Virtual pre-onboarding success tips

  1. Understanding pre-onboarding

    Pre-onboarding is the time interval of a new hire accepting a job offer and their joining day. This phase is critical as candidates might still explore other opportunities. A strong pre-onboarding strategy helps secure the new hire’s commitment and establishes a positive relationship before their first day.

  2. Pre-onboarding vs onboarding

    Onboarding begins on the joining date of the employee, focusing on paperwork, role alignment, and team introductions. Pre-onboarding happens before joining, which allows early introduction of the company culture, values, and processes, helping new hires to feel connected, informed, and prepared for their new role.

  3. Reducing early attrition

    Pre-onboarding reduces early employee turnover as it alleviates the doubts of the new hire and builds confidence in the new hires. Early attrition occurs mostly due to a bad experience within the first few days. With a well-planned virtual pre-onboarding, organizations ensure that the employees feel valued, supported, and ready to contribute from day one.

  4. Pre-joining concerns

    New employees are usually nervous before joining a new workplace, especially in virtual setups. Pre-onboarding helps to ease such anxiety by answering questions and clarifying uncertainties. Regular communication, virtual meet-and-greets, and sharing relevant information ensure that employees feel comfortable, confident, and excited about joining.

  5. Enhancing familiarity with the organization

    Organizations can use pre-onboarding for an introduction to their mission, vision, and culture. Customized welcome emails, virtual addresses from the leadership, and company values videos are powerful tools for creating a first great impression. These activities help give new hires the tools they need to align themselves correctly with the organization's goals.

  6. Improving productivity and retention

    It shows an effective pre-onboarding process that impacts employee retention and productivity. Research has proved that organizations with good onboarding programs have higher engagement, and ramp-up time goes faster. Virtual pre-onboarding creates trust and confidence with a new hire, who is less likely to leave and contribute significantly to the organization's success early on.