This case study highlights how one of India’s top automobile manufacturers — a Fortune 500 company with growing operations across South Asia and Africa — transformed its pre-boarding journey to improve employee engagement, streamline communication, and accelerate productivity from day one.
The HR leadership identified key issues with the existing pre-boarding approach, which impacted both the employee experience and operational efficiency:
New hires felt disconnected during the pre-joining phase, resulting in reduced enthusiasm and weaker initial alignment with company culture.
There was no standardized pre-boarding protocol. Some new employees received structured communication while others faced information gaps.
The fragmented and ad hoc nature of the process delayed formal onboarding, reducing initial productivity and stretching manager bandwidth.
To address these challenges, Swift Solution Pvt Ltd partnered with the client to design a scalable, interactive, and relationship-driven pre-boarding solution, cantered around early engagement and cultural immersion.
A dedicated learning portal provided new hires with access to customized multimedia content — including company values, policies, benefits, and department- specific information. Built using Articulate Storyline 360, the modules featured videos, quizzes, and interactive tools to make content retention easy and engaging.
Hosted using integrated video conferencing tools, these sessions connected new hires with reporting managers, future teammates, and HR partners — fostering familiarity and a sense of belonging even before Day 1.
Each new hire was paired with an experienced colleague (“buddy”) who supported them through pre-boarding and early onboarding. The buddy served as a cultural bridge and a peer mentor, helping reduce early anxiety and acclimatization time.
The program led to measurable improvements across pre-boarding and onboarding KPIs:
New employees reported feeling more connected and welcomed, leading to increased enthusiasm and higher initial participation in onboarding sessions.
With a standardized portal and content delivery, all hires — whether joining in India or other South Asian or African locations — received uniform and timely communication.
With pre-boarding completed before Day 1, formal onboarding could start earlier, leading to quicker integration and faster time-to-productivity.
By proactively investing in a structured, engaging, and tech-enabled pre-boarding journey, this leading automobile giant not only improved the early employee experience but also strengthened its employer brand. The initiative contributed to better talent retention, reduced onboarding friction, and enhanced workforce readiness — proving that the journey to success starts before the first login.
