Preboarding tips: prepare a new hire’s first day

Give the new employee practical information and a named contact. Give the internal team a list of preparation work. Keep those two responsibilities visible so an unanswered question does not disappear into an equipment task.

Acas advises planning induction before the start and sending useful first-day information in advance. Its guidance includes arrival details, equipment arrangements and information about the organisation.^[1]

Ask the manager or HR contact to send a short welcome. Explain who is looking forward to working with the new employee and how they can get in touch before arrival. A specific message about their role gives them more to work with than a generic company greeting.

If you send a welcome pack, make delivery and its contents relevant to the person. Keep essential information easy to find separately, so someone does not have to wait for a parcel to know where to go.

Ask only for the information your team needs to prepare the start. Explain where it should be submitted and who can answer questions. Use your approved channels for employee documents and personal information.

Give equipment preparation to the responsible team. Confirm whether the employee will collect it or receive it at home, and tell them whom to contact if the arrangements change. A message saying “your laptop is ordered” still needs a plan for when it will arrive.

For an illustrative Implementation Manager joining an open-banking company, People confirms the start details, IT owns equipment preparation, and the manager books the first Product and Partnerships introductions. The employee receives the confirmed arrangements and a contact for questions. If a required account is still pending, its internal owner updates the plan; the employee is not asked to chase it before starting. Use the open banking employee journey to plan the role-specific people and learning after arrival.

Send the first-day time, location or joining link and a named person to ask for. Share a manageable introduction to the role, team and company. Group the essentials in one message rather than making the employee assemble them from several threads.

Book the first manager and buddy meetings early enough for their owners to prepare. Tell the employee what each meeting is for. Leave room between introductions so they can ask questions and find their way around.

Use calendar invitations for confirmed appointments, with the correct location or joining link. Check the time zone for a remote start. Keep a record of which arrangements you still need to confirm with the employee.

Introduce the buddy or a future colleague who can answer everyday questions. Explain how to reach them and what they can help with. An informal conversation can make the first team meeting easier to navigate.

If you offer access to a learning platform before arrival, keep the company introduction short and clearly explain whether participation is optional. Ask what the employee would find useful rather than sending a full learning programme.

Coordinate company learning with the person who owns it. The employee should know where to ask for an explanation if a term, process or part of the role is unclear.

Offer a simple way to introduce themselves, such as a short message about their role and interests. Explain who will see it and let the employee choose what they want to share. Video or slides can also work; choose a format that suits the person.

Tell the immediate team the start date, role and welcome arrangements. Ask the people involved to make time for the first conversations. A planned introduction needs colleagues who know why they are taking part.

Send a final practical confirmation before arrival. Ask whether anything is still unclear and tell the employee who will respond. Update the internal plan when the answer requires another owner.

Ask whether the new employee would like to share what was clear or difficult during the hiring process. Keep the request brief and separate it from information needed for their start.

Explain who will read the response and how to raise a question that needs a personal reply. Treat participation as optional and pass any agreed follow-up to the person responsible.

Review every activity from the employee’s point of view. Does it answer a practical question, introduce someone or prepare the workplace? Remove repeated messages and postpone information that needs context from the role.

Keep a question open until someone has answered it. Confirm arrangements when they change. The plan should help the new employee prepare, without making them responsible for your team’s unfinished work.

Use the employee onboarding checklist template for activities after arrival. For the relationship between the manager, buddy and new hire, use the onboarding buddy guide.

For a broader onboarding plan, request the CapoFine onboarding guide.