Preboarding: making the most of the time before day one

Between signing the employment contract and the first working day, several weeks often pass — with notice periods, three months or more. During this time the new hire is in limbo: they have decided but not yet started. The current employer may make a counter-offer; other companies may still get in touch. Anyone who hears nothing from their new employer during this time is more likely to have doubts.

Preboarding therefore has two goals: strengthen commitment and prepare the start. The second is often underestimated. A first day without a laptop, without access and without a plan sends the message that nobody was expecting you.

Most preboarding happens internally and is invisible to the new hire. But it determines how the first day goes.

Contact in this phase should be personal, short and reliable. A welcome message from the future manager, an introduction to the buddy, and a few days before the start the practical information: when, where, whom to contact, what to bring. Some companies invite new hires to a team event before they start — on a voluntary basis.

Access to a small welcome page with information about the company, the team and how the first weeks will run can help. It answers questions many newcomers have but hesitate to ask: What is the dress code? Where can I get lunch? How does the first day work?

Before the contract starts, the new hire is usually not yet employed by the new company and often still bound to the old one. Mandatory learning tasks, compulsory training or work assignments during this period are therefore problematic — legally and in how they are perceived. Anyone handed “homework” before day one quickly feels taken over.

Voluntary offers are fine if clearly marked as voluntary: a short course about the company, a video from the team, a glossary of in-house terms. Mandatory briefings belong in working time — under the German Occupational Safety and Health Act, the briefing takes place during working hours. This assessment is not legal advice.

Part of the preparation is prescribed by law. Under the German Evidence Act (Nachweisgesetz), employers must record the essential terms of employment in writing and hand them over; some details, including pay and working hours, must be provided no later than the first day of work, others within short deadlines afterwards. Preparing these documents during preboarding takes pressure off the first day.

Then there are personnel documents needed for payroll and social security. A list of what the new hire should bring or send in advance avoids follow-up questions.

Preboarding works best as the first phase of the onboarding plan, with deadlines relative to the start date: “Order hardware — 21 days before start, owner IT”. That way everyone knows what to do when, even if the start date moves.

In Universe's People Development area, the onboarding journey begins with the phase “Before day one”, which can reach up to 60 days before the start. Steps in this phase are assigned to owners — such as IT or HR — so that preparation is done before the new hire arrives. In personnel administration, onboarding checklist dates also follow the start date, with preparatory steps deliberately placed before it.