How Royal Mail Transformed Onboarding to Improve Engagement and Cut Attrition
The role of a postie is physically demanding, requiring individuals to walk up to ten miles a day, five days a week, in varying weather conditions while carrying heavy loads. Early starts, shift work, and the occasional encounter with unfriendly dogs further contribute to the challenges of the job.
Despite this, posties are seen as vital members of the community — familiar faces deeply rooted in the neighbourhoods they serve.
Royal Mail Group, one of the UK’s largest employers, faced a pressing operational challenge: high drop-out and early attrition rates among newly hired postal workers. While applicant numbers were strong, many new hires didn’t fully grasp the realities of the role, leading to drop-outs between offer acceptance and Day 1.
The Challenges
- High renege rates (candidates accepting offers but not showing up)
- Significant early attrition within the first 30 days
- Inconsistent pre-start communication and engagement
- Lack of a structured, scalable onboarding process
- A requirement to recruit 250–300 new posties every week
The Aims
- Delivering a positive, engaging candidate experience
- Reinforcing the realities of the role early
- Reducing renege and attrition rates
Meet & Engage’s Tailored Onboarding Experience
To address these challenges, Royal Mail partnered with Meet & Engage, using their Timeline onboarding platform – a personalised, social-style digital portal designed to drive candidate engagement.
Personalised Candidate Journeys
Candidates who accepted offers were invited to register via a link in their offer email, unlocking a tailored onboarding journey from acceptance through to Day 1.
Engaging Content in a Social Format
Instead of static documents, candidates received social-style posts, videos, articles, and interactive content designed to reflect the real realities of the role.
Automated Alerts and Nudges
Email and SMS prompts reminded candidates to engage, with intelligent triggers nudging those who missed content back into the experience.
Calibrated Content Flow
Content was intentionally limited to around 15 posts across a short window, preventing overload while ensuring clarity.
Mobile-First Design
With many candidates accessing the platform via mobile, the experience was optimised for anytime, anywhere engagement.
The Results: Strong Engagement and Reduced Attrition
- Renege rates dropped from 35% to 12%
- Early attrition halved from 32% to 16%
- 96% candidate satisfaction among registered users
A Scalable, Engaging Onboarding Model
Royal Mail’s collaboration with Meet & Engage demonstrates how digital, personalised onboarding can transform candidate experience at scale.
By combining engaging content, thoughtful timing, and mobile-first access, the initiative helped new postal workers feel prepared, valued, and far more likely to stay.
From first impression to first day, let’s build better hiring journeys together
Book your personalised demo of the Meet&Engage platform today.