Employee ghosting has become a significant concern in recent years, with 65% of employers experiencing no-shows on the first day of work. For many job seekers, ghosting is a result of long hiring processes, lack of transparency, or competing job offers. This can have a detrimental impact on the entire hiring process, including the HR department, hiring managers, and supervisors. Positions can remain vacant for extended periods while finding a replacement candidate incurs additional expenses and increases the workload for the team.
What is Pre-Boarding?
Fortunately, with proper employee pre-boarding techniques, you can significantly reduce the risk of losing potential hires and minimize the impact of ghosting on your hiring process. Pre-boarding involves actively engaging with new hires before their start date, and it is essential for keeping them motivated and committed to their new role. If you don’t have a pre-boarding process and only contact new hires on their first day of work, you’re falling behind. Establishing a strong pre-boarding process and ensuring successful new-hire transitions today is imperative.
Benefits of Pre-Boarding
Ensuring a successful pre-boarding process has many advantages. It helps you retain your new employee, saves hiring costs, and allows your new hire to become an active contributor sooner. In addition, a positive pre-boarding experience can lead to a better onboarding process. When new employees feel valued before their first day, their loyalty increases and the likelihood of them changing their minds or seeking other opportunities decreases.
Pre-Boarding Best Practices
Pre-boarding techniques range from administrative to cultural to social. It’s important to anticipate various aspects of what the future employee may be feeling, to openly communicate, proactively address concerns, and build connections. Examples of pre-boarding include:
- Introducing your company culture: This could be through videos or emails that give an inside look at what your new employee can expect when they start.
- Conducting training or orientation sessions: Many onboarding-related tasks can be done ahead of time, including covering company policies and procedures and any relevant software or tools.
- Following up with email/phone check-ins: A simple check-in goes a long way. Reiterating that you are looking forward to working with them and asking them if they need anything communicates to the new hire that they are valued.
- Inviting them to social events: If your company regularly holds social events for staff, invite your new hire. It is an excellent opportunity for them to get to know the team and feel more comfortable from the start.
Get Started Pre-Boarding
To ensure a positive experience for new hires and prevent employee ghosting, it is a smart idea to implement pre-boarding techniques. Pre-boarding sets the tone for a welcoming and organized onboarding process, helping new employees feel prepared and excited for their first day. By giving them a sneak peek of your company culture, training, and social connections before day one, new hires are more likely to feel motivated and ready to jump into their new role. This approach not only leads to cost savings but also increases employee loyalty and productivity and is a win-win for everyone involved.
Need help setting up your pre-boarding process? Reach out, and we will share insight into how we build such programs for our clients. Happy hiring!
