zavvy logo
Solutions
Preboarding and onboarding
Onboarding
& Preboarding
Preboarding
Close the gap between signing and start
Onboarding
Wow new hires without getting lost in busywork
Event Scheduling
Automatically manage your orientation events
Development & skills
Development
& Skills
Career Frameworks
Create role clarity with transparent career pathways
Growth Plans
Combine goals with measurable action
Skills Matrix
Understand everyone's strengths and opportunities
Training & Knowledge
Training
& Knowledge
Learning Management
Create and manage engaging courses
Training Library
Find the right resource for everyone
Power Skills
Find expert-led, high impact training programs
Performance and feedback
Performance
& Feedback
Performance Reviews
Measure performance without the bias and act
360° Feedback
Run any kind of feedback process
1:1s
Align people managers and reports through structure
engagement & people analytics
Engagement
& Insights
Engagement Surveys
Understand your people and engage with precision
Connection Programs
Strengthen relationships with regular meetups

Platform

|

Consultation

|

Integrations
Customers
Templates
JourneysFeedbackTraining Library
IntegrationsPricing
HR Insights
BlogCommunityTemplates & PlaybooksReal-life HR Examples
Login
EN
EnglishDeutsch
LoginLogin
See it in action
Login
Settings and language
Language
EnglishDeutschSign in
Login
Try for freeGet a demo
zavvy logo
Lösungen
Preboarding and onboarding
Onboarding
& Preboarding
Preboarding
Schon vor Tag 1 begeistern
Onboarding
Schneller und besser einarbeiten
Meetings
Onboarding-Events ganz automatisch managen
Development & skills
Entwicklung
& Skills
Karriere-Frameworks
Klare Karrierepfade für alle anbieten
Entwicklungspläne
Ziele mit messbaren Maßnahmen verbinden
Kompetenzmatrix
Mit tiefen Insights Potenziale aufdecken
Training & Knowledge
Training
& Wissen
Learning Management
Effiziente Trainings per Drag-and-Drop erstellen
Externe Trainings
Die richtigen Ressourcen immer griffbereit
Power Skills
Intensivtrainings für die wichtigsten Skills
Performance and feedback
Performance
& Feedback
Performance Reviews
Leistung fair und transparent beurteilen
360° Feedback
Feedbackkultur nach Ihren Wünschen schaffen
1:1s
Produktivere Meetings für alle ermöglichen
engagement & people analytics
Engagement
& Insights
Engagement Umfragen
Bedürfnisse verstehen und gezielt erfüllen
Meetup-Rituale
Beziehungen durch regelmäßige Meetings stärken

Plattform

|

Beratung

|

Integrationen
Referenzen
Vorlagen
JourneysFeedbackTrainingsbibliothek
Preise
HR Wissen
BlogCommunityVorlagen & PlaybooksReal-life HR Examples
Login
EN
EnglishDeutsch
LoginLogin
See it in action
Login
Settings and language
Sprache
EnglishDeutschLogin
Login
Kostenlos testenDemo vereinbaren

zavvy logo
Solutions
Preboarding and onboarding
Onboarding
& Preboarding
Preboarding
Close the gap between signing and start
Onboarding
Wow new hires without getting lost in busywork
Event Scheduling
Automatically manage your orientation events
Development & skills
Development
& Skills
Career Frameworks
Create role clarity with transparent career pathways
Growth Plans
Combine goals with measurable action
Skills Matrix
Understand everyone's strengths and opportunities
Training & Knowledge
Training
& Knowledge
Learning Management
Create and manage engaging courses
Training Library
Find the right resource for everyone
Power Skills
Find expert-led, high impact training programs
Performance and feedback
Performance
& Feedback
Performance Reviews
Measure performance without the bias and act
360° Feedback
Run any kind of feedback process
1:1s
Align people managers and reports through structure
engagement & people analytics
Engagement
& Insights
Engagement Surveys
Understand your people and engage with precision
Connection Programs
Strengthen relationships with regular meetups

