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Although the first day at a new workplace is highly decisive, the real impression of the company does not begin to form in an employee’s mind at that moment. It starts much earlier.
After a candidate accepts the offer, there are typically still a few weeks before their first working day. If this period passes without contact, or only with administrative preparations, the new colleague can more easily become uncertain.
Companies that welcome their new hires with well-planned communication already at this early stage do a lot to support their retention and strengthen their engagement. Preboarding, meaning the contact established before the employee starts work, is not only about providing new colleagues with information: the company can also support and prepare their integration into the community.
It is natural for a new hire to have many questions. What should they expect on the first day? Where should they go? Who should they look for? What is the team like? Did they make the right decision when they chose this company? If the weeks before starting work are spent in passive waiting and “silence,” many people become uncertain.
Until a real connection with the organization is formed, the employee can more easily change their mind. A competing offer may arrive, or doubts may arise that the company has no opportunity to dispel if it does not communicate with the new hire during this transitional period.
More than any administrative preparation, engagement can be strengthened when the employee feels that their new workplace is already expecting them. With regular communication, we can reassure the new colleague in their decision, while informing them, introducing them to the community, and turning the waiting period into a more experience-based process as well.
Since the first company experience does not begin on the first working day, preboarding cannot be reduced to simply adding a “day zero” to the onboarding process. It is worth looking at how many weeks remain between the agreement and the start of employment, and distributing and timing preboarding communication proportionally across that period.
Contract and document preparations are important, but their purpose is not to support relationship-building. At the same time, during the preboarding phase, every piece of information that may seem dry and simple can become more valuable if it helps the employee enter their new workplace with greater confidence on the first day. If they know what time they need to arrive and where, who they need to contact, or what the schedule will be like in the first days, it gives them a sense of security, reduces stress, and provides a stable foundation for getting started.
A short virtual tour of the building, a map view of the office layout, or even a collection of frequently asked questions can work well.
In addition to facts and preliminary information, the other focus of preboarding communication is the experience. In fact, from the perspective of employee experience, this is already a defining stage. How can the employee connect to the organization as early as possible and get to know its values? How can they imagine the atmosphere of this workplace? Can they get a glimpse behind the scenes even before their first working day?
An introductory video from the team or the manager, information about the next shared event, or even more informal content such as which hobby groups you can join can also be included during preboarding.
Preboarding only works well if it reaches every employee, regardless of the role they are joining in. Blue-collar workers can often be left out even with the best intentions, as reaching them has traditionally been the most difficult. Not every colleague has a laptop or company email address, and not every position requires one, but everyone has a mobile phone.
From the beginning, communicate with employees on a platform that everyone can easily access from their own phone.
A company can support retention and engagement simply by giving new hires access to its internal digital communication platform from the very first moment. “This is our corporate communication channel, where you can find all the necessary documents. We will send you all information here, and if you have any questions, you can also message us through this platform.” The new employee simply downloads the Blue Colibri App to their mobile phone and immediately finds themselves connected to the company’s internal communication flow.
• Welcome messages for new colleagues
• Information guide about your first day
• Checklist: what to bring with you on your first day
• Link to the necessary documents and policies
• Leadership messages, short team introduction videos
• Frequently asked questions and fun facts before joining
• Ask us anything! We will get back to you soon
In addition to supporting convenient and fast information sharing during preboarding, the Blue Colibri App also makes direct connection easier already in this early period. Two-way communication gives the employee a less stressful preparation process and shows them a transparent company culture focused on mutuality, while HR can also gain a more accurate picture of what new hires need most.
Preboarding is not an extra HR step, but the natural entryway to onboarding. It strengthens trust, gives the new hire a positive impression of corporate communication from the very beginning, and allows them to get to know the organization comfortably, at their own pace.
