pre-boarding

Definition

The engagement process between accepting a job offer and the first day of work, designed to keep candidates excited and prevent them from ghosting. It's like dating after getting engaged—you've committed, but someone might still get cold feet.

Example Usage

Our pre-boarding program includes welcome videos, company swag, and team introductions, because 15% of accepted candidates never show up for day one.

Origin

Recruiting terminology from the mid-2010s, addressing increasing candidate no-show rates

Fun Fact

Up to 30% of accepted candidates ghost employers entirely, leading to elaborate pre-boarding programs that essentially amount to 'please still want us in two weeks.'

Source: Candidate experience terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

constructive feedback

Criticism delivered in a way that's supposedly helpful and developmental rather than purely negative. It's the art of telling someone they're failing while maintaining the illusion of support.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

furlough

A temporary unpaid leave where employees remain technically employed but don't work or get paid, preserving benefits while saving the company money. It's the corporate equivalent of 'it's not you, it's the economy'—but actually, it's definitely the company's budget.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

Termination

The clinical, robotic word for firing someone that makes it sound like deactivating a piece of equipment. HR uses it because saying "we ended a human's livelihood" doesn't fit neatly in a dropdown menu.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

friction

The workplace tension that occurs when personalities, processes, or priorities collide, creating organizational drag that slows everything down. In physics, it's the force that opposes motion; in business, it's what happens when sales promises something engineering can't deliver. Smart leaders try to minimize it, while others mistake it for 'healthy debate' right up until someone quits.

👥 Human Resources

Advanced

above-the-line

Compensation components included in base salary calculations, as opposed to 'below-the-line' benefits and perks. It's the money that counts for calculating everything from bonuses to retirement contributions—the stuff that actually matters.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

trainee

An employee who's still learning the ropes, typically fresh out of school or new to an industry, undergoing structured training before assuming full responsibilities. Trainees exist in that awkward limbo where they're expected to contribute but forgiven for not knowing things that everyone assumes are obvious. The period when asking "stupid questions" is not only acceptable but encouraged.

👥 Human Resources

Translate This Term

See “pre-boarding” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Intermediate

coda

The musical equivalent of 'and one more thing'—a concluding passage that wraps up a piece after you thought it was alr...