New hire checklist: A step-by-step guide to onboarding employees in Italy [2024]

Expanding your company's operations abroad and discovering new talent abroad can be an exciting venture. When you begin to hire in Italy, it’s important to make sure that you have a well-planned and effective new hire onboarding process in place for your new Italian employees.

A well-designed onboarding program can help new employees quickly adjust and feel like they’re part of the team—giving a positive first impression. This can result in higher productivity during their first few months of employment and increase retention.

Keep in mind: A successful onboarding process takes longer than just the first day. Our comprehensive onboarding checklist covers everything you need to know, including employment eligibility paperwork, compliance, device and apps access, and a 90-day plan to ensure new employees are set up for success in the long run.

Before their first day

• Complete an employment background check. In Italy, it’s legal to conduct background checks to determine if an individual is suitable for a particular role. However, consent from the candidate must be obtained beforehand if using a third party. Read our full guide to employment background checks in Italy to learn more.
• Confirm employee eligibility. Before sending the offer letter, human resources must confirm the candidate's employment eligibility in Italy and start any work permit paperwork needed for the company to sponsor them.
• Send an offer letter. Written job offer letters in Italy aren’t mandatory for employment, but it's best practice to put contracts in writing. For the contract to be legally binding, specific clauses must be written down and provided to the employee within 30 days of their start date. Be sure to include key details such as the position, job title and description, start date, working hours, probation period, compensation, benefits, termination policy, time off, and other relevant information. Check out our full guide to writing offer letters for employees in Italy.
• Complete the necessary paperwork. New hire paperwork may include legal agreements, non-disclosure agreements, or tax forms. You may need to exchange emails with various stakeholders from different teams to set up and sign the required documents, depending on the onboarding software you're using.
• Benefits enrollment for the new hire. As an employer, you must offer an employee benefits package compliant with Italian labor laws under the European Union, the Italian Civil Code, and collective bargaining agreements. Statutory benefits include social security contributions, pension plans, vacation entitlements, paid holidays, overtime pay, sick leave, and parental leave. Work-related injury and illness insurance may be required depending on the industry. Learn more with our guide to employee benefits in Italy.
• Add them to payroll. Pay your Italian employees in euros (EUR) unless they agree to accept another currency in writing. You can use an employer of record (EOR) like Rippling to run payroll unless you already have an entity established in the country. Read our guide about running global payroll in Italy for more details.
• Schedule their orientation. To make sure your new employee starts on the right foot, schedule orientation events such as 1:1s with their manager, meetings with their team, and introductory events for their first day. Send out invites before the start date so attendees can mark their calendars and add the events to their weekly agenda.
• Assign an onboarding buddy. It can be overwhelming for a new team member to navigate their way around and get to know everyone. That's why having an onboarding buddy is a great option to assist them in getting started, answer their questions, and help with introductions. Appoint someone before the new employee arrives to ensure they have enough time to connect and schedule a meeting that works well for both parties.
• Prepare additional resources. These might include:
• A copy of your organization's onboarding checklist
• A copy of the employee handbook and copies of any other necessary company policies 
• Your company's mission statement and information about your company's culture and values
• A team directory
• An overview of their first day
• Their job description and top priorities
• Order and prepare their devices. Whether your new Italian hire will work remotely or on-site, providing them with the necessary tools and technology is essential. Before your new hire's first day, order and configure any devices they need, such as laptops or monitors, and troubleshoot them so they're good to go from day one. 
• Set up their app accounts. Learning about all the apps required for a new job, such as Email, Slack, and Zoom, can slow a new employee down. To make things easier, set up their app accounts beforehand so they can log in on their start date and get rolling.
• Send a welcome email. When a new employee joins your team, it's important to make them feel welcome and prepared for their first day and beyond. Send them a detailed welcome email with an agenda, company directory, FAQs, and other necessary information. Use it as an onboarding checklist template for future hires to help them feel welcome and prepared for their first day. 
  
  
  

On Day 1

• Set up their workspace before their start date. Creating a welcoming work environment is crucial for making new hires feel valued from the beginning. Confirm their workstation is equipped with all the necessary devices, login information, and employee handbook on their first day. Adding decorations and having their onboarding buddy greet them can also make them feel more welcomed and appreciated.
• Send a "welcome to the team" reminder email. Send a company-wide reminder email to greet and welcome the new coworker on their first day. Learn how to craft the perfect "welcome to the team" email with our guide.
• Share the weekly agenda or plan to help them get started. A weekly agenda for their first week will help your new employee feel more comfortable and prepared for their start date. The weekly agenda will have a schedule of meetings, training, and lunches with the team to help them understand what to expect.
• Provide them with a list of contacts. To help your new team member settle in quickly on their first day of work, provide a 'cheat sheet' that lists co-workers, their roles, and their contact information for assistance. This can include their phone numbers, email addresses, Slack handles, and any other relevant information that would be helpful. 
• A 1:1 meeting with their onboarding buddy or mentor.  On their first day, the new team member will meet with their onboarding buddy, who will guide them through the onboarding experience, sharing insights about the company and other key information. 
• Give an office tour. If the new team member works on-site, their onboarding buddy can give them an office tour on their first day. The tour should include the location of bathrooms, break areas, office supplies storage, and so on. 
•  A 1:1 meeting with their hiring manager. Make sure your new hire has time for a 1:1 meeting with their hiring manager. The meeting gives them space to discuss their tasks for the first week, understand expectations about the job description, and address any immediate questions they may have as they begin their new role.
• Schedule a team activity. As a part of the onboarding checklist, schedule a team activity for the new hire to get to know the rest of their coworkers. It can be as easy as a team business lunch at a local cafe. Keep in mind, lunchtime in Italy typically lasts two to three hours—and if you’re planning on having coffee, only order an espresso after your meal is done.