Onboarding Checklists for Every Need

When bringing on a new employee, the onboarding checklists for Human Resources, Managers, and Team Members can seem incredibly long. However, it is essential to complete this checklist, as companies with successful onboarding practices can increase their retention by up to 82%. Additionally, a successful employee onboarding can result in 2.5x the revenue growth and 1.9x the profit margin, according to Hubspot.According to Career Group’s Senior HR Generalist, successful onboarding is important because it "helps new employees understand their role, build important relationships with coworkers, and sets them up for success." Career Group’s Senior HR Generalist also mentioned that onboarding a new employee should be "a partnership" between corporate HR teams and individual Managers. To help you out, we've compiled two onboarding checklists for new hires. These checklists are broken up by time period and whether this person is HR or a Manager. With these onboarding checklists in hand, new employees will be on their way to success.

Onboarding Checklists - Corporate/HR

Prior:

1. Establishing a New Employee’s Manager.

Once HR/Corporate knows a new hire is joining the company, an email should be sent to the department head to establish who they will be reporting to, and what this new associate will be responsible for. Then, their direct Manager should be contacted. This will help determine where their workstation is, what equipment they will need, and how to contact them before their first day.

2. Sending an Orientation E-mail.

In this orientation email, include action items the new hire will need to address before they begin work. Send over any uncompleted paperwork or contract needs. Additionally, inform them of when they should report to the office and parking/security matters - these things will be essential for the new hire to plan their transportation and travel time to the office.

3. Prepare a New Employee’s Workstation.

Once you know what equipment the new hire will need and where they will be sitting, IT should be contacted, so they can begin to set up their workstation. IT should be responsible for setting up any necessary company logins and email addresses - this will make the new employee feel welcomed on their first day.

First Day

1. Conduct an Office Tour.

Conducting an office tour is essential to successfully onboarding a new employee. New employees should have a chance to check out the kitchen, office fridge, and bathroom areas. Additionally, the new hire should be informed of any building-wide activities or amenities, such as workout classes or locker rooms, and how to access these amenities. It’s important to make the new hire feel welcomed and to help paint a picture of what their day-to-day will look like at the company.

2. Conduct an Operations Overview.

A new hire should be introduced to a corporate team member that handles benefits and company operations. It's important that they know how to access important information such as sick-time policy, office hours, and again, amenities like work flexibility or commuter reimbursement. This time should also be used to conduct or schedule any corporate trainings the new hire may need, such as harassment or safety training.

3. Introduce a New Hire to the Office.

Starting a new job can be difficult, but it's even more difficult when the new hire has not been introduced to the team! If this is a small office, the new hire should be introduced to each team member at the company. If this is a larger office, a companywide email should be sent out to let the staff know who the new hire is, and who they'll be working with.

First Week

1. Send a Check-In.

After the employee has been with the company for a week, it’s suggested to send a quick follow-up to see if the new hire has any outstanding questions. These questions can be related to benefits, paid time off, office activities, and protocol. Be sure the new hire knows you're there for them as a resource.

2. Ask for feedback.

Christina notes that training evaluations and adjustments are essential with policies, technology, and operations procedures as these things may change. To make sure that the company’s onboarding processes are as effective as possible, ask the new hire for feedback on what they think the company did well, and what they could potentially improve on. If time permits, HR/Corporate can ask the new hire to complete a survey like this one, so they can review the responses with their team. New hires will feel that their opinion is valued, while also helping the department improve, as well.

Onboarding Checklists - Managers

Prior

1. Compile a Job Description.

It is crucial that Managers put together a job description detailing what the new hire will be doing within their role. This may have been completed already prior if the company has filled the role before or if the job was posted via a job board. If this is a new position, a rough outline should be made, and sent to HR. This will help HR properly train the new associate, while also helping to keep the new associate informed on what is expected of them.

2. Emailing the New Hire.

Once the offer letter is signed and the start date is set, be sure to congratulate the new hire! This will help them feel welcome and more acquainted prior to their start date.

3. Informing the Team.

Once the new hire's job description is finalized, a meeting should be scheduled with the team to go over how the new hire will fit in. The new hire’s Manager should emphasize who this new hire will be working with, what their responsibilities will be, and how the team structure will be impacted. This will help the new hire feel welcomed, while also helping to ensure everyone is on the same page.

4. Putting Together a Training Schedule.

In tandem with informing the team, putting together a training schedule and soliciting the team’s help is important. The schedule should be created based on what the team's workload looks like for that week. It’s important not to pile everything into one day! This might overwhelm the new hire and the team may lose time re-training later.

First Day

1. Go Over New Hire’s Training Schedule.

Manager’s should meet with the new hire at the beginning of their first day to review their training schedule, job description, and answer any questions they may have.

2. Add Meetings to New Hire’s Calendar.

Depending on how the team is structured, the new hire’s Manager may have regular check-ins to track each employee’s priorities. On the new hire’s first day, the Manager should be sure that they have received calendar invites to these meetings, so they know what to prepare. Additionally, a schedule should be made weekly or biweekly (1:1) to gauge how the new hire is doing.

3. Checking-in.

Before you head home, have a quick chat with the new hire to see how their first day went. Are they comfortable in their space? Do they need more equipment or materials that weren't initially provided? Do they have questions, but aren't sure where to go for the answer? Addressing these points will help the new hire feel welcomed. It also helps them know they can go to their Manager with questions.

First Week

1. Conduct an End-of-Week Check-in.

Similar to the HR check-in, the Manager should send a quick follow-up. This will help see if the new hire has outstanding questions or concerns come up during the week. Unlike the HR check-in, this will be much more specific and personal. It's also a great time to ask for feedback on how the orientation went. You might want to ask for suggestions for improvement or how the team may run training better.

2. Introducing them to Internal Teams.

It is the Manager’s responsibility to introduce a new hire to the rest of the firm. Specifically, they should facilitate an intro with the associates they'll be working with on a daily basis. For example, if the new hire is working on billing matters, introduce them to Accounting. Additionally, if they're helping with scheduling, make sure they've shaken the hands of Receptionists. This will help the new hire get the lay of the land. It will also help put a face to the name of people they'll be corresponding with frequently.

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Of course, this isn't a comprehensive list of everything that should be covered in a new hire orientation. When preparing for that first day, these tips should help your newest team member feel welcomed and prepared!