onboarding employees festive season 2026
Office parties, decorated desks and a lightened workload for many can all go a long way towards lifting the spirits of even the most disgruntled employees. Those working their notice periods may even start second-guessing their decision to leave. Although not everyone celebrates Christmas, socials can still strengthen colleague bonds, so they might begin to feel a little guilty about the prospect of leaving their team in the lurch.
This can be bad news for employers who have a new starter set to join their team in the new year, especially since counteroffers are becoming increasingly prevalent. In fact, almost half of employers have lost a job candidate to a counteroffer in the past year alone.
Careless employee onboarding can result in the new starter feeling forgotten about and unprioritised, leaving them open to the temptation of staying in the current role.
A positive onboarding experience needs to be provided to mitigate the risk of an employee accepting a counteroffer during the festive period, leaving you short-staffed and back to square one.
Don’t Let Processes Slip
Onboarding begins as soon as a candidate accepts an offer. You should, at this stage, clearly communicate when they can expect to receive their contract, compliance documents, and other important paperwork. Equipment such as a laptop, security pass and mobile phone are also included in onboarding.
You should then stick to the timelines or risk your new starter feeling overlooked and questioning the competence of the new organisation. Take into account that postal services tend to experience seasonal delays, so any equipment should be sent out further in advance.
Numerous departments are typically involved in onboarding procedures, including HR, payroll, IT and line management, so it can rapidly become unclear what has and has not been done if any staff members are absent, resulting in confusion and delays.
It’s fundamental that any annual leave is accounted for and covered, especially in December, as the backlog of unused holidays and staff saving days off for the end of the year can mean a disproportionate amount of annual leave is taken.
Constant Communication is Key
Regular contact with the future employee is a sure-fire way to make them feel valued. If all they get is radio silence since accepting the offer, then they may feel unappreciated and forgotten. A regular time to have a video call to check in on them, update them on their onboarding, and answer any questions they have can be good. Ensure to let them know how to reach the outside of this time if they have any pressing queries or concerns.
Facilitate a Team Meeting
It moves on, bringing from a passive, administrative task to an active,s strategic process that accelerates productivity and fosters immediate cultural integration.
A facilitated meeting allows managers to set 30-60-90 day goals, clarifying roles and reducing the time a new employee spends “figuring it out”. It provides a structured space to introduce key tools, systems, and processes, enabling the employee to start productive work faster.
A team meeting introduces the new hire to the team, reducing the anxiety of starting a new role and making them feel part of the group. It breaks the ice and helps build crucial rapport between the manager, the new employee, and team members, which can boost engagement. Effective onboarding mitigates the risk of new employees feeling isolated, particularly in remote or hybrid settings.
Accelerate or Expand Seasonal Training Capacity with a Roadmap
For an accelerated onboarding, narrow the curriculum and timeline to approximately 1 to 2 weeks of training. Here are some practices and considerations:
- Focus the training on the “what” and “how” employees will do their job rather than the “why”.
- Put the emphasis on training for tasks that are simple and easily repeated. One wants new hires to learn the basics and simplify it so that they can perform in just a couple of days without much need to make the decisions or ask for help.
- New employees may need to understand how they impact the process at large so that they care about getting it right.
- Depending on the audience who are learning new things and the tasks they will be responsible for completing, you can decide whether you can combine On-the-Job training with instructor-led training.
- The onboarding training should prioritise localised learning and task-oriented processes with repetition for retention and experience.
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