Comprehensive Employees Onboarding Checklist

The onboarding process is the opportunity you have to win the heart of your new employee. It is like a first date, which will require you to do something to impress your new employee. What will you do?

Employee onboarding is the first impression a new hire has as an official member of your company. Many companies put in more effort and spend more money to get the best talents, but put in little or no effort in onboarding new hires.

Research reveals that 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experienced great onboarding. (SHRM, 2017)

A successful employee onboarding leads to higher job performance, which in turn facilitates employee satisfaction and retention. A comprehensive employee onboarding is a great way to put both you and the employee on a success track.

Research also reveals that 54% of companies with onboarding programs reported higher employee engagement. (SHRM, 2017) 

To help you onboard your new hire successfully, we have put together a comprehensive employee onboarding checklist to ensure you do not leave out any important task.

 

Stage 1: Pre-boarding 

This stage happens before the new employee’s first day at the office. This stage of the onboarding process is important because it allows you to prepare the office and your existing employees to create a good first impression.

Step 1: Send your new employee an email

Sending your new employee an email before they show up at the office helps them stay engaged, and gives them an idea of what they should expect on their first day.

Your new hire welcome email should include the following:

• A heartwarming welcome.
• First day at work information (include details like location, date, time, etc.).
• First-day work schedule.
• Documents that the employee should come with.
• Dress code.
• Contact person.

You can also attach documents or links to other important information like:

• Employees' handbook.
• Company guide sheet that includes information about the company, its products, etc. 

Step 2: Send an email to your existing employees

Remember to send an email to your existing employees to let them know that a new employee will be joining the team. This email should include only basic information like:

• The new hire’s name.
• The new hire’s job roles, departments, team, etc.
• The new employee’s start date.
• A brief background of the new employee.
• Date and time of welcome coffee or launch (where your existing employees can meet and greet the new person).

Step 3: Prepare the new employee’s office, tools, and equipment

Before your new employee shows up at the office, you have to ensure you put some things in place to ensure the employee starts work on the right foot. Here is the list of things you can do:

• Ensure office furniture like; desk, chairs, cabinet, etc. is available for the new employee.
• Ensure IT equipment is available for the new employee (equipment like a laptop, monitor, mouse, headset, etc.).
• Install the necessary software on the new employee’s laptop.
• Add the new employee to the email list, chat group, forum, etc.
• Get business cards for new employees.
• Get an office key or access card for the new employee.
• Prepare a welcome package for the new employee (welcome gift, company’s promotional items).

 

Stage 2: New employees first day at work

Your new employee first day at work is a big day for both you and your new hire. Therefore, you would want to leave your new employee with the best first impression of your company. You can follow these steps to organize your new employee first day at work:

Step 1: Welcome meeting 

• Make plans for someone to meet with the new employee upon arrival.
• Welcome the employee with a coffee.
• Organize a welcome gift/package for the new employee.

Step 2: Office tour

• Arrange for someone to take your new employee around the office.
• Introduce your new employee to your previous employees.

Step 3: Set up your new employee desk and equipment

Arrange someone to take your employee to his or her office to help your new hire settle in:

• Provide your new employees with office supplies.
• Provide your new employee with an office key or access card.
• Help your new employees set up their IT equipment.
• Provide your employees with instructions for handling office equipment.

Step 4: Documentation/paperwork

Let your new hire meetup with your HR person/team to go over the following:

• Payment schedule, compensation plan, benefit, perks, etc.
• Work policies (work hours, overtime payment, etc.)
• Safety and security policies.
• Code of conduct.
• Filling of contract forms and other required documents.

Step 5: Meeting with the CEO

Let your CEO meet with your new employee to learn about:

• The company’s vision and mission.
• The company’s brief history.
• Short overview of the industry.
• The company's goal and how he/she fits into the plan.

Step 6: Meeting with new employee’s manager

Let your new employee meet with their manager/team lead, who will:

• Explain the company’s organizational chart (departments, teams, and members).
• Go over your new employee’s job description and responsibilities.
• Set clear and measurable goals for your new employee’s first three months on the job.
• Explain expectations to your new employee.
• Understand your new employee’s expectations and challenges.
• Present your new employee with a career development plan with clear criteria.

Step 7: Team meeting 

Dedicate one hour of your new employee’s day to organize a team meeting with previous employees. You can gather different teams to meet with the new employee in a casual meeting over coffee or cookies.

You can also have different teams/team members take the new employee out for lunch. This can serve as an informal way of letting your employees bond.

 

Stage 3: First Week

During the new employee's first week on the job, the employee will need all the support they can get to learn the basics of their new role and the company culture.

• Check-in with your new employee every day to ensure they settle in well.
• Schedule regular meetings with your new employee (preferably one-on-one meeting)
• Create a profile for your new employee on your website and other platforms that the company uses.
• Organize training sections for your new employee (software training, skill training, etc.)
• Organize social gatherings.

 

Stage 4: First Month

During the first month on the job for your new, help him/her to develop, learn about your company, and build great relationships with other employees.

Here is how you can help them develop:

• Ask for feedback from your new employee on your onboarding process (you can make him/her complete a quick survey form).
• Provide your new employee with feedback about their performance so far (make sure it is informal and done in a subtle tone).
• Organize and schedule a training based on the employee’s performance.
• Organize social activities and gathering to ease off the stress.

 

Stage 5: Third Month

By this time, your new employee should have settled in and gotten used to the company’s operations and culture. However, you need to watch him/her by:

• Asking for feedback as regards the onboarding process in the past two months.
• Provide your new employee with performance feedback and progress review to help them remain motivated.
• Organize training to better equip your new employee based on his/her performance so far.

 

Stage 6: Sixth Month

At this stage, your new employee has gotten used to his/her role, but you have to still monitor the person to ensure that they go about their activities and daily task without hindrance. You can do this by:

• Providing your new employees with feedback about their performance so far. Doing this will help the new employee evaluate himself or herself.
• Get feedback from your new employee to understand their challenges, strengths and weaknesses.
• Organize training for your new employee based on the feedback that you received from them earlier.

 

FAQs about onboarding checklists

What is an onboarding checklist?

An onboarding checklist is simply a document that outlines the different steps to prepare a new employee for success in a company/organization. The employee checklist helps the HR/manager ensure that all the preparation steps are followed without leaving anything out.

How long should an employee onboarding checklist be

The length of an employee onboarding checklist depends on the role and the company’s hiring process. However, the employee onboarding checklist should cover everything from new employee orientation to helping the new employee get used to their role and the company.

 Is employee onboarding important?

An effective onboarding process will help your new employee(s) feel valued and at the same time help the employee understand his/her role, which will in turn increase productivity.

How can I measure employee onboarding effectiveness?

You measure the effectiveness of your employee onboarding with the following metrics:

• Turn over metrics (check how often a new hire leaves the company within the first 6 months of joining).
• Track employee’s happiness (find out if the employee is happy. You can use anonymous surveys to achieve this).
• Track overall employee turnover (check if your most talented employees are leaving. Conduct an exit interview to understand why).
• Track your new employee satisfaction (check if your new employee is satisfied with expectations, tasks, etc. If your new hire feels overwhelmed with the job, then you may have to review your onboarding process).

Getting a new hire to join your company requires a lot, which is why you need to create an effective onboarding system that will bring out the best in your new hire. Your recruitment hassle is not yet over until you can get your new hire to settle in perfectly.

Finding talents to fill your vacant positions can cost a lot, but you can choose a recruitment plan that works well with your budget. Click here to make your choice now.