Platform

|

Consultation

|

Integrations
Customers
Templates
JourneysFeedbackTraining Library
IntegrationsPricing
HR Insights
BlogCommunityTemplates & PlaybooksReal-life HR Examples
Login
EN
EnglishDeutsch
LoginLogin
See it in action
Login
Settings and language
Language
EnglishDeutschSign in
Login
Try for freeGet a demo
Navigation
Quicklinks
‍
  • ❓What is preboarding?
  • 🆚 Onboarding vs preboarding
  • 🧠 Inside the mind of a new hire
  • 🏆 Why it matters
  • ❗️ Best practices with examples
  • 📝 Checklist & templates
  • 💡 9 Tips for your preboarding experience
  • 📈 How Zavvy can help you nail preboarding

What is Preboarding and How to Be Great at It - The Complete Guide

Zuletzt aktualisiert:
5.10.2022
Lesezeit:
12 minutes
Last updated:
October 5, 2022
Time to read:
12 minutes
Employee preboarding is your chance to stand out and create an amazing experience even before day 1. Here's how to master it.

Companies today are designing thoughtful and elaborated hiring processes. This includes having a 7-step recruitment process and detailed job descriptions.

Candidate experience, as most organizations have come to agree, is crucial.

The only thing: Once a new hire signed, they are often left entirely alone. And all the effort HR and recruiters put into nailing the first impression is destroyed - even before day 1.

What they miss: A decent preboarding process. 

There is a universal truth in the statement:

If you wait until day one to engage a new hire, you've already fallen behind.

Preboarding new hires isn't just limited to paperwork. An outstanding employee preboarding experience must be engaging, easy-to-understand, and memorable.  

Why? According to Gallup, only 13% of employees globally are engaged, although employee engagement is one of THE top reasons employees stay at an organization.

It starts way before. And our preboarding guide shows you how to get the most out of it.

81 of new hires want to receive details about their new job in the preboarding stage. Source: Tydy

❓ What is employee preboarding?

Signing the offer letter doesn't always guarantee that your new hire will show up on their first day. In fact, 1 out of 5 new hires won't do so.

And among these resulting 80%, 4% of employees quit after their first day (HBR).

Preboarding is the period between an employee accepting their job offer and their first day.

This process can ask your new hire to complete the necessary forms and send a company-wide introductory email. You can also take it a step further by sending a welcome package or scheduling a coffee meeting so your new hire can build a rapport with the rest of your team.

Later in this article, we will explore different strategies to deliver an effective preboarding process. But, before that, let's understand the difference between preboarding and onboarding. 

🆚 Onboarding vs Preboarding: What's the Difference

The line between onboarding and preboarding is quite blurry. And a lot of companies use them interchangeably or only focus on onboarding activities.
But even if you've already got a great (remote) new hire onboarding process in your organization, you're likely leaving a lot on the table in your preboarding process.

Preboarding Onboarding

Overview

Acts as a bridge between the day a candidate accepts the offer and the beginning of the onboarding process.

Begins after the candidate has started working for your organization.

Objective

Primary focus should be on preparing your new recruit and drumming up some excitement towards their new role.

Should help new hires settle down and acquaint themselves with the physical layout and the work culture.

Activity

Schedule a lunch or a coffee meeting, invite them to stop by the office before their start date, or add them in your company-wide email chain.

Deliver a proper set-up, assign a buddy, arrange newly hired candidates' training, and solicit feedback.

Preboarding vs onboarding vs Postboarding - All processes are part of the bigger onboarding picture
remote onboarding checklist pdf download

‍

🏆 Preboarding benefits and why you should do it

Inside the mind of a new hire

When a candidate interviews at your company, it’s natural they will be applying to other companies too. And when things click, you’ll be ready to send your job offer letter.

While it leaves the candidate feeling content and accomplished, chances are they’ll still be open to other offers. And curious how they compare to yours.

Some people get excited during the interview stage and impulsively accept the job offer.

But as time passes, doubts can seep in. 

Questions like

  • What if I’m making the wrong decision?’ 
  • ‘Is this where I see myself working in the coming years?’
  • ‘Maybe I shouldn’t quit my current job after all.’

You, as an employer, can eliminate quite a few of these negative feelings with some of the other employee preboarding activities. Instead of simply sending some official paperwork to your fresh recruit, try to make them feel inclusive, and engaged throughout your preboarding.

