The Ultimate New Employee Onboarding Checklist

Have you ever been hired for a new job and felt nervousness and excitement leading up to your first day? And then, you have arrived on your first day of work, fill out a bunch of paperwork, someone shows you to your desk and introduces you to a couple of coworkers, and then you are sort of just left to fend for yourself. There are some simple things that you can do to combat the expense and struggle of employee turnover. The first thing is Onboarding.

Research has found that 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for at least three years after experiencing a great employee onboarding. Onboarding programs may differ slightly from employee to employee, but there are certain fundamental components that are universal in nature. To make things easier a handy checklist helps you use it to get your new employees up to speed quickly and set them up for retention and ongoing success right from the start.

Before Day 1

Before Day 1 is called pre-boarding, and it is a great way to really set the stage for a positive new employee experience. It also helps to save time and make the regular onboarding process go much smoother.

• Gather and provide all necessary paperwork
• Ask your new employee to review the company handbook
• Prepare a workstation.
• Set up all necessary tools and equipment, including a computer/laptop, printer, access to required software, internal systems access, etc.
• Create a new company email address.
• Provide helpful material to help the new employee become acquainted with your organization, such as an org chart, a detailed job description, company policies

Day 1

On day 1 your new employee is scheduled to begin work. It is necessary to have the following tasks and documentation ready to go. This will ensure the transition is faster and more efficient. It’ll also make a better first impression on your new team member.

• Prepare the rest of the coworkers for the new employee’s arrival to welcome him or her.
• Set a welcome meeting (lunch is a nice touch).
• Provide a tour of the office, including important areas, such as bathrooms, break rooms and where to locate other colleagues should the new employee need support.
• Schedule a 1:1 meeting with the new hire’s direct manager.
• Assign a mentor and ask him or her to schedule a time to meet with the new hire ASAP.

Week 1

Day one is important but to keep the momentum going and make the new hire experience a more successful one, use the first week of employment to do the following:

• Set up any necessary training as quickly as possible.
• Check and verify that all required paperwork has been completed.
• You can assign the first project to your new hire employees. This ensures new employees feel like they are also a part of the team and enables them to settle in and begin to become comfortable in their roles.
• Review your employee performance and that way set specific goals for month one.
• Ask for feedback or questions and any concerns. You can open the lines of communication right away.

Hence, studies have shown that the more you invest in making new employees feel comfortable and confident during the first year, the more likely they’ll be to stay on for the long haul.