Onboarding checklist: 12 key steps & template

Starting a new job can be overwhelming. There's so much to learn: new faces, new responsibilities, new culture. A thoughtful, well-structured onboarding process can make all the difference in helping new hires feel welcomed, prepared, and excited to contribute.  

That's where an employee onboarding checklist comes in. It helps ensure you cover all the essential bases, providing a consistent experience for every new team member. Let's dive into what exactly an onboarding checklist is, why it's indispensable, and the key steps to include.

What is an employee onboarding checklist?

An employee onboarding checklist is a tool used to manage the many tasks associated with integrating a new hire into an organization. It outlines all the critical tasks that need to be completed throughout the onboarding process.

The checklist spans from before the employee's first day to their initial months on the job. It covers everything from paperwork and logistics to introductions, training, and setting performance expectations.

Without an onboarding checklist, the process can quickly become scattered and inconsistent. Some new hires might get a full orientation while others are left to fend for themselves. Critical paperwork could be missed, leading to compliance issues. Equipment may not be ready on day one, leaving the new hire twiddling their thumbs. The onboarding experience becomes a luck of the draw rather than a well-oiled machine.

But with a comprehensive checklist in place, HR teams can ensure that every new employee has a positive, productive start. It becomes a replicable process that can be continuously improved over time. And as the company grows and scales, this consistency becomes even more crucial.

Why you need an employee onboarding checklist

Imagine two scenarios:

In the first, a new hire shows up on their first day to a barrage of paperwork, a barren desk, and a manager who didn't realize they were starting today. They spend the day feeling lost, unproductive, and questioning their decision to take this job.

In the second scenario, the new hire is greeted by their manager, given a tour, and introduced to their team. Their workstation is set up and ready to go. They have a clear schedule for their first week, including orientation sessions and training. They leave feeling valued, energized, and confident they made the right choice.

Which experience would you rather give your new hires? With an onboarding checklist, you can make sure the second scenario is what your organization provides—every time you onboard.

Here are a few key reasons every organization needs an onboarding checklist for new hires:

• Improved productivity: A study by Glassdoor found that organizations with a strong onboarding process improve new hire productivity by over 70%. By providing the tools, training, and support employees need from day one, they can ramp up and start contributing more quickly.
• Higher job satisfaction: That same Glassdoor study found that a great onboarding experience can improve new hire retention by 82%. When employees feel welcomed and prepared for their role, they're more likely to be satisfied and engaged long-term.
• Better culture fit: Onboarding is a prime opportunity to immerse new hires in your company's mission, values, and norms. By intentionally shaping their first impressions and connecting them with key stakeholders, you help them integrate into your culture more seamlessly.
• Reduced administrative burden: A new hire checklist keeps all the many moving pieces in one place. No more scattered emails, missed deadlines, or duplicated efforts. HR teams can efficiently manage the process and easily track progress.
• Legal compliance: Onboarding involves a host of legal requirements, from I-9 verification to benefits enrollment to policy acknowledgements. A comprehensive checklist ensures you don't miss any critical compliance steps that could put your company at risk.

In short, an employee onboarding checklist is a small tool that yields significant return on investment. It sets your new hires and your company up for long-term success.

Key components of a successful onboarding checklist

While every company's onboarding process will look slightly different, most include a common set of components. Here are the key pieces to consider as you build or refine your onboarding checklist:

Preboarding 

A successful new employee checklist typically begins with preboarding. This phase occurs before the new hire's first day and involves administrative tasks like sending welcome emails, providing access to company policies, collecting payroll information, ordering equipment, and assigning an onboarding buddy. By completing these tasks early, you free up the new hire's first days for more meaningful activities.

Paperwork and documentation 

An essential part of the onboarding process is ensuring all necessary paperwork and documentation are completed. This includes employment contracts, tax forms, and confidentiality agreements. Having a streamlined system for collecting and processing these documents helps create a smooth start for new employees and ensures legal compliance.

Orientation and training 

Orientation and training form the next crucial phase. Orientation welcomes new employees and provides essential information about the company, its policies, and benefits like health insurance. Training equips new hires with specific knowledge and skills needed for their role. It's important to spread these sessions out over time, allowing for hands-on practice and feedback to avoid overwhelming new employees.

Socialization 

Starting a new job can be intimidating. Socialization helps new hires build relationships and feel like part of the team. This can include assigning a mentor, scheduling one-on-one meetings with teammates, organizing welcome events, and providing key contacts. These social connections significantly contribute to employee engagement and retention.