A welcome package as a preboarding best practice

Benefits at a glance

Recruitment is already an extensive process within an organization that entails a lot of responsibilities. Having a pre-boarding may add extra steps to this, but helps save a lot of time and money, while streamlining the process. 

Benefits: Why preboarding is important

Piques Excitement

• Positive PR for your company

• Avoids ghosting on the first day

• Motivates them for their new role

Prepares the employee

• 40% of turnover happens within the first month.

• Recruit can work from Day 1

• Welcomes them into your workforce family

Curbs Anxiety

• Helps do away with new job  uncertainty

• Alleviates fear, giving you one more advantage over the competition

Reduces Paperwork

• Avoids distracting the employee from learning about your workplace & colleagues

• Allows the starter to enjoy their first day at work

Encourages Referrals

• Encourages new hires to spread a good word about your company

• And hence: Increases your chances of recruiting more new talents

❗ Preboarding activities: Best practices

‍Your organization's preboarding process can include anything that's relevant to the new hire's job role and position. This could mean customizing their uniform, scheduling an office tour, or inviting them to corporate events. 

While there are no rules to designing a preboarding process, it's always best to make it unique to your organizational needs. Depending on the department your new hire is joining, you can also modify some steps.

However, some ideas are universally applicable to all departments; here are some to begin with:

1. Get a head start on admin tasks

Main purpose: Have all admin tasks taken care of - and all stakeholders notified

This preboarding activity is a two-sided process. On the one hand, it involves gearing up new hires for their new role in your organization.

It involves sending first-hand information on your company culture, perks, and policies that help to set job-specific expectations. 

On the other hand, it's equally vital that you prepare your hiring managers, IT person, or the founders to welcome the new hire.

Nothing's worse than starting a new job - and neither IT nor office management is prepared.

Slack message to onboarding buddy during preboarding
Automated Slack message sent to onboarding buddies via Zavvy during preboarding

With Zavvy, you can send automated messages to IT teams or team colleagues.

This way, all parties are automatically on board - and all forms are automatically send out.

2. Send a welcome email

Main purpose: Take away insecurities and offer assistance

This is usually a welcome/congratulatory email sent from the hiring manager or even the founders of your company. It can include what to wear when to arrive, what to bring, plus calendar invites to introductory meetings, onboarding sessions, and lunches. 

This helps ease the first-day anxiety and doubts amongst your new hires. However, it's best not to make the announcement too far in advance of your new colleague's arrival to ensure it's top of mind for your team.

The tone of voice of your email should be warm and approachable. Also, make it clear how to ask questions anytime.

Example of a nicely branded welcome email during the preboarding at Casper
Preboarding message example from Eve

3. Answer questions, before they have to ask

Main purpose: Answer commonly asked questions in a designated place

The first day at a new job is full of anxiety - positive and negative. During this time, a little information can go a long way in easing stress. It avoids miscommunication, job ambiguity, and first-day blunders.

We strongly recommend developing new-hire FAQs that can be used across all departments. Here are our suggestions:

  • What are the working hours?
  • Where do I park? How do I find the front door?
  • Is there an office canteen?
  • What's the culture like?
  • What do I have to know?

Share a list of preboarding and onboarding FAQs with your new hires even before they have to ask. The sooner it is to their joining date, the more effective it is.

Not everything fits into your welcome email. This is really about giving people a place to answer questions themselves.

4. Send company swag

Main purpose: Excite new hires (and encourage them to share it on social media)

Your company swag is one of the many workplace perks that will attract new talents to your organization.

There’s no rule to designing a welcome package. What’s important is that it should reflect the tone, culture, and ethos of your company in the right way.

Some things to include:

  • Employee handbook
  • Snacks 
  • Company merchandise
  • Office supplies
  • Goodies (vouchers/coupons)

If you’re looking for inspiration on how to design a welcome package, we’ve gathered 10 exciting ideas for you.

Example of a welcome package at kakapay
Example of a welcome package at andpizza

5. Invite them to a corporate event

Main purpose: Create social connections and belonging

Hosting daily happy hours or casual Friday sundowners has become the norm at many organizations.

