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The Ultimate Employee Onboarding Checklist - HRDQ
March 3, 2021 Bradford R. Glaser

The Ultimate Employee Onboarding Checklist

If you want to get your new hires quickly up-to-speed on company processes and practices, having an effective onboarding plan is essential. Onboarding begins from the moment an employee is hired, so you need to be prepared! Use this ultimate employee onboarding checklist to set your new hires up for immediate success.

HRDQ offers a fully customizable virtual training library, so you can provide specialized training content to your team no matter where they are. Explore the Reproducible Training Library.

Send Pre-Start Date Information

Once you’ve hired an employee and agreed on a start date, send them the following information at least 48 hours before they arrive:

  • Logistical information. Make sure the new hire knows the company address, where they can park, which door they should enter through, items they need to bring, what time they need to arrive, and any other pertinent logistical information.
  • HR forms. Provide them with any HR documentation that must be completed before their first day.
  • Employee handbook. Ask them to read over the employee handbook so they’re aware of company rules and regulations.
  • First-day schedule. Create a first-day schedule so that the new hire knows what to expect when they arrive.

Complete Pre-Start Date Tasks

Prior to their start date, you should complete the following tasks:

  • Send a department-wide email informing your staff when the new hire is coming. This way your staff can be prepared to welcome the employee and introduce themselves.
  • Set up the new hire’s work area with the required materials they need, such as a laptop, double screen, mouse, pens, paper, and more.
  • Assign them a guide who will walk them through their first-day tasks. Be sure to meet with the guide and clearly explain the expectations for the day.

Plan the First-Day Schedule

It’s important to have a clear first-day schedule. It should include some of the following tasks:

  • Have the new hire first report to their supervisor who can greet them, provide them with a keycard, run through their daily responsibilities, answer any questions, and go through the first-day schedule.
  • Introduce them to team members that they will be working with.
  • Tour the office, pointing out the bathrooms and any amenities they can use such as a break room or kitchen.
  • Introduce them to their guide who can lead them through the majority of the day.
  • Set up their employee information, such as providing them their company email and any other login information. Go through each program they’ll be using and ask them to log into each.
  • Direct them to onboarding training materials that they can begin working through.
  • Hold a company lunch to further introduce team members and make the employee feel welcomed.

Create Thorough Training Materials

Creating thorough training materials is imperative for your new employee’s success. The following are key items your training should include, in chronological order:

  • Workplace culture. This is most effectively done with a supervisor who can explain the company’s values and mission.
  • Licenses & certifications. Next, they should take the classes they need to obtain specific licenses and certifications.
  • Skills training. This includes skills that are required to best do their job, such as selling skills, customer service skills, negotiation skills, and more.
  • Assigned tasks. Assign them a simple task that’s part of their day-to-day duties. Write out the instructions, and have their guide also explain them. Remind the new hire to ask their guide any questions they have along the way. Continue to provide them with new, simple tasks, and repeat until they have covered the basics of their job.
  • Advanced tasks. Begin to assign more advanced tasks on top of their simpler tasks, providing them with more responsibilities. Ensure that the guide makes themselves available to explain and answer questions as needed. Slowly continue to assign new, advanced tasks to eventually help the employee understand how to complete them on their own.

Use the HRDQ Reproducible Training Library to create your training program! You’ll be provided with tools such as a customizable PowerPoint presentation, participant workbooks, and other supporting materials that allow you to easily set up your training program and customize it to your specific needs.

During the First Week

Throughout the rest of the week, your new hire will be deep in their training. Likely, towards the end of the week, they will have already begun to work through their simpler assigned tasks.

Ensure that the employee’s supervisor meets with them daily to check-in. They should discuss short-term goals the employee is expected to achieve within the training program, provide feedback, and ensure that the employee is picking up on the company processes they need to do their job.

Stay Diligent Within the First 90 Days

The first 90 days are the most important for employee retention, so you and your team need to stay diligent. Ensure that the employee has completed all of their training to satisfaction. Continue to monitor the new hire, providing constructive feedback as they settle into the position. Also continue to ensure their supervisor meets with them at least once a week to keep the employee on track. Then, provide them with a 90-day review to let the employee know how they’ve progressed!

Start Virtual Training with HRDQ

We hope you use this ultimate employee onboarding checklist to get your new hires up to speed. When you’re ready to design their training, turn to HRDQ! With the HRDQ Reproducible Training Library (RTL), you can curate specialized training content from our library to design your program and customize it to meet your needs. We look forward to making the onboarding process as smooth as possible!

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Tags: Employee Growth, Employee Onboarding, Reproducible Training Library
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About our author

Bradford R. Glaser

Brad is President and CEO of HRDQ, a publisher of soft-skills learning solutions, and HRDQ-U, an online community for learning professionals hosting webinars, workshops, and podcasts. His 35+ years of experience in adult learning and development have fostered his passion for improving the performance of organizations, teams, and individuals.