Goal setting and feedback 

Integrating performance management into the onboarding process helps new hires understand expectations and track their progress. This involves setting short-term goals, providing regular feedback, conducting stay interviews, and creating professional development plans. By investing in your new hires' success from the start, you establish a foundation for a productive and mutually beneficial working relationship.

12 steps for effective employee onboarding

With those key components in mind, let's map out the specific steps to include in your onboarding checklist. We've organized these chronologically from before the new hire's first day through their first months on the job.

Before the first day

1. Prepare a job requisition form

Before you even post a job opening, clearly define the role. A job requisition form is a template for what your future employee will be doing and how the new role will contribute to company success. As the name suggests, the requisition is a formal “request” to create a new position and provides an at-a-glance handbook for internal stakeholders to learn everything they need to know about the role.

The kind of information you might find in a job requisition form includes notes like whether the position is permanent or contract, the budget for the role, and the reason for the hire. This not only helps you attract the right candidates, but also serves as a foundation for onboarding.

2. Complete a background check 

Most companies conduct some form of pre-employment screening, such as onboarding background checks, reference checks, or drug tests. For most of them, the top reason is safety, followed by improving the quality of hires and complying with laws and regulations. Include these screening processes in your employee onboarding workflow to ensure all necessary steps are completed before the new hire's start date.

3. Send an offer letter 

Once you've found your ideal candidate, it's time to make it official with a job offer letter. An effective offer letter should include the following:

• Job title
• Name and role of supervisor
• Expected duties
• Salary
• Benefits
• Details relevant to your company culture, like your in-office policy

Depending on the complexity of the hire, you might need to include information about relocation budget, or more detailed information about liability. The letter can also include some details about your company culture—a taste of what it will be like to work there.

4. Prepare new hire paperwork 

Before the new hire's first day, gather all the necessary onboarding forms and documents. This might include:

• W-4 and I-9 forms
• Benefits enrollment forms
• Employee handbook acknowledgement
• Emergency contact form
• Non-disclosure and non-compete agreements

New hire paperwork can take a considerable amount of time to complete. Being able to digitally send, sign, and store these forms with an automated onboarding software saves back-and-forth and multiple email chains from stakeholders across the organization. 

5. Set up employee workstation and accounts

Work with IT and facilities to prepare the new hire's physical workspace and technology needs. This might include desk, chair, office supplies, computer, building access badge, software accounts, and any other necessities. Having these items ready to go on day one sends a powerful message that you're excited to welcome the new team member.

6. Assign an onboarding buddy 

An onboarding buddy is a peer-level colleague who helps the new hire navigate their first days and weeks on the job. They can answer questions, make introductions, and provide a friendly face. Choose someone who exemplifies your company culture and has the time and willingness to take on this important role.

The first day

7. Conduct a welcome orientation

The first day is all about making the new hire feel welcomed and oriented to their new environment. This typically includes a warm welcome from their manager and team, a company overview from HR, a tour of the office with introductions to key departments, a review of their first week schedule, and time to settle into their workspace and set up their technology. Focus on providing a balance of information and socialization to ensure the new hire feels informed but not overwhelmed.

8. Complete any remaining paperwork

If there are any outstanding forms or documents, carve out time on the first day to complete these. This might include benefits elections, tax forms, and a photo for the company directory. Providing a clear onboarding forms checklist and support will ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

The first week

9. Conduct role-specific training

The first week is the time to dive into the nitty-gritty of the new hire's role. This will look different for each position but might include product or service overviews, system and tool training, job shadowing or role plays, and introduction to key projects and stakeholders. Spread this training out over the week, allowing time for questions and hands-on practice. Provide resources the new hire can refer back to, such as documentation or recordings.

10. Set initial goals and expectations 

By the end of the first week, the new hire should have a clear understanding of what's expected of them. Their manager should work with them to:

• Set initial 30, 60, and 90 day goals
• Clarify roles and responsibilities
• Establish communication preferences and check-in cadences
• Identify any additional training or support needed

This sets the stage for ongoing performance conversations and professional development.

The first months

11. Conduct regular check-ins

Onboarding doesn't end after the first week. Continue to provide support and guidance throughout the new hire's first 90 days and beyond. This should include:

• Weekly one-on-one meetings with their manager
• Pulse surveys at 30 and 90 days to gather feedback
• Ongoing training and job shadowing opportunities
• Invitations to relevant meetings, events, and projects

The goal is to help the new hire ramp up while continuing to integrate them into the team and company culture.

