How Can Reboarding Employees Benefit Your Organisation?

Reboarding is the process of reintroducing employees to the workplace after they have been away for an extended period of leave, or after an organisation has experienced significant change. The goal of reboarding is to reassimilate employees back into their roles and the company culture of the organisation, whilst providing updates on new business goals, policies, and procedures.

Unlike onboarding which generally provides an in-depth overview of everything new hires need to be aware of upon joining the organisation, reboarding tends to be less exhaustive and more targeted towards specific changes, for example, new remote working policies. Whilst onboarding should be offered to every new hire as part of their initial training, reboarding can be useful for returning and existing employees in numerous situations such as:

• When the organisation reopens an office after a lockdown or opens a new office due to growth/relocation
• When employees are returning from a leave of absence, parental leave, or other types of extended leave
• When employees who have previously worked for the organisation are returning (dependent on how long they have been away for, as onboarding may be more appropriate)
• When the organisation has gone through a big change such as a merger, acquisition, or significant restructure
• When an employee is transitioning to a new role, particularly if this move is to a new department/function
• When an employee is transitioning to a new way of working (for example, if they are moving from working in-office to fully remotely)

What are the Main Benefits of Reboarding?

Reboarding brings with it many benefits for both employers and employees. Firstly, the process takes employees back to the fundamentals of the company and their role within it, reminding them of the organisation’s values and vision as well as the purpose of their role and how their work contributes to the mission of the organisation. By restoring the employee’s sense of purpose, this can also improve ties to the business, and increase productivity and motivation.

In terms of reintroducing returning employees to the organisation, reboarding can also help to bring teams closer together and restore camaraderie, improve communication, and create a sense of community amongst employees regardless of where they work. Employees also appreciate not being thrown back into the deep end on their return to work and want to see empathy from their employers when it comes to easing them back into their roles.

As an employer, reboarding can also create a working environment where internal mobility is encouraged, as employees are shown that they will be supported when changing roles or functions. In today’s candidate-driven and highly competitive job market, this internal mobility is more important than ever.

How to Create an Effective Reboarding Process

Understand What Employees Need

A one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to work when it comes to reboarding, as not every employee will share the same circumstances. An employee returning from parental leave won’t need the same things as an employee learning about new business policies following an acquisition, so take the time to understand:

• Who needs reboarding and why?
• What do you hope to achieve from reboarding?
• How will your employees benefit from reboarding?
• How are you going to achieve this?

Lay Out Clear Expectations

To get the most out of the process, you need to set clear expectations around what reboarding will realistically look like. Be clear about the purpose of the process, the role employees will be expected to play, how long the process should take, and what form it will take. Giving timelines and end goals will help employees stay engaged with reboarding and help them get the most out of the process by understanding what’s being expected of them.

Don’t Overwhelm Your Employees

Returning to work can be a stressful time, so don’t overwhelm employees by organising back-to-back training courses and presentations with no time given to process new information. Build a schedule that allows them to ease back into their role whilst giving them the most essential information first.

Remember that reboarding is about reintegrating teams too, so don’t keep returning employees stuck at their desk reading through document after document without interacting with their colleagues.

Make the Process Engaging

58% of organisations admit that their onboarding program is focused on process and paperwork, and there’s a risk of this being carried over to reboarding too. A 30-page pdf on new business policies and procedures isn’t going to be engaging for your employees. If you want to keep employees engaged and informed, you’ll need to mix things up. You could use videos, interactive media, images, and more to relay information in new ways.

Address Health and Safety Concerns

If you’re reboarding employees returning to the office after the pandemic or workers who are transitioning from working remotely to working in-office for the first time, you need to think about addressing any health and safety concerns your employees may have. Be clear about new policies on things like self-isolation and wearing masks in communal areas.

What Impact Does Reboarding Have on Talent Acquisition?

Helping your employees re-engage with your organisation will ultimately help to improve your employee retention, which in turn can improve your talent attraction efforts. Employees who have a positive onboarding or reboarding experience are 3x more likely to feel strongly committed to their employers, ultimately becoming advocates for the organisation as an employer of choice.