This helps to unwind and network with employees from other departments. If your organization hosts such events, it’s always a good idea to invite new hires to attend them - especially before starting.

This will introduce them to their colleagues, get acquainted with their workspace, and set job-specific expectations. 

Go a step further and set up a casual meeting between cohorts of new hires starting on the same day.

Getting to know other employees in a similar situation gives them something to look forward to and reduces the anxiety of joining a company filled with unfamiliar faces.

Team event experiences at airbnb

‍AirBnb here has a great selection of virtual and on-site events for the new hire, and your team.

6. Have them make a personalized intro video

Main purpose: Break the ice

Encourage your new hires to take control over their first impression through a personalized introductory video.

This acts as a great conversation starter amongst your new hires and existing colleagues. Having something to talk about besides work will bring your people closer, which will visibly impact their productivity.

You can give your new hires some hints/ideas beforehand on what they can talk about:

  • Their role
  • Their hobbies
  • Where were they previously working
  • What are they looking forward to
  • What excites them
  • A quirky fact about themselves 

Here’s a great example of an employee introduction video from Wistia, a video marketing software company:

🎥 Find more inspiration for your perfect onboarding video here

7. From preboarding to onboarding

Main purpose: A structured process to get people productive and settle in

Lastly, you’d want to help your new hires smoothly transition from preboarding to your organization’s overall onboarding process.

This ensures your new hire is no longer a stranger to their role or your workplace culture. In addition, this step should establish the fact that they’re now a team member and prepared for their new role. 

To facilitate this transition, always connect them with the person who will oversee the onboarding process. We’ve got you covered in this step with our detailed remote onboarding checklist.

Needless to say, how you welcome recruits reflects your organization’s culture, creativity, and your commitment to retaining them.

The important thing is having a preboarding outline or a protocol that is scalable across all departments. 

📝 Preboarding checklists and templates

This guide is a starting point to help you structure your preboarding plan.

However, if you want in-depth information on nailing your preboarding process, here are some of our top recommendations:

Checklist

Whether you’re building your preboarding plan from scratch or improvising an existing one, it’s always a good idea to have a checklist in hand. This will help you to create an outline, understand your recruits’ needs, and how you can implement the program in your organization.

We’ve already drafted a rough preboarding checklist below to make it easy for you.

Recruiting & signing the contract

  • Contract and forms to collect employee data
  • Welcome onboard from hiring manager (letter/email)
  • Hi from team members (email or even better video)
  • Overview: This is what will happen before and after your 1st day
  • Send over Onboarding Playbook (option to add own questions)
  • Preparing the welcome package: Ask for desired laptop/mobile T-shirt size, ...

Preboarding

  • Tease the office and general workplace (option: add co-working “neighbors”)
  • Intro to the company: Organogram, welcome video from the CEO,  culture, and values
  • Office address and first-day instructions
  • Practicalities: Working hours & vacation, flexibility, Dress code, house rules
  • Inquire about last-minute questions/answer questions [3 days before start]
  • Quick message on the day before day 1: See you tomorrow! (email/SMS message) - Add detailed 1st-day schedule

Lastly, building a repeatable preboarding process ensures all new hires share the same excellence during their first weeks. Take the time to create a formal onboarding plan that your recruits can benefit from.

 1st day

  1. Meet-n-greet with hiring manager + team (for breakfast)
  2. Here is your desk, tools, and notebook
  3. Present role, goals, and projects with the hiring manager
  4. Expectations and support to succeed
  5. Lunch with team
  6. Meet your buddy
  7. Tour of the office
  8. Invite collaborating departments for coffee-break / cake
  9. Present 1st-week schedule
If you want the complete employee onboarding checklist - from signing the contract to day 90 - get it here!

Example Structure

Training new employees beforehand helps them to stay ahead of the curve. This is mainly for developers and engineers who spend a lot of time figuring out how the software works. Getting a hands-on practice of the product in advance will enable them to be more efficient and productive.  

Example 1

Example 2

Preboarding template

Pre-boarding survey

Mistakes will be made if you’re implementing a pre-boarding program for the first time. New hire surveys will help you to gain invaluable insights on how you can improvise your existing preboarding process.

onboarding survey template google forms

💡 9 Preboarding tips for better experiences

1. Keep it simple

‍You don’t want to overwhelm your recruit with excessive information and admin paperwork. Instead, simply have an organized schedule spanned over the course of weeks, including details of the contact person. 