12. Celebrate milestones and successes 

Finally, don't forget to celebrate the new hire's progress and contributions. This could involve organizing a team lunch to mark their first month, recognizing their first completed project, or highlighting a significant achievement in a team meeting. These celebrations don't need to be elaborate—even small gestures can have a big impact. Recognizing milestones reinforces that the new hire is a valued member of the team and company.

Onboarding checklist: Free template

The last section was a lot of information. To help you put it into practice, we've created a free onboarding checklist template. Use this as a starting point to build or refine your own process. Just remember to customize it to fit your company's unique needs and culture. You might also consider creating a specific payroll onboarding checklist to ensure all financial and tax-related tasks are properly handled for new hires.

Before the first day:

• Send offer letter and new hire paperwork
• Conduct background check and reference check
• Order technology equipment (computer, phone, etc.)
• Set up email and system accounts
• Prepare workspace with supplies and equipment
• Assign onboarding buddy and schedule introduction
• Send first day instructions and welcome email

First day:

• Conduct HR orientation (policies, benefits, etc.)
• Provide office tour and team introductions
• Set up technology and provide system overviews
• Review first week schedule and expectations
• Complete any outstanding paperwork
• Assign initial tasks or training modules

First week:

• Conduct role-specific training sessions
• Schedule one-on-one meetings with key stakeholders
• Provide documentation and resources for ongoing reference
• Check in daily to answer questions and provide support
• Gather initial feedback and address any concerns
• Set 30, 60, and 90 day goals

First 90 days:

• Conduct weekly one-on-one meetings
• Provide ongoing training and development opportunities
• Invite to relevant meetings, events, and projects
• Conduct 30 and 90 day performance check-ins
• Gather feedback via pulse surveys
• Celebrate milestones and successes

Ongoing:

• Continue regular one-on-one meetings
• Provide ongoing training and development opportunities
• Conduct annual performance reviews
• Gather feedback via engagement surveys
• Update onboarding process based on new hire feedback

Make hiring new employees easy with Rippling

We get it—creating and executing a comprehensive onboarding process takes a lot of work. But what if you could automate the administrative tasks so you can focus on the employee experience?

Enter Rippling, the all-in-one HR and IT platform. Rippling streamlines your onboarding from start to finish:

• Automatically create new employee records across all your systems, from payroll to performance management, learning management, benefits administration, and more 
• Send offer letters and new hire paperwork with e-signature capabilities
• Order, configure, and ship laptops and other equipment with a few clicks
• Provision new hires' email and system access based on their role
• Assign and track onboarding tasks across departments

With Rippling, every product—across HR, IT, and finance—is natively built on top of a single source of truth for employee data and designed to seamlessly sync in real-time. . That means any updates, like a title change or a new address, flow seamlessly across the board. No more manual entry or costly errors.

The result? A streamlined onboarding experience that saves you time and wows your new hires. You can focus on welcoming and integrating new employees into the team, not shuffling paperwork.

Frequently asked questions

What are the 5 Cs of new hire onboarding?

The 5 Cs framework, developed by Dr. Talya Bauer, provides a roadmap for a comprehensive onboarding approach. It includes:

• Compliance: Ensuring new employees complete all required paperwork and training per regulatory requirements
• Clarification: Setting clear expectations for the role, including responsibilities and performance
• Culture: Explaining and emphasizing what makes the company culture unique
• Connection: Establishing rapport with colleagues and others in the organization
• Check-ins: Providing opportunities for ongoing feedback and support

Each of the 5 Cs help build a solid foundation for a successful onboarding and provide a fulfilling employee experience.

Who oversees the onboarding process?

HR typically owns and coordinates the overall onboarding process, making sure all steps are completed and stakeholders are aligned. However, direct managers can also play a crucial role in executing many onboarding tasks, particularly those related to job-specific training, expectation setting, and team integration. IT, finance, and facilities may also be involved in specific elements like system setup, payroll processing, and workspace preparation.

Is it possible to begin onboarding before an employee’s first day?

Absolutely. In fact, preboarding—the period between offer acceptance and start date—is a critical time for setting new hires up for success. During this window, you can have new hires complete paperwork, enroll in benefits, set up system access, and even ship equipment. By handling these administrative tasks upfront, you free up the new hire's actual first day for more meaningful orientation and training activities.

This blog is based on information available to Rippling as of September 25, 2024.

Disclaimer: Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting, and legal advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.