Onboarding Checklist

Onboarding comes with a certain debt ratio for the employers because new hires are often not productive immediately. Whether junior or executive; newbies need time to get acquainted with the business.

By having a comprehensive onboarding plan you may significantly improve the associate-experience and performance-maximization.

Onboarding is stressful and extremely messy for the employer, employee, and teammates. Nonetheless, peers carry the heaviest burden of onboarding a new teammate. Also, it is overwhelming for the new employee, especially if they have moved to a new region geographically.

Best is to track the process on paper from day 1 followed by checklists and compliance. Start by breaking it down into phases.

The worst is to hire someone and leave them in the dark, which is not good onboarding or overwhelm them by dragging them in different directions (e.g.: meeting too many people in a day, an overload of information, etc). Don't do that!

I have made a generic onboarding checklist - but you can customize it for your organization based on the size of the team and the business needs:

Week 1:

• W-4 tax forms
• I-9 / E-verify forms
• Setup Paystub and other HR-related admin forms
• Orientation
• Badge registration
• Assign laptop/setup emails and other internal communication means
• Welcome to the team
• Recap with HR partner and allow questions
• Introduction to the key members of the team (immediate teammates)
• Logistics: complete office tour, cafeteria, emergency exits, etc.
• Emergency numbers, First Aid kits and area’s safety rules
• Assign a peer partner / or we call it onboarding peer
• Disability accommodations (if any)
• Assign GLMS courses (if any)
• 1:1 with the manager - recap

Week 2:

• PTO and other leave policies & processes
• Benefits Handbook
• Employee Manual
• Review of the division breakdown (who’s who?)
• Introduction to other teams (often collaborating teams)
• Brief introduction with the senior leadership
• 1:1 with the manager

Week 3:

• Common acronyms (lingo)
• Review company culture in more details
• Setup 1:1s with the teammates
• Start job shadowing
• Introduction to naming conventions
• Introduction to working-agreements
• Skill-up survey
• Meet tech support
• 1:1 with the manager

Week 4:

• Discuss common types of projects
• How to set up virtual meetings
• Setup IDP - Individual Development Plan
• Continue job shadowing
• Review the history of the division
• 30, 60, 90 production / performance plans
• Set clear performance expectations (may tie it back to Job Description)
• Review of the business moonshot
• Start upskilling in certain programs (if required for the job)
• 1:1 with the manager

Week 5 and onward:

• Review of the recently delivered projects
• Review Best Practices
• Pair up with peers to observe current projects
• Start assigning tasks but dedicate a teammate to frequently assist if needed
• Connect with other members of the organization
• Review the initially delivered projects, provide feedback
• Review behaviors and provide feedback

My recommendation for the new hires is to be the most proactive. While your team is getting you onboarded, diligently keep notes and reach out frequently until you feel confident doing your tasks. Remember first impressions matter and you are going to be meeting a lot of new people.

Managers, keep an eye on your new hires. Set them up for success. Make yourself available to support and assign an official onboarding peer. New hires are often stressed. More so if they have moved regionally and still adapting to a new life.

Internal Transfers are easier & quicker to onboard because they are from the same ecosystem. You might want to create a separate onboarding sheet for internals only.

I hope this helps!

Lily