The Ultimate New Employee Onboarding Checklist
An effective onboarding program is a must-have for every HR team. When done properly, new hires are engaged in their new role and are ready to hit the ground running from Day One.
Onboarding a new hire can be a complex process and involves many important elements – from completing documentation and workplace assimilation to ongoing employee engagement.
Onboarding can seem overwhelming, but fear not! We have compiled the ultimate checklist to ensure you don’t miss a beat when onboarding a new employee.
Note: If you’d like a more thorough analysis of how to transform an onboarding journey from bland to grand, check out our onboarding best practice guide.
Checklist Steps
- 1. Collect Employee Details
- 2. Collect Position Details
- 3. Create & Send Job Offer
- 4. Provision The New Employee
- 5. Ensure Offer & Policy Acceptance
- 6. Map Out Their First Day Plan
- 7. Get them immersed in company culture
- 8. Stay On-Top Of Probation Management
- 9. Ensure Professional Development
- 10. Celebrate their first anniversary
Before an employee’s first day
Often, it’s the administrative portion of the onboarding process that is the hardest to complete on time. The tasks involve everything needed to enrol and provision your new hire ready for their first day on the job. Having an efficient process to adjust, deliver and receive documentation is critical for delivering on this stage.
We recommend using an onboarding technology like HROnboard, an ELMO company, that manages the tasks for both the hiring manager and the new hire. Automating these essential tasks reduces time-to-hire and ensures your employees are set-up for success before their first day. Best of all, HROnboard, an ELMO company, gives you access to an integrated solution that covers all employee touchpoints – from hire to retire. Find out more here.
In the meantime, you can refer to our onboarding checklist below:
1. Collect Employee Details
Personal Details- Full name
- Email address
- Mobile number
- Address
- General eligibility check
- Tax details collected
2. Collect Position Details
Position Details- Position
- Department
- Hiring manager
- Employment type / status
- Start date
- Base salary
- Commission
- Superannuation rate
- Total remuneration
- Passport / Driver’s license check
- Probation period
- Termination notice period
- Medical / Credit check
3. Create & Send Job Offer
Job Related- Employee contract
- Employee handbook
- Office details
- Company overview
- Email use
- Internet use
- Social media use policy
- Alcohol use at company events
- Attendance
- Charitable donations
- Code of conduct
- Computer and network use
- Confidential information – classification/handling
- Conflict of interest
- Dress code
- Non-disclosure agreements
4. Provision The New Employee
Organisational Socialisation- Announcement email
- Team introductions scheduled
- Payroll details added to system
- Computer required
- Phone required
- Software required (or updated)
- Peripherals required (headset, USB)
- Login Details
- Company email address
- Desk allocation
- Phone setup
- Computer setup
5. Ensure Offer & Policy Acceptance
Contract- Signed & returned
- Signed & returned
An employee’s first week
Now that you have completed the mammoth amount of document processing, it’s time to create the best onboarding experience possible.
Within their first week your new hire will have begun to form their views and feelings about the company. Creating an amazing first day and week is crucial to easing your new hire into the company culture and creating a positive lasting impression.
The first week can be very overwhelming, so providing a fun, guided plan to your new hire can really take the pressure off. See some ideas below:
6. Map Out Their First Day Plan
- Send our calendar invites for meetings
- Plan team member introductions
- Decorate their desk
7. Get them immersed in company culture
- Organise a lunch with key team members
- Create an awesome office tour
- Let the new hire in on the office banter
- Communicate any upcoming events
An employee’s first 3 months
Constant communication is essential during an employee’s first three months at the organisation.
Regularly connecting your new employee with associated team leads can help to strengthen relationships and improve role-specific knowledge so that goals are more achievable.
360° Feedback is a tool that can ensure you and your new starter are continually communicating and meeting each other’s expectations.
Below are some onboarding reminders for new starters who have reached their third month:
8. Stay On-Top Of Probation Management
- Schedule regular (weekly or bi-weekly) feedback ‘catch-ups’
- Set performance goals that can be monitored and evaluated
- Ask for feedback
- Discuss end of probationary period
9. Ensure Professional Development
- Collect feedback on any scheduled training
- Discuss any further opportunities for professional growth
The employee’s first anniversary
By now, the not-so-new employee should be settled into their role and contributing value to their team. He or she may be delivering on what’s expected of them, perhaps without much help or guidance, and this can make it easy to forget their employment milestones.
Be sure to celebrate your employee’s achievements in their first year. Make them feel special on their work anniversary by taking them out for lunch or grabbing a drink.
Celebrations aside, there are some essential tasks to complete when an employee reaches the One Year mark:
10. Celebrate their first anniversary
- Shoutout to the team and celebrate the employee’s milestone
- Prepare and conduct the yearly performance/salary review
- Ask for feedback on the year that was
- Re-evaluate goals, projections and future performance
Over to you!
That’s it from us. We hope that with this handy checklist at your disposal, you can create an awesome onboarding program for your new hires.
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HROnboard, an ELMO company, offers a best-in-class software solution that reduces the amount of time HR teams and leaders spend securing the best candidates and undertaking the critical onboarding process for new hires. Our solution also helps manage internal employee role changes and can create a smooth and seamless process for exiting employees. To find out more, reach us here.
ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll offers end-to-end solutions for the entire employee lifecycle, from ‘hire to retire’. This includes recruitment, learning, performance management, payroll, rostering / time & attendance, and more. For further information, contact us.