Bringing on new employees is exciting but can also be daunting for a small business. You have a lot of information to convey to your new hire, plus all the paperwork and logistics.
A fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach is problematic for a few reasons. Key parts of the onboarding process might be overlooked or not done consistently between hires. Also, onboarding is your new employee’s first impression of your company. You don’t want that impression to be “disorganized.”
With a good onboarding checklist, you can make sure everything is covered with each new hire.
You can also download our onboarding checklist and edit it to meet your needs!
Onboarding preparation
Before you can create a checklist, you need a clear understanding of the internal steps to take for every new hire.
While onboarding varies company by company (and sometimes even role by role!), there are a few things you can plan on tackling each time.
1. Consolidate company and role information
Your new employee is joining with minimal background about your company and the role other than what was covered in the job description and candidate interviews. Before your new employee starts, you’ll want to make sure you have information centrally located and easily accessible (such as in Google Drive or Notion).
Make sure you have resource links to the employee handbook, tools the employee will use, tutorials you may have, and documentation about the new role.
At Quo, we have everything organized in a Notion page:
You’ll also want to organize any templates you use to welcome new employees so you can reuse them in the future as you build a team. For example, you might have a welcome email template or a template introducing the person to the rest of the team.
💡Want to see a real-life example? Read about how Optemization onboards new team members using Notion.
2. Ensure necessary supplies and equipment are ready
Make sure all necessary supplies and equipment — such as laptops and other hardware — are provided to your new hires before their first day. For remote employees, ship these items to their home address. For in-person employees, ensure everything is ready and waiting at their workstations. Coordinate with relevant internal teams to avoid delays in granting access to internal tools.
If you have any company swag, include it as well!
3. Schedule meetings with key team members
Don’t wait until your new hire’s first day to schedule meetings. Block off time for the employee to complete paperwork and meet one-on-one with their manager, department, and any other people at the company.
Also, add the employee to calendar invites for recurring team or company-wide meetings.
4. Create a detailed task list
A checklist can ensure you onboard new employees the same way. If you don’t have a list yet, create one.
As your team grows and you need to hire more team members, update your checklist to reflect new tasks or requirements. This will help you manage the onboarding process for future hires.
What to include in your onboarding checklist
Your onboarding checklist should include who will complete each task and when it happens during the employee onboarding process. You’ll also want to update it as you make organizational changes (such as changes in departments or internal tools used).
Employee onboarding essentials include a strong 90-day plan. Include the employee’s specific plan in your onboarding checklist so your new hire has a seamless experience.
Pre-onboarding tasks
Pre-onboarding includes everything that needs to happen internally before the employee’s start date.
The employee needs to be set up in your payroll software, and you may need to collect documentation in advance (the rest can be collected on the first day). Prepare the necessary accounts or tools they’ll need, such as a company email and access to scheduling software or other key resources like customer management systems, communication platforms, and project tracking tools used by your team.
Additionally, communicate with your employee after they receive their equipment to ensure they have access and that everything is working.
Day 1
Day one will mainly consist of meetings and completing any outstanding paperwork. They should also meet with their team lead or supervisor. You may assign an onboarding buddy to check in with the new hire during the first few weeks and months.
Don’t forget to introduce the new hire to the rest of the team. While you may have sent out communication when you extended an offer, remind the team that it’s the new employee’s first day and to help them feel welcome.
Week 1
Throughout the new employee’s first week, you’ll want to familiarize them with company culture and operations. This includes reviewing internal documentation, such as company info, the employee handbook, and your core values and mission.
The other part of this is familiarizing the company with the employee. If you have an internal directory, you’ll have the employee fill it out (or provide the necessary info). The employee might share their LinkedIn profile or some “About Me” information.
You’ll also want to cover company policies and logistics, such as requesting time off and where to find company holidays. Talk about the office and dress code, if the employee is working from an office, and if there is anything else the employee needs to know about the work environment.
With any remaining time, the employee can begin reviewing employee training materials.
First 30 days
Over the first month, your new hire will go through role-specific training. You’ll want to set up targets for the employee in the first 30 days (such as completing internal tutorials) and follow up to make sure the employee onboarding checklist is being followed. At Quo, we cover product-related information with new employees, including demos and our Help Center articles.
Have the new employee meet with their manager weekly to go over any questions and meet with their onboarding buddy (if they have one).
First 60 days
Within the first 60 days, your employees should become comfortable with your tools, processes, and operations.
At this point, they’ll have wrapped up most job training and can begin participating in team discussions and projects. You should start to see some progress in core job functions.
You can ask the employee to reflect on their time so far and if they need additional information or training to achieve their 90-day goals. You can also check their understanding of tools and processes by having the new hire explain how work gets done to an existing team member.
First 90 days
By the end of three months, the new employee should be a fully contributing team member and should have reached any expected milestones for their job. You should start tracking the employee’s performance and progress toward KPIs. The employee should establish a regular check-in cadence with their manager, whether weekly, bi-weekly, or another frequency.
At the end of 90 days, ask for feedback about the new hire’s experience. If your onboarding checklist and process have any blind spots, now’s the time to address them before you bring in the next new hire. An effective onboarding process can impact overall employee retention.
Key takeaways
When you attract qualified candidates, they’ll have some expectations about new hire onboarding. The more you can streamline the process, the better for employee satisfaction and your overall team. A clear onboarding checklist keeps everyone on the same page.