2. A glimpse of their first week

‍Right before your recruit starts working, show them what the first week entails. This will prepare them for their new role and set clear expectations.

3. Reflect your company culture

‍While there’s a universal preboarding template & checklist, it’s always nice to personalize it to your company’s unique culture. For example, Zavvy’s templates let you create memorable experiences for your new hires, like meeting for a welcome walk or a cup of coffee.‍

4. Schedule a lunch for the new hire

‍Meeting the hiring/reporting manager beforehand (remotely or in-person) will make the new hire feel more comfortable. In addition, it takes away the uncertainty of not knowing the work attitude of their managers.

5. Make it engaging

‍This is your stage to be as creative as you want to. The choice is yours, from having online videos to organizing one-off culinary classes. Set your budget, and talk to your recruits about their interests – you’ll know what to do.‍

6. Do regular check-in/stay connected

‍An effective preboarding program doesn’t end with sending all the documents and paperwork to new hires. Chances are they’ll have questions or doubts circling their mind. So always be there to clarify them at your earliest.

7. Do it as soon as they accept the job offer

‍Be there with your new colleagues from the day they sign - and engage them over time with little nuggets of info and excitement. 

8. Curb any uncertainty and nervousness

‍Whether it’s for juniors or top-level managers, first-day jitters are real. During the preboarding stage, they should learn what to expect, finish all the admin work, and learn more about their colleagues.

9. Consider using a preboarding app

‍Using a preboarding app can efficiently help acquaint recruits to their new workplace, especially if you often have multiple people starting simultaneously. This way, you can both create a richer, consistent experience and save time through smart automations.

When should you contact people during preboarding

💪 How Zavvy can help with preboarding

Close the gap between signing a work contract and the first day at your company. Create excitement and prepare everyone involved.
Example Preboarding workflow on Zavvy

Setting up a preboarding journey goes beyond the responsibilities of HR. It's crucial to involve a team member, the corresponding manager, or even the founders in welcoming the new talents during their preboarding. 

We understand that taking care of all that is a lot of work, especially letting everybody know what to do in the first place.

With Zavvy, you can easily: 

  • Create a rich, interactive experience that excites new hires.
  • Notify people: Such as the manager, teammates, and onboarding buddy, about the starting date
  • Assign them tasks to prepare the preboarding materials and equipment
  • Remind them to set up 1-on-1 meetings
  • Automatic notifications are sent through emails, Slack, or Teams.
  • Reminder tool so you can nudge coworkers to take the right actions in critical moments of your new hire's preboarding journey. For example, notify them to congratulate the new joiner on passing the 30-day mark on the new job.
➡️ Click here to find out how it works - and how to wow new hires with Zavvy's preboarding software.

➡️ Final thoughts

When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.
Dale Carnegie

Humans are emotional beings. Even in this digital era, they want a more personal, human work experience from their employers – and that happens when people connect and feel they belong. Your company’s preboarding process is the first step at creating meaningful connections with your new talents.

Having a dedicated preboarding process will make your new hire feel valuable and create excitement about starting their job. In addition, you will be able to take care of the administrative process, making sure your new talent is ready to take up responsibilities from Day One.

Employee onboarding software bannerLearning management system EN360 Grad Feedback BannerEnablement ENEnablement ENPeople development software
Mitarbeiter Onboarding Software Zavvy Bannerlearning management system 
Mitarbeiter Enablement Software
Enablement ENTalent Management Software
Alexander Heinle
Alexander Heinle

Alex is a marketer at Zavvy. On this blog, he mainly shares insights gained from discussions with selected experts and from helping our customers set up and improve their onboarding or learning programs.

