The Full Onboarding Checklist for New Hires

Onboarding can make or break an employee’s first impression of their new workplace — so it’s vital to get it right. But because this task falls across multiple departments like HR, IT, and facilities management, sometimes things can fall through the cracks. 

To keep that from happening, a comprehensive, coordinated approach is required. One of the best ways to achieve that is by using new hire onboarding checklists. These outline what needs to happen during every stage of the process, to ensure nothing gets missed. Here’s why onboarding matters so much, plus the checklists you’ll need to unlock the potential of your newest team members. 

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Why is onboarding important?

The start of a new job can be a vulnerable time. People may feel nervous about forging connections with colleagues, be unsure about the kind of workflows they’ll have to follow, or have headhunters in their inbox offering them job opportunities elsewhere. If your company’s onboarding experience is lacking, they might wonder whether they’ve made the right decision.

“That time and money that you expended finding the right person, you don’t want to ruin it by terrible onboarding,” said Jim Cichanski, founder and chief human resources officer at Flex HR, an HR consulting firm.

But if onboarding goes well, the hard work of hiring starts to pay off. According to a 2021 Gallup article, employees who had an exceptional onboarding experience were 2.6 times more likely to be extremely satisfied at work — and subsequently more likely to stay at the company. Despite this, the same research shows that nearly one in five US employees either had a poor onboarding experience for their most recent role or experienced no onboarding at all. 

One way to avoid these kinds of negative experiences is to use checklists. These help create a consistent, effective onboarding experience that ticks all the boxes — literally and metaphorically. 

What is an onboarding checklist?

An employee onboarding checklist sets out each step that needs to be completed as a new employee settles into their role. Onboarding should cover more than the first 30 days, including  wraparound support immediately following an offer letter, and up to 90 days after hiring. 

Some new hires will feel nervous, while others feel excited and eager to get started. No matter which emotions someone feels when they join a new organization, the right employee onboarding process will help them feel ready to take on their new role. “It’s going to reap a lot of rewards because it makes a person feel knowledgeable, welcome, and engaged,” said Megan Leasher, a talent strategist and advisor. 

It also offers the following benefits:

• Increased employee satisfaction 
• Better retention rates
• Meaningful workplace connections between new hires and key stakeholders
• Clarity for new hires of where they fit in and how they can contribute
• New-hire immersion in the company culture
• A step-by-step introduction to the technology and training required for each new hire to do their job 

To find out whether your onboarding strategies are working, download Lattice’s 30-60-90 Onboarding Survey Template. If the results aren’t what you’d hoped for, it might be time for a new approach. For example, when Lattice shifted to a virtual onboarding model, it helped create a consistent experience that makes new hires truly feel like part of a team. 

Onboarding Checklists 

New employee onboarding checklists should be broken into different phases, including:

• Pre-Boarding Checklist 
• First Day Checklist 
• First Week Checklist 
• First Month Checklist 

Here’s what to include during each phase.

Pre-Boarding: Before a New Hire’s Start Date

This phase begins when a candidate accepts the job offer, and it extends until their first day on the job. While your new hire has had a glimpse of how your company operates during the recruitment process, pre-boarding really helps set a positive tone. 

“You’re seeing every aspect — so many interactions, so many people, so many first impressions — not only of how the work gets done but also how people treat each other and what the culture is,” explained Leasher. “It’s a huge opportunity to demonstrate who you are as a company.”

Here’s how to get it right. 

Pre-Boarding Checklist

1. Staff Introductions

Send a welcome email introducing the new hire to the team. Use this example as a starting point:

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Tip: Encourage networking. In this welcome email, share information about your new hire’s role, and explain what experience they bring to the table. Encourage current employees to engage with their new team members, through reply alls or connecting with them on LinkedIn.

People can be nervous about change, including existing team members, when somebody new joins a department, said Carrie Missele, learning and development practice lead for digital development company 10Pearls. “It really helps when everybody can connect with a new person and welcome them.” 

2. Internal First-Days Preparation 

Create task lists for each department. Use the examples below as a starting point:

• HR: Complete any task remaining from the hiring process — for example, background checks and references. Prepare to explain benefits and company policies during the new hire's first days at work.
• Facilities: For in-person roles, set up their workspace and create an ID card. Send details about how to access the building if necessary.
• IT: Check that all equipment has been ordered and schedule software training. For remote employees, ship any equipment required.
• Company-wide: Schedule meet-and-greets, team lunches, and other introductory activities. Make sure these involve all internal stakeholders with whom your new hire will be working. 

Tip: Create a 90-day plan. Cichanski recommended creating a checklist of all the activities new hires need to complete during their first three months. That might include deadlines for finishing job training or scheduling meetings with specific departments to learn how to complete certain tasks. “Those are important little tiny tasks, 90 days of learning, about the company, the culture, the systems you’re going to be using, and your job,” he said.

3. New Hire Notifications

Whether they’re working remotely or in the office, most people will have questions about what their first days or weeks will look like. No detail is too small — it might seem obvious to you but it won’t be to your new hire. Before their first day, make sure they know answers to logistical questions like:

• Where should they park? 
• What should they bring to the office? 
• What is the company dress code? 
• Who will they meet? 
• What time can they take lunch?
• What is their full schedule for their first day and week?

Make sure you ask if there’s anything else they’d like to know before their first day. 

Tip: Match new hires with an onboarding buddy. Assigning a guide or mentor for each new hire's first few weeks can help ease the transition and make things more comfortable. “It’s a vulnerable moment when new hires can be afraid to ask a question,” said Leasher. Onboarding buddies can touch base daily or weekly, to share information and answer any queries. 

