Onboarding during summer vacation

Editor notes: This blog article has been updated on July 20, 2023

It happens every year - summer rolls around and half of Europe goes MIA for weeks at a time. Without a solid onboarding process in place, these summer absences can have a BIG impact on your new hire experience.

Consider this, you're a new hire starting in a brand new role. You're excited, a little bit nervous, but ready to roll. You land on day one and your direct manager is home with the kids, the person responsible for ordering your laptop is sunning themselves on a beach in Croatia, and your HR contact has opted for 'Christmas in July' on the other side of the equator.

You're left without direction, equipment, and support. Not exactly a running start.

So what processes can HR put in place to guarantee a baseline level of onboarding - no matter the circumstances?

We're glad you asked!

Centralize new hire resources

One of the biggest barriers to a successful first week on the job is knowing where to find all the necessary items to get started. From policy manuals to training documents and product catalogs - it's important to ensure need-to-know information is centrally available.

This isn't such a huge problem if the right people are in the office and can help you find your way. If those people aren't around, however, it can be a minefield for new hires.

For a simple fix, try creating an in-depth Excel sheet per department with links out to all the most relevant new hire documentation. For best results, loop in your direct managers and have them add any role-specific documentation you may not be privy to.

How Talmundo does it

Our customizable learning pages let HR  host all of their onboarding content, including text, imagery, and embedded video,  in one central location. This allows new hires to learn at their own pace without the need for constant check-ins.

If you're using other learning systems as a part of your onboarding journey, simply create an appendix page with links out to those systems, as a one-stop-shop for your onboardee!

Build a new hire FAQ

New hires have a LOT of questions, ranging from process-based queries to the all-important 'why' behind what they do.

To ensure a smooth learning curve, it is important new hires can easily find the right answers at the right time - something that becomes infinitely more complicated if the right answer lies exclusively with an absent employee.

Try putting together an FAQ portal on your intranet, or even as a PDF delivered to new hires before they start. Break questions (and their answers) down into categories to make for easier navigation and consider adding a point of contact for each section, should a new hire need to know more.

How Talmundo does it

Our AI chatbot assistant can answer your new hires' questions 24/7 - whether HR is on the clock or not. This not only helps ease the workload for busy HR professionals but also empowers new hires to help themselves and become more independent.



The chatbot also delivers bite-sized facts about your company, alerts onboardees to new content, and lets new hires test their knowledge as they go through their onboarding process.

Leverage preboarding

The preboarding (or pre-start) phase of the employee journey is the PERFECT time to start introducing your teams, delivering bite-sized pieces of educational content, and prepping your new hire for a successful start.

A good preboarding experience will help new hires feel more confident during their first days on the job and can alleviate pressure on HR & managers to hand-hold recruits through their entire first week.

Great preboarding doesn't mean you should be absent during an onboardees early days, but it can provide an introductory baseline for recruits and give HR some leeway should any key contacts be unavailable.

How Talmundo does it

With Talmundo, recruits receive their login credentials for our software as soon as they accept their job offer, allowing you to automate day 1 critical items (such as ordering key equipment) long before a new hire's start date.

Our preboarding modules can also be used to connect new hires with key contacts, deliver need-to-know company information, and even gather feedback on the recruitment experience - all before they've stepped foot in your front door.

Automate manager task lists

Whether a simple one-pager or a company-wide matrix, most organizations work with some form of task list for their onboarding. 

The thing about task lists is that it can be hard to know when, and whether or not, tasks are being completed. Additionally, the whole system can easily fall apart if the person responsible for those tasks is unavailable.

By automating your task lists with pre-scheduled email reminders and a centralized task database - HR can gain a greater oversight into how onboarding stakeholders are working with tasks and step in if and when they feel the process is falling short.

  How Talmundo does it

Our integrated Tasks feature affords HR and Managers full oversight on all onboarding-related tasks. Our network of reminder emails ensures onboarding stakeholders are always in the loop, and custom comments help close communication holes and manage stakeholder absence.



Onboardees can also have tasks assigned to them based on location, department, or language-based filters for a truly seamless experience.

The takeaway?

If you often have new hires starting during the Summer months, it is important to take a look at your onboarding processes to ensure you are still delivering the right experience.

Centralizing new hire resources and FAQ, leveraging the preboarding phase, and automating task management are just some of the ways you can create an excellent baseline onboarding experience that will deliver results whether HR is on the clock or not.

So take some time, take stock, and see how you can elevate your onboarding practices.

Interested in seeing more? Book a free demo of our onboarding software and find out what Talmundo can do for you!