Linkedin LogoMedium Logo

Read next

Als Nächstes lesen

How Avi Medical trains their staff in the flow of work with scenario-based, blended, and micro learning
Creating a training routine for leaders at Freeletics
How Y-Combinator-Backed Awesomic Gets Their Top-Notch Designers Up To Speed
How DataGuard Runs Hybrid Onboarding and Internal Communication via Zavvy

Eine neue Trainingsroutine für die Führungskräfte bei Freeletics

Onboarding bei Storyblok - So schafft das People Team großartige Erfahrungen, während das Unternehmen von 33 auf 139 Mitarbeitende wächst.

Storyblok spart jede Woche 15 Stunden und hebt Remote-Onboarding auf die nächste Stufe.

Wie neue Mitarbeitende bei Alasco schneller und effektiver eingebunden werden. Case Study lesen.

Wie Alasco die Zeit bis zur Produktivität mit einem strukturierten, unterhaltsamen Onboarding halbiert hat.

A Complete Guide to 360 Evaluation Tools: Finding the Best One for You
11 minutes
Employee Peer Review: How to Boost Morale and Productivity With This Ultimate Guide
16 minutes
7 Best Practices for Your Company’s Performance Review Calibration
10 minutes
Nie wieder schlechte Mitarbeiterleistung: Lernen Sie, wie man sie effektiv diagnostiziert und angeht
9 Minuten
Anonymes Mitarbeiter-Feedback: 5 Argumente dafür und 5 dagegen (mit Unternehmensbeispielen)
12 Minuten
Best Practices zur (360-Grad)-Leistungsbewertung - So holen Sie mehr raus
12 Minuten
How to Conduct a Skills Gap Analysis: Steps, Best Practices, and a Template
13 minutes
6 Expert Ways to Integrate Performance Management and Talent Management
13 minutes
19 Incredible Benefits of Coaching in the Workplace
10 minutes
Anforderungsprofile: Mit der richtigen Rollenbeschreibung zu mehr Rollenklarheit und cleverer Personalentwicklung
14 Minuten
Leistungsziele vs. Entwicklungsziele: Unterschiede und wie man sie richtig nutzt
12 Minuten
Training vs. Entwicklung: Die zwei Seiten des nachhaltigen Mitarbeiterwachstums
7 Minuten
Top Leadership Books and Resources Recommended by Acting CEOs and Founders
11 minutes
How Do You Communicate Employee Engagement Report Results Effectively? (With Examples)
10 minutes
10 HR People Strategy Examples from Leading Corporate Employers
15 minutes
6 Best Practices zur HR-Automatisierung für moderne People Ops
8 Minuten
Wie Sie Ihre nächste Präsentation zur Personalstrategie meistern: Ein Leitfaden für HR-Führungskräfte (+ Vorlage)
9 Minuten
Vertrauen am Arbeitsplatz schaffen: 17 Wege, wie Sie heute beginnen können
12 Minuten
12 Top-HR-Tools für Kleinunternehmen
7 Minuten
47 Wege zur Steigerung des Engagements im Homeoffice (mit Beispielen und Tipps)
13 Minuten
Welches innovative Arbeitszeitmodell passt zu mir?
5 Minuten
15 Hybrid and Remote Work Trends You Cannot Afford to Ignore
12 minutes
How to Be a Great Remote Leader: Overcome Challenges and Inspire Your Team
11 minutes
33 Hybrid And Remote Work Statistics That Explain The Future Of Work
10 minutes
Company
AboutImprintContactPrivacyGDPR & SecurityJobsUser loginLinkedIn icon
Linkedin
Product
OnboardingPreboardingDevelopmentCareer PathwaysFeedbackTrainingPerformanceOnboarding WorkflowsSkills MatrixAnonymous Feedback
Resources
Case StudiesBlogDownloads11 Onboarding TemplatesLeadership Competency ModelCompetency Matrix TemplatePress
The latest insights & best practices on L&D and employee experience - delivered right to your inbox.
One more step - We have sent you an email!
Please confirm your address by clicking the link in there.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Sign up for our newsletter
Unternehmen
ImpressumKontaktPrivatssphäre
Ressourcen
Case StudiesBlog
Folgen Sie uns
LinkedIn icon
Linkedin
Erhalten Sie die neuesten Insights und Best Practices zu Personalentwicklung direkt in Ihr Postfach.
One more step - We have sent you an email!
Please confirm your address by clicking the link in there.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Zum Newsletter anmelden