Beyond the First Day: 5 Ways Reboarding Boosts Employee Engagement

Traditionally, reboarding refers to reintroducing employees to the workplace after absences like parental leaves, promotions, or sabbaticals. But reboarding can benefit employees at various stages of the employee life cycle, and whatever their mode of work may be. Whether employees choose to work remotely, in person, or hybrid, organizations need to support them through transitions.

Providing this support ensures that employee engagement remains high—a critical initiative as employee engagement hit a ten-year low in 2024. Actively disengaged employees decrease productivity and efficiency. And without initiatives to keep employees engaged, organizations may risk losing high-quality employees to competitors.

With BambooHR, you can create a reboarding process that encourages honest, two-way communication and creates an unbeatable employee experience. Discover how BambooHR elevates your workplace culture.

What Is Reboarding?

Reboarding—also known as re-onboarding, upskilling, or reskilling—refers to bringing back employees who were absent for a period of time. It includes all the steps employers take to set employees up for success after they’ve rejoined your company. You may also want to reboard employees after workplace conditions have significantly changed.

Situations where reboarding may be required include:

• Reopening after a business shutdown
• Employees returning after being on leave (such as parental leave)
• Hiring boomerang employees (employees who previously worked at your company)
• Employees transitioning to a new role or team within the company

Reboarding vs. Onboarding

The biggest distinguishing factor between reboarding and onboarding is frequency. Onboarding is a process that happens just once and can take a few days to a few months to complete. Reboarding is an ongoing process and should be done frequently to ensure employees remain familiar with company culture and maintain meaningful connections.

• The onboarding process typically applies to new hires joining an organization who haven’t previously worked there. This usually includes welcoming the new employee, introducing them to the company, providing an overview of company policies and procedures, and discussing their job role.
• The reboarding process applies to employees who aren't new to an organization. Suppose an employee worked at a company for a few years before taking a few months off for parental leave. After their parental leave, they return to work. They should complete a reboarding process to refamiliarize with colleagues, company goals, adjustments to company policies, or changes in expectations or job responsibilities. This is usually an ongoing process over a longer period of time.

6 Key Elements of an Effective Reboarding Plan

According to SHRM, here are the six key elements to include in your reboarding plan:

• Buddy programs: Buddies can help expand employee networks within their teams and across other teams to build cross-functional communication.
• Manager check-ins: Check ins can help managers make sure their team members are adjusting well and have all the resources they need to succeed.
• Team building events: Socializing in a more relaxed environment can help employees get to know each other or reconnect with less pressure.
• Cohort bonding groups: Employees who reboard during the same time period can share their experiences and have familiar faces to interact with from the start.
• Welcome packs: Whether it’s company swag, a small gift, or just a personal note, something special can help reboarding employees feel recognized and valued.
• Facilities tour: If your employees are returning to a physical office, show them around so they can get familiar knowing where everything is and won’t feel lost.

By creating an effective reboarding plan with these elements, you’ll help retain top talent and build a great employee experience.

5 Ways Reboarding Can Boost Employee Engagement

Here are five ways effective reboarding processes improve employee engagement and motivation.

1. Maintain a Well-Rounded Onboarding Process

Both onboarding and reboarding are part of a cohesive process that keeps new and current employees updated on company information, values, job responsibilities, and more. Creating a well-rounded onboarding process helps employees acclimate to your organization more successfully. And the more comfortable people feel at work, the more motivated they are to work hard.

According to BambooHR onboarding stats, employees who complete a successful onboarding process are 18 times more committed to their workplace. BambooHR also found that people who go through effective onboarding are 89% more engaged at work and 91% are more connected to their workplace.

The same goes for reboarding. Engaged, connected, and motivated employees are more likely to contribute positively to business goals, performance, and growth—even during difficult economic times.

2. Enhance Employee Retention Rates

A major benefit of reboarding is that it reintroduces employees to your company’s values, goals, and mission—which can reignite employees’ passion for their jobs and boost their desire to stay.

Additionally, reboarding can offer employees a glimpse into potential career development opportunities, something crucial to nearly half of today’s employees. According to Gallup, employees with opportunities for professional development are nearly six times more engaged at work, and organizations that focus on employee development are are almost 11% more profitable. It’s no wonder professional development is a key strategy for increasing employee retention rates.

By keeping employees around longer, you avoid the cost of onboarding and training new employees. Organizations of various sizes and across industries spend an average of $3,345,496 on training.

3. Promote Psychological Safety at Work

Creating a psychologically safe workplace encourages employees to communicate openly and work more closely together to resolve mistakes.

Psychological safety refers to a shared belief within an organization that employees can (and should) take risks, express ideas or concerns, ask questions, and admit their shortcomings—all of which is done without fear of negative consequences.

Employees who feel psychologically safe at work are more likely to collaborate with colleagues, share constructive feedback, and participate in group discussions. Psychological safety increases retention rates, employee satisfaction, and company loyalty—but it’s not just a nice-to-have. According to a McKinsey survey, 89% of employees say psychological safety at work is essential.

Reboarding promotes psychological safety at work in several important ways:

• Encourages employees to share mistakes or errors candidly and contribute their ideas or concerns at any time
• Explaining processes around peer recognition and feedback processes
• Ensures employees are regularly trained on new processes and supported in career development opportunities
• Providing clear communication and updates regarding changes within the organization
• Encouraging employees to continue their professional development by continuously learning and asking questions.

4. Improve Communication Between Management and Employees

Reboarding processes improve communication between employees and leaders. Part of the reboarding process should also discuss processes around sharing feedback or ideas with management. Doing so gives managers the ability to empower employees to do their best work and feel comfortable sharing ideas to improve processes and policies. Employees who feel comfortable communicating and collaborating with managers are more motivated and engaged.

5. Leverage the Benefits of Employee Engagement Software

Employee engagement software can automate lengthy or manual tasks in the reboarding process, such as gathering feedback or sending out communications. By reducing that administrative burden, your team can create a seamless experience for employees and spend more time on tasks that make your organization great.

This helps cast a positive light on the organization and company culture, making employees feel more excited about being part of the team. And employees who feel more excited about work are more likely to stay for the long term.