Avoiding content overload in pre-boarding and onboarding comes down to three things: splitting must-know from nice-to-know, releasing information at the right moment rather than all at once, and personalising what each new starter actually receives.
If you research the literature out there when deciding what to include in your onboarding communications, you might just find yourself a tad overwhelmed, especially if you're building out a more robust process to standardise and elevate what you already have. Here's what actually matters, and when.
Split pre and post-day one (preboarding and onboarding) communications
Whilst it might be easy to bulk everything together and just send out one piece of communication with everything included, this can be extremely off putting to a new starter, a real information overload. Consider what you'd want to know at various points if you were starting a new job. For example, you probably don't need to know about the procurement policies with three months to go until you start (unless you happen to be starting in procurement).
Separate must-know from nice-to-know
Within these communications it's also important to make a distinction between must know, and nice to know. This can help you decide when that information needs to be in the hands of the new starter. Be careful of falling into the trap of waiting to send out the “nice to know” information after they start, however. Not only will they have a lot more to take in during their first few weeks at work, but the nice to know information often helps to build a sense of connection or belonging during pre-boarding, and that is good for reducing dropout and early attrition.
Balance your communication formats
You'll also want to think about the method of communication and how to keep your content engaging. Having absolutely everything via written email can provide a monotonous experience for the new starter, and likewise putting all pieces of information into video format might provide too much for someone to want to sit through. Keeping the balance here enables a steadier stream of information for the individual to keep on top of, rather than have everything filed away never to be looked at because it's become overwhelming.
Onboarding technology like Eli will offer you multiple ways to push out content and communications, and can even release information at the right point in a new hire's onboarding timeline.
Avoid repeating information
It's important to think through what might come up naturally during the onboarding process to avoid repeating information. Many organisations, for example, will have a host of learning modules to cover some processes and policies, so it won't be necessary to share the same information prior to them sitting those modules (though a heads up of what to expect is always nice). Instead, focus on the information suitable for the time that you know isn't going to be covered at a later date elsewhere. Business updates are a good example of this. With the exception of major changes within your organisation, many updates might be fleeting but still important for your new starter to be aware of. Compiling these into a new hire newsletter, or adding them to a dedicated onboarding social wall, can be a good way to keep people up to date, without having to send over every piece of internal news.
This matters just as much for people who aren't entirely new. DNV lets anyone who's contracted or worked with them in the last 18 months choose between the normal high-touch pre-boarding and onboarding experience, or a lighter version that skips information they'll already know, avoiding exactly this kind of repetition.
Personalise everything
The very best way to avoid information overload though is through personalisation. Tailoring the information a new hire receives to their business area or location, their grade, or whether they're a people leader or not. This way, you can ensure they have the right content at the right point in their onboarding experience, and that, in turn, will build confidence and knowledge, as well as maximising early performance. AI can help here too, making it far quicker to create and adapt tailored variants of the same core content for each audience, rather than writing everything from scratch multiple times over.
Don't forget the human touch
Beyond the content and information you provide, a fantastic way to build engagement is to have a meet and greet with the team. But when thinking about more in-person communications, consider the context in which this arises. If you have a more social team that's often together for lunch, or after-work activities, then it makes sense to invite your new starter to something planned before they join. If, however, your organisation isn't like that, then a more work-focused setting is a good way to introduce them, like a regular team meeting, which also means they could join in person or virtually depending on the situation. There's no point forcing informal team socials for a new starter if that isn't something you usually do within the team or company.
A framework to work from
Rather than provide an exhaustive list of everything you could send out at any point, since this will vary from company to company, here's what we recommend, based on Eli's own eight stages of a great onboarding experience:
- Deliver a very warm welcome
- Ensure new hires understand your onboarding process, what they need to do and when (such as reading policies, signing contracts, etc). Avoid duplication.
- Build knowledge of your organisation and the business area they're joining
- Help them connect with your people and get under the skin of your culture
- Prepare them for their first week, especially the little things you take for granted
- First impressions count, so ensure week one isn't left to chance and everyone has the information they need (especially their line manager)
- Maximise early performance over the first few months, by combining the important business and technical aspects of your onboarding with more social ones
- Ensure they're thinking longer-term and have access to the support, learning and people they need to grow their career
Using the stages above as a guideline helps you create a timeline of what content should be made available when, and which is must know and nice to know.
Once you've listed everything out, you can start to plan your communications much more effectively, thinking through the timescales for pre- and post-day one, releasing information at the right point rather than all at once, even if you don't have an onboarding technology partner like Eli to manage this for you.
Remember, the very best experiences evolve and adapt to suit their audiences, so don't be afraid to reduce the amount of information you're pushing out if you feel there's too much for a new hire to absorb at any one point, or, even better, give new hires the opportunity to shape the experience around their own needs.
FAQs
What's the biggest cause of content overload in onboarding?
Sending everything at once, rather than splitting pre- and post-day one communications and releasing must-know information separately from nice-to-know content at the right moment.
Should all onboarding content be delivered before day one?
No. Information should be timed to when it's actually useful, some things genuinely belong in the first weeks, not before. Nice-to-know content that builds connection and belonging is worth sending during pre-boarding regardless, since it helps reduce dropout and early attrition.
How can you avoid repeating the same information during onboarding?
Map out what's already covered elsewhere, such as in learning modules or induction sessions, and only send content for the gaps that genuinely won't be covered later.
Is personalised onboarding content worth the extra effort?
Yes, it's the single most effective way to avoid overload. Tailoring content to someone's business area, location, grade or role means they only receive what's actually relevant to them, which builds confidence and supports early performance.
