How to Build Connection During Preboarding
You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. And in the world of work, your new hire’s first impression is cemented way before day one – really from the moment someone finds out about your company (hello, employer brand 👋).
That means, at a bare minimum, you have to ensure all your digital properties – website, social pages, review sites – are up to date and truly represent your organizational culture. From there, the goal is to attract the right candidates to your open roles.
But once that offer letter is signed, what happens next? Is it crickets until the first day? Or do you offer moments of surprise and delight in a preboarding journey?
My Preboarding Journey
It’s only natural for someone starting a new job to have a bit of anxiety and jitters. When I signed my offer with Enboarder almost two years ago, I was leaving a company I had been with for eight years. I had built a network of friends and colleagues I genuinely enjoyed working with. I knew it was time for a change, did I make the right decision? Was Enboarder the right company for me?
Thankfully, I was quickly put at ease with Enboarder’s preboarding journey. In the three weeks leading up to day one, I received short, friendly text updates that allowed me to easily submit all the paperwork needed to get my computer ordered and ensure I was paid on time. I remember filling out a questionnaire about my favorite foods and hobbies, and even recording a quick video that was shared back with my team. My manager shared a video of himself welcoming me to the team and saying how excited everyone was for me to join.
These preboarding text and video nudges served an important purpose – they became the foundation for the long-term connections I would build with my manager, my team, and the company. That was especially important being a 100% remote employee with some of my colleagues working at an office.
Why Building Connections During Preboarding Matters
Research from BambooHR found that 70% of new hires decide if a job is the right fit within their first month, and 29% know in the first week. On average, companies have 44 days to influence new hires’ long-term retention. So implementing a preboarding strategy can extend that sphere of influence by weeks and even months, depending on notice period length.
In the U.S., notice periods are usually two weeks, but in Europe, notice periods can be several months. When it comes to graduate recruitment, especially in the professional services sector, it could be six months from the time a new grad signs an offer until their first day on the job. And many of those recent grads are entertaining competitor offers during that notice period.
The fact is: Most companies underestimate the importance of building connections during preboarding. But these Wow moments pay dividends long after onboarding is over. Implementing a preboarding journey can lead to:
Decrease No Shows
Keeping communication open keeps your company top of mind for new hires – ensuring they actually show up on day one. Companies that use Enboarder see a 50% reduction in new hire no shows. One global professional services firm saw a 48% reduction in graduate renege rates over the course of 12 months.
Faster time-to-productivity
By letting new hires familiarize themselves with your company before they start, they’re more likely to hit the ground running and deliver value sooner.
More positive employer brand
Preboarding does wonders for creating a positive first impression and sense of belonging.
Improved employee retention
If employees feel engaged on their first day, you have a much better chance of keeping them engaged and motivated in the long run.
Higher referral likelihood
The more welcomed new hires feel, even before their first day, the more likely they are to tell their family and friends and encourage them to apply.
Reduced new hire anxiety
Help new hires feel prepared and more present on their first day instead of worrying about all the things they need to know.
Tips for Building Connection During Preboarding
At the most basic level, a successful preboarding journey will ensure a new hire’s tech, email, and access to internal tools are ready to go on day one. But you didn’t come here for just the basics, did you? 😏
Preboarding should also be about connection (one of the Cs in the four C onboarding model) – it’s the perfect opportunity to capitalize on all those feelings of goodwill you built during the interview process.
We sat down with our very own Chris Jones, Global Director, Customer Success, to ask him what he’s learned about building connection during preboarding, working with our amazing customers.
“The simple things are really what stand out,” says Chris. “For managers, how can we get them to know their new joiner in a way that’s just easy? And for new joiners, it’s about those bite-sized moments and helping them understand who their manager and the leadership team is.”
He recommends sending a communication at least once per week from the day a new hire signs their offer to their first day. And for hiring managers, he recommends 2-3 nudges from offer signed until their first day, so every step of the preboarding process goes off without a hitch.
Here are some more of his quick tips:
Connect with a Buddy
You don’t have to wait until day one to introduce your new hire to a buddy – a friendly face they’ll see around the office or virtually. Learn how Landor & Fitch set up their buddy program.
Connect with Communities of Interest
While your new hire is filling out forms, have them share a little bit about themselves. You can then create rules that automate them joining a specific community of interest within your company.
Connect with the Executive Team
Add steps in the preboarding journey that humanize your executive team. Whether it’s a pre-recorded video or a Connection Card with fun facts, you don’t have to wait until day one to drip feed this info. Dermalogica does this well!
Connect to Their Role
Tailor the preboarding journey to the new hire’s role or team. “Our best customers will have rules to say, for example, if their new hire is joining marketing, they’ll automatically receive a video from the CMO,” says Chris.
Personalize Their Gift
Sending a new hire a welcome package is always a thoughtful gesture. But you could kick it up a notch and give your new hire a couple of gift options. Perhaps they’d rather donate to a charity of their choice or choose a wellness themed box or something they can share with their family.
Prioritize Wellness
Here’s where our customer Arden University really shines. They created a Wellness Action Plan where new hires answer questions about how they like to work (In office? Remote? A mix?) and how their manager can best support their overall well-being (Weekly Check-Ins? Quarterly Wellness Check?). That information is then fed back to their manager so the manager/employee relationship begins from a place of deeper understanding.
Understand Their Skills
Instead of waiting until your new hire is fully entrenched in their new role, start the skills conversation during preboarding. One of our customers asks new hires to rate their skills in a variety of areas and tailors their onboarding training to those areas of opportunity.
Preboarding Spotlight: Cisco Meraki 💡
Before working with Enboarder, Cisco Meraki was seeing a big drop-off in new joiner engagement after six months. Darren Gant, global onboarding manager at Cisco Meraki, came onboard to tackle this issue – and preboarding was the first piece in his four-stage strategy to rebuilding onboarding.
He created a consistent and engaging preboarding stage that built new employees’ excitement and provided the necessary touch-points to make sure they had everything they needed for an amazing first day.
Beginning 21 days out and every three days until their start date, Darren built a preboarding journey that included:
- Surveys
- Welcome messages
- Team introductions
- Company info
Now 88% of new hires and managers feel prepared for day one.
Wow Your New Hires During Preboarding With Enboarder
Like Chris said, the simple things really do stand out. But scaling those Wow moments for every new hire across departments and perhaps even geographies might seem a bit daunting. Not to worry! Enboarder can help you build a successful, automated preboarding journey that ensures compliance but also creates a sense of belonging and connection your new hires expect.