likely to have everything they need to get started on day one, smoothing the transition into their new role.
Employers can expect boosted retention rates and greater new hire productivity than organizations without a strong onboarding process.
Preboarding Prep: Your Checklist for New Hires
The most successful preboarding process is going to be one that’s tailored to your business, its people, and their specific roles. With that in mind, there are still a few universal best practices worth looping in.
By working off of a preboarding checklist, you’ll ensure your process is consistent from one new hire to another, and that nothing goes missed along the way.
1. Start With a Strong Welcome
The work of building a sense of belonging starts the moment you make a job offer. Build and keep momentum by communicating early, clearly, and often. Your initial welcome message doesn’t need to be highly structured, either. A simple “welcome to the team” message is a great start.
When you first reach out, be sure to also consider the following:
Tailor your delivery to your company culture. Be sure to make a call or set up a quick video chat if that is predominantly how your organization communicates.
No matter how your teams work, send an email, even if you’ve also spoken over the phone or video chat. Having an easily retrieved reference will be convenient for you and your new employee.
Ensure your new hire knows that you or another point of contact are available to answer any questions they may have in the lead-up.
While the initial recruiting process is still fresh, it’s a great time to collect some feedback on your hiring and interview practices.
Send and secure any necessary initial documentation, like an offer letter, contract, or total compensation statement.
If you have any company swag like branded supplies, t-shirts, or totes, including those in a small care package is a great idea!
2. Get a Head Start on Administrative Paperwork
Forward your new employees a copy of the handbook for them to review, and use this headstart time to get the ball rolling on things like tax forms and other legal documents needed for your onboarding process.
3. Make Some Introductions
Making sure everyone is in the loop shows your people, new and old, that they are valued. Now is also a great time to introduce the new hire to their direct report, immediate coworkers, or mentor, if they will have one. Keep it casual – a simple email will suffice!
Keep that communication ball rolling by letting your current employees know when a new person is joining the team.
Give them a list of key contacts in their department and elsewhere, with the best way to reach those people.
4. Ensure Your New Hire Has What They Need for Their First Day
No matter how your teams work, remote, hybrid, or in-office, accounting for new hire needs before their first day on the job will go a long way toward making them feel welcome in their new role. It also cuts back on time spent filling gaps in equipment and access.
Here are the basics that you should consider:
Set up any digital access they may need: a company email account, access to employee portals, or other necessary software.
Ensure they will have immediate access to any necessary training materials or software.
Prepare or place orders for any physical equipment they may need, such as a phone, laptop, desktop accessories, accommodations, etc.
5. Map Out the Logistics of Their First Day
Use this time to ensure that both you and your new hire are prepared for their first day.
Confirm scheduled times with them, give them an outline of what they can expect from their first week on the job.
Work with the new hire’s manager to prepare an agenda for the first week. The structure and guidance will be a great help.
Worth including in your correspondences are some basic instructions or reminders that will be relevant to their first day – dress code, where to park if they’re coming into an office, how everyone communicates (slack, zoom, email, etc.), even things like favorite nearby lunch spots if you’re an on-site company.
Establish some additional check-in dates so that you can easily address any questions that may come up during the new employee’s first days and weeks.
