The Ultimate Employee Onboarding Checklist

If you want to quickly get your new hires up to speed on company processes and practices, 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.

Recommended Training

Onboarding Customizable Courseware

• Uncover four key onboarding elements
• Learn to successfully integrate new employees
• Understand onboarding best practices

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Send Pre-Start Date Information

Once you hire an employee and confirm their start date, send the following details at least 48 hours before their arrival:

• Logistical information: Ensure the new hire knows the company address, parking location, entry door, required items, arrival time, and any other relevant logistics.
• HR forms: Provide them with any HR documentation that must be completed before their first day.
• Employee handbook: Ask them to review the employee handbook so they’re aware of the company's 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 to inform your staff when the new hire is arriving. This way, your staff can be prepared to welcome the employee and introduce themselves.
• Set up the new hire’s workspace with essentials, including a laptop, dual monitors, a mouse, pens, and paper.
• 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

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

• Have the new hire report to their supervisor first, 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 the 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 will lead them through most of the day.
• Set up their employee information, including their company email and any other login details. Go through each program they’ll be using and ask them to log in to each.
• Direct them to employee onboarding training materials that they can begin working through.
• Host a company lunch to help introduce team members and welcome new employees.

Create Thorough Training Materials

Developing comprehensive training materials is a core HR function to ensure employee onboarding success. Training should address the following, in a sequential manner:

• Workplace culture: Ideally, the supervisor explains the company’s values and mission.
• Licenses and certifications: Next, they should take the classes they need to obtain specific licenses and certifications.
• Skills training: This includes the skills required to do their job well, such as sales, customer service, and negotiation skills.
• Assigned tasks: Give them a straightforward task from their daily responsibilities. Provide written instructions, and have their guide clarify them. Encourage the new hire to ask their guide questions at any time. Gradually assign new, straightforward tasks and repeat until the job basics are mastered.
• Advanced tasks: Begin assigning more advanced tasks on top of their simpler ones, giving them more responsibilities. Ensure that the guide makes themselves available to explain and answer questions as needed. Assign new, advanced tasks gradually to help the employee eventually 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 let you easily set up and customize your training program to your specific needs.

During the First Week

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

Ensure the employee’s supervisor meets with them daily for a check-in. They should discuss the short-term goals the employee is expected to achieve during the training program, provide feedback, and ensure the employee is learning the company processes needed to do their job.

Stay Diligent Within the First 90 Days

The first 90 days are crucial for retention, so remain diligent. Ensure the employee completes all required training satisfactorily. Continue monitoring the new hire and provide clear, constructive feedback as they adjust. Ensure supervisors meet with the employee weekly to maintain progress. Finally, conduct a 90-day review to share feedback on their development.

Get Onboarding Help with HRDQ

We hope you use this ultimate employee onboarding checklist to get your new hires up to speed. For more onboarding help check out our downloadable, customizable course, Onboarding. Onboarding explains the purpose of onboarding and its benefits, teaches how you can successfully integrate new employees, and covers the four key onboarding elements you need to include.

And when you’re ready to design their training, turn to the Reproducible Training Library (RTL). With the 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!