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Research shows that effective employee onboarding leads to higher productivity and retention rates (1), so a comprehensive employee onboarding checklist is a must-have for all leaders and managers. Today, we’re sharing the only onboarding checklist template you’ll ever need, complete with sections for paperwork, digital onboarding, orientation, and those all-important onboarding follow-ups.
We designed our onboarding checklist template to be fully customisable, so you can pick and choose which items are relevant for your teams. As well as an onboarding checklist template Excel sheet, we’ve created a .pdf version for leaders and managers who want to get going right away.
The purpose of a new hire onboarding checklist is pretty straightforward - you want to provide your joining team member with a great onboarding experience, set them up for success, and ensure that no important steps get overlooked. So let’s dive in.
Tips for Using a New Hire Onboarding Checklist
- Use a template. Starting an employee checklist from scratch can be daunting, and, no matter how thorough you are, important tasks are likely to slip through the cracks. So choose an onboarding checklist template like this one to use as a blueprint.
- Customise your checklist. A successful onboarding process looks different for every organisation. Once you've chosen your template, it's time to start editing - remove any irrelevant items and add any missing steps. It's easily done with an onboarding checklist template Excel sheet like this one.
- Save and share your company checklist. A bespoke onboarding checklist will be really valuable for the managers and HR pros on your teams, so be sure to label it clearly and save it where others can easily access it. You may even like to create versions for specific departments or levels, e.g. a dedicated onboarding checklist for new hires on the sales team.
- Add concrete deadlines. Our checklist template includes rough timelines like "The Employee's First Day" and "Post-Orientation" but be sure to firm these up by adding specific dates.
- Assign responsibilities. Onboarding is a team sport. It shouldn't be up to one person to execute all the tasks on the list. We've provided sections for managers and the new hires, which should make delegating a lot quicker.
- Invest in supporting tools. Between arranging 1:1 meetings, assigning onboarding goals and running onboarding surveys, the workload associated with onboarding can be pretty overwhelming. Frankli's dynamic automation helps you simplify and optimise key tasks like goal-setting, meeting scheduling and surveys, freeing up time for more pressing work.
- Revisit the checklist yearly. Changes in company culture should be reflected in your onboarding process, and, by extension, the checklist, so be sure to schedule a yearly or quarterly review of its contents. The Tasks space in Frankli is ideal for this - the automated reminders will ensure you don't forget.
Employee Onboarding Checklist Template
Before the First Day
Complete all that apply:
- Plan onboarding journey
- Arrange paperwork (see Paperwork section)
- Confirm start date, start time and work location
- Discuss new hire’s equipment needs
- Supply any items the new hire will need on their first day, e.g. equipment (see Equipment section), access to office
- Prepare an up-to-date list of responsibilities
- Prepare an up-to-date version of the employee handbook
- Prepare details of relevant benefits or programs
- Prepare a welcome presentation or video
- Schedule any necessary training
- Choose and assign an onboarding buddy
- Communicate new hire’s role and start date to the team
- Arrange a welcome gift
Physical Workspace
Complete all that apply:
- Arrange a workstation, with or without a phone line
- Arrange a suitable chair
- Arrange to meet any accessibility needs
- Provide necessary equipment and supplies
Paperwork
Complete all that apply:
- Obtain signed acceptance letter
- Obtain signed employment contract
- Obtain emergency contact information
- Complete relevant tax forms
- Obtain payroll details and share with Accounting team
- Obtain signed non-compete, non-disclosure or any other legal document
Equipment
Source and share the following equipment with your new hire (all that apply):
- Computer
- Computer stand
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Monitor
- Headset
- Phone
- Tablet
- Access card for office
- Locker key
- Company-branded merchandise, e.g. sweatshirt, notebook, coffee mug
- Other
Digital Onboarding
- Arrange access to the following platforms (all that apply):
- Email provider
- Google Workspace, MS Teams or other workspace tools
- Slack or other messenger tool
- Hubspot, Salesforce or other CRM
- Basecamp, Trello, Confluence or other collaboration tool
- BambooHR or other HRIS
- Frankli performance, engagement and development platform
- Calendly or other scheduling tool
- Security tool
- Other
First Day
Complete all that apply:
- Welcome new hire (in person or virtually)
- Provide a tour of the physical workspace or office
- Provide introductions to team members
- Post a welcome message on Slack or other collaboration tools
- Run through the orientation and training plan
- Provide employee handbook
- Provide details of relevant benefits or programs including development programs and DEIB initiatives
- Run through the company’s vision, mission and values
- Run through the role responsibilities
- Provide access to the welcome presentation or video
- Give welcome gift
First Week
Complete all that apply:
- Create onboarding goal in Frankli
- Host a team lunch or social event
- Post a welcome message on social media
Orientation - 1:1 Meetings List for Managers
The new hire’s manager should complete the following 1:1 meetings in Frankli (all that apply):
- Orientation meeting
- Goal-setting meeting to discuss onboarding goal
- Tech stack meeting to review collaboration tools (see Digital Onboarding)
- Recurring performance-focused meeting - weekly, fortnightly or monthly
- Employee development meeting - quarterly or more
- Casual catch-ups - weekly, fortnightly or monthly
Orientation - Tasks for New Hires
Ask the new hire to complete the following orientation tasks (all that apply):
- Complete onboarding goal in Frankli
- Create a 1:1 meeting series in Frankli with onboarding buddy
- Schedule and complete a 1:1 meeting in Frankli with relevant team members
- Review orientation materials
- Review employee handbook
- Review welcome package
Post-Orientation
Complete all that apply:
- Celebrate milestones
- Run an onboarding survey in Frankli
- Action insights from the survey
- Conduct 30-day check-in
- Conduct 90-day check-in
- Schedule a probationary review
Sources:
1. SHRM, Essential Elements of Employee Retention.
