New Hire Checklist Templates

Welcoming a new employee to your team is an exciting and essential moment for any organization. However, without proper guidance and structure, the onboarding process can be overwhelming for both the new hire and the employer. This is where the new hire checklist comes into play, serving as an invaluable tool to streamline and organize the onboarding journey. In this guide, we will explore the importance of new hire checklist templates and learn how to create an effective checklist tailored to your organization’s needs.

The Ultimate Guide for Creating New Hire Onboarding Checklist

Successful new hire onboarding leads to better job performance, increased efficiency, and higher employee satisfaction, which ultimately contributes to higher engagement and employee retention rates. In other words, a comprehensive onboarding process is a win-win for everyone who is involved.

What is the New Hire Onboarding Checklist?

A new hire onboarding checklist is like a guideline for welcoming and helping a new employee settle into their job smoothly. It is a list of tasks and activities that need to be done to get the new employee ready to work. Having a checklist makes sure that nothing important gets forgotten or overlooked during the onboarding process. You can think of it as a series of steps, like ticking off boxes as you go through them.

Some of the steps might include things like setting up the new employee’s workspace, introducing them to their team members, explaining company policies, giving them the right tools, and so on. It helps both the employer and the new employee stay organized and ensure that all necessary steps are completed. It is a simple but effective tool to make the transition into a new job as smooth and stress-free as possible for everyone involved.

What Should Be Included in the New Hire Checklist

As a professional certified human resource professional,  here are 12 steps you should consider including as part of your new hire onboarding checklist:

Make it Official with HR

If your company has an HR department, submit a job requisition document for approval before making a hiring decision. The HR team may also require a completed background check and drug test before a new employee can be officially hired. Close the open position and don’t forget to remove any job postings that are still live.

Prepare New Hire Paperwork

Gather all of the documents the new hire has to fill out on their first day, such as tax documents, various contracts or agreements, payroll information, and other new employee forms. Print off the employee handbook and provide information about the benefits package for your new employee to review. You must ensure that you include a point of contact in case the new hire has questions about their benefits or pay. It can also be helpful to print off the job description as a reminder of the organization’s expectations for the role.

Procure Devices and Equipment

Request all devices and equipment several days in advance to ensure everything is ready to go on the new hire’s first day. Everything, from the employee’s computer to their keyboard and mouse, should be ready to use from the moment they arrive.

Set Up Accounts and Create Logins

Contact your IT team, facilities manager, and accounting department to make sure the employee is set up in all relevant systems and has all of the required assets to enter the building. Make sure their organization email is set up and gather their login credentials for various tools and platforms so they don’t face any trouble accessing the applications and software they need to perform their job.

Set Up the Workspace

Make sure your new employee has a clean desk and chair, and any other items they need at their workstation. If possible, gather office supplies or a simple gift like a mug or small plant for their desk to create a welcome kit for their workspace. If the employee will be working remotely, consider sending them a box of relevant supplies to their home address.

Schedule New Hire Orientation

Set aside time during the employee’s first day for a new hire orientation. Ideally, this will not only give the employee time to sign paperwork but also give them the chance to learn about the organizational culture, review the organizational chart, and learn how various departments interact with each other.

Send a Welcome Email

Before your new hire’s first day, send them an email to welcome them to the organization and provide them with important details about what they can expect when they arrive, such as a start date reminder, dress code, first-day schedule, parking information, and so on.

Perform a Building Tour

If your business has a physical location, give your new employee a tour of the workplace and introduce them to key personnel within each department. Provide them with a map of the building so that they feel comfortable finding their way around. This may also be a good time to provide your new hire with their access key or code and explain any security protocols.

Assign a Peer Mentor

Introduce your new hire to a peer within their department who can act as a mentor during their first few weeks on the job. This person will be available for questions, introduce the employee to others within the department, and can even help train them on certain aspects of the role.

Send a New Employee Announcement

Let your current employees know what the new hire will be doing and share a few interesting facts to help break the ice. This announcement should encourage other team members to say hello and extend a personal welcome when they see the new hire around the office. You can also invite the new hire out to lunch with their team on the first day to help them start building personal connections and feel welcomed and valued from day one.

Schedule Time for Onboarding Feedback

Arrange for a time to meet with the new employee, after their first week or two, to learn how they are adjusting and whether they have any input about the onboarding plan. This conversation is critical, as it could expose areas of opportunity within your onboarding process or additional items you can add to the new hire onboarding checklist.

Set Up a 30, 60 and 90-day Check-In Plan

Schedule time to touch base with the new hire at regular intervals, including after their first month, second month, and first quarter. These meetings should offer the employee an opportunity to share concerns or feedback about their training and discuss how well they are adapting to the role.

Categorizing the New Hire Process

Creating a checklist based on the onboarding process makes the task much simpler and easy to follow:

Preboarding Period Checklist

• Send a company-wide email to announce the new employee, with their name and job title.
• Ensure that the department head is ready for the new joining.
• Order all necessary equipment the new hire will need to fulfill their duties.
• Create their accounts in the HR system.
• Create reports, emails, and other needed statements for the new employee.
• Create another pair of security cards and keys.
• Prepare a welcome care package (if possible).
• Prepare HR-related official documents.

First-Day Onboarding Checklist

• Introduce the new worker to their associates and unit.
• Show the new employee their workstation.
• Arrange an office tour.
• Introduce the new worker’s onboarding fellow.
• Ensure that they can log in and out of their station and that all tools work correctly.
• Provide all essential details, including guides and rules.
• Check that all credentials and accesses work.
• Arrange a meeting with the manager.

First Week Onboarding Checklist

• Provide entry and notify them where to find organizational policies.
• Check that the employee has had discussions with the department head and all significant people in their role.
• Check that all equipment and software requirements are there.
• Instruct the new employee about protection and fire measures.
• Plan further training if needed.
• Organize and request the recruit to participate in team-building plans.

First Month Onboarding Checklist

• Create and send a first-month onboarding form.
• Set a session with the unit head about the employee’s improvement.
• Set a personal meeting with the employee at the end of the month.
• Discuss the workplace culture with the employee.
• Invite the new employee to join in on activities for team members.

3 Months Onboarding Checklist

• Schedule an informal performance review.
• Review past and future assignments.
• Set performance goals.
• Give and ask for feedback.
• Check the employee’s progress in their training.
• Discuss the end of the probationary period.

6 Months Onboarding Checklist

• Check the employee’s goals and advancement so far.
• Set goals and objectives for the coming months.
• Check that the employee has received all the mandatory training that was required.

Key Takeaways:

In the dynamicity of today’s modern workplaces, effective onboarding is not just a one-time event but an ongoing process of growth and development. Therefore, you must embrace the opportunity to continuously refine and adapt your onboarding practices to meet the evolving needs of your organization and its people!