4. Company Introductions 

Now is the time to share your company’s mission, vision, and culture. A welcome package with company swag, food, or other goodies helps build excitement, but the most important thing is answering these questions:

• How does the company mission, vision, and culture unfold during the workday?
• How does the organization inform employees about how it operates? 
• How will your new team member’s role and work contribute to it? 

Tip: Make it visual. Short videos can be an engaging way to introduce new hires to every aspect of the company. “Just a three or four-minute welcome video really goes a long way to getting an employee excited,” Cichanski said.

Consider creating a virtual office tour, or feature supervisors, employee resource group leaders, and executives in a quick introductory video. Or showcase the company culture and how it guides annual activities, volunteer events, and how team members work day-to-day. 

First Day 

If your pre-boarding checklist is detailed enough, the checklist for a new employee’s first day may be quite short. They should already have their schedule and any answers to logistical questions, so the most critical tasks for day one should center around familiarizing them with new workplaces and faces. 

Don’t pack too much into each new hire’s first day though. Leasher recommended maintaining a balance between meeting new people, learning how to use their equipment, and taking a moment to set up their email.

“Nothing is more frightening than finishing a meeting, knowing you have another one starting at the same time, and you don’t know where you’re going,” Leasher said. “Try to think about what it’s like for someone who doesn’t know their way around and help them feel comfortable.” 

First Day Checklist

• Introduce your new hire to their physical or remote workstations.
• Launch training sessions for work-related applications and software. 
• Ensure all HR paperwork related to benefits, taxes, and pay is completed. 
• Facilitate meetings with managers, coworkers, and executives.
• Immerse your new hire in the company culture.

Tip: Create an essential information dashboard. Creating an information dashboard is one way Cichanski makes it easy for new hires to find answers to questions on their own. When crafting an essential info dashboard, include links to the employee handbook, benefits descriptions, online training programs, company holiday schedules, and other FAQs. And don’t forget about payday practices. “The number one request that an employee has when they start, but is totally afraid to ask is, ‘When is payday?’” said Cichanski. 

First Week 

This checklist should naturally follow the first day and focus on acclimating new hires to the work environment. A quick daily conversation can be a useful way to recap their progress and boost engagement. Ask about how their meeting with another department leader went, or congratulate them for completing a training module. 

First Week Checklist 

• Conduct a quick daily check-in each day. Ask about any roadblocks or questions your new hire might have.
• Check that any HR paperwork has been finalized and returned. 
• Provide ongoing training for software and systems.
• Arrange meet-and-greets, lunches, and coffees with colleagues. 

Tip: Daily check-ins matter. While it might be tempting to skip the daily check-ins, they can make a huge difference for your new hire. “Managers are busy, but they have got to realize that it is an expensive proposition to hire somebody,” said Cichanski. “And if they leave in the first couple of weeks because they’re not taken care of or they get that other job offer, then [managers are] going to be spending more time [trying to hire somebody new] than on the check-in.” 

First Month

As your new hire settles into their role, questions about their job and the organization will still crop up. This checklist helps you make sure these questions are addressed. 

First Month Checklist

• Schedule weekly check-ins to address any questions or concerns.
• Check the progress of any training. 
• Continue facilitating introductions to team members and other stakeholders. 

Tip: Prioritize manager responsiveness. During a new hire’s first month, it’s critical that managers are responsive to any needs or concerns. Whatever the question is, managers need to find the answer. “The manager needs to be able to know who in HR to go to to say, ‘Hey, my person has said this twice. There’s a miss here. How can we reconcile it?’” Leasher explained. “It’s the opportunity for the manager to listen and to triage anything that’s not working.” 

New Hire Check-Ins

Exactly how long onboarding lasts varies from organization to organization. But, as the first month turns to the second and third, new employees should naturally be transitioning to focusing on their own work rather than learning the ropes. 

“The highest touch should be at that first month,” Leasher said. “Months two and three are about introducing you to the work.”

But those later months are the perfect opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of your onboarding processes. Onboarding surveys, 90-day performance reviews, and ongoing one-on-one conversations with managers and peers can help highlight any missing pieces of the puzzle. 

Find out what went well, what didn’t go well, and who needs to shore up any missteps or failures, suggested Leasher. “Really be thoughtful about where the gaps are and who owns the reconciliation.” Then, it’s crucial to address those issues to ensure an improved onboarding experience for the next new hire. 

“It’s really important that organizations realize this is your true opportunity to make the first full real impression to show who you are and what your culture is,” Leasher said. “There can be a tendency to be like, ‘Okay, we got him in the door, we accomplished the goal.’ [Your] goal [should be] making them engaged.”

Onboarding: A Team Effort

An effective onboarding process relies on teamwork — with people across different departments all needing to play their part. But to ensure everything is ticked off, it’s usually best to assign one person to implement and oversee the process. It doesn’t matter whether that’s the hiring manager, HR, or someone else, as long as everyone knows who it is. 

While these people ensure the process runs smoothly, it’s also worthwhile to tap into the power of informal welcome committees. Their involvement can make all the difference to a new hire’s first weeks and months. 

Tip: Leverage enthusiastic employees. “There are people within the organization who would be thrilled to be part of the onboarding program in some small way,” Missele pointed out. “They can show up to a breakfast or be part of a panel. You can lean on your employees who care and want to be there and make a good impression and really be helpful for the new hire.” 

Setting Employees Up for Success 

A successful onboarding process leaves new hires feeling engaged, excited, and informed. But there’s also a lot of moving parts. Checklists are one of the best ways to streamline this process while also providing the consistency and clarity new hires need to perform their best. 

Want to know whether your onboarding strategies tick all the right boxes for new hires? Use Lattice’s 30-60-90 Onboarding Survey Template to find out what’s working, and what’s not. Or, visit the Lattice Help Center for guidance on onboarding new employees into the Lattice platform.