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

You’ve just finished hiring an employee in the Republic of Lithuania! Congratulations! Now it’s time to set up your new hire for success with a comprehensive onboarding process. Our 90-day plan will help smooth out any bumps in the road.

Done right, onboarding sets up your new hire for success. It’s also good for business. An effective onboarding process is one of the best ways to reduce worker turnover. According to research, a staggering 33% of European workers say they’re considering quitting their jobs in the next three to six months. Poor onboarding can result in employees lacking motivation, risking non-compliance with Lithuanian labor laws, and the high cost of recruiting. One study reveals that it can cost six to nine months of an employee’s salary to hire a replacement.

A great onboarding process has a lot of components and takes more than just a day—or even a month. Our comprehensive checklist outlines what you need to know: handling paperwork and ensuring compliance, giving the employee the tools they need, and a 90-day plan to ensure long-term success.

Before their first day

• Complete an employment background check. Background checks are legal in Lithuania, but the information requested must be relevant to the job. Informed consent is required, and all data must be secured under Lithuanian and European Union (EU) data protection regulations. Questions about background checks in Lithuania? Find the answers in our guide to employment background checks in Lithuania. 
• Send an employment agreement. Employment agreements (employment contracts) are common in Lithuania and take the place of an offer letter. They are legal agreements between workers and employers. They contain standard information including contact information, job title and function, remuneration, start date, working days, benefits, probation period, termination policy, notice period, and other relevant details.
• Do the necessary paperwork. In addition to the employment agreement, you’re responsible for all the relevant government forms, legal agreements, income tax documents, and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). This process can be extremely time-consuming if you’re not using the right (or any) onboarding software. If you’re employing third-country nationals (those from outside Lithuania and the EU/EEA), your employees will need the proper work permits, residence permits, and visas. 
• Enroll them in benefits. Mandatory employee benefits in Lithuania include pension, unemployment insurance, health insurance, sick leave, annual leave, public holidays, maternity leave, paternity leave, parental leave, severance pay, and worker's compensation. These are paid via contributions to the State Social Insurance Fund (Sodra).

• Add them to payroll. Lithuanian employees are paid in euros (EUR). Contactors can be paid in other currencies by mutual agreement. Employers are responsible for calculating and withholding taxes, social security payments to the State Social Insurance Fund, and other benefits. These calculations must be done correctly, otherwise, it could cost you in terms of extra work, fines from the State Social Insurance Fund Board, and other penalties.
• Order and configure their devices. Your new hire, whether they’re on-site or working remotely, will need all the tools necessary to perform their job. Be sure to order and configure their devices before their first day, so they can start work without delay.
• Set up their app accounts. The last thing a new hire wants to deal with on their first day is apps that they can't access. Be sure that you’ve set up their app accounts before they start so that they have access to email, Slack, Zoom, and the other apps and platforms that they’ll need.

• Prepare any resources they'll need. These can include:
• A copy of the onboarding checklist
• An employee handbook covering important company policies and procedures
• Your company’s mission statement
• A brief about your company’s culture and values
• A company directory
• An agenda covering their first day
• Their job description and top priorities
• Employee ID and access card, if required
• Any other job-specific resources and documents they may need

• Schedule their orientation (and a get-to-know-you event with the team!). Put together a schedule with your new employee’s orientation events. On the first day, include things like a 1:1 with their manager or supervisor, a team meeting, and perhaps a get-to-know-you event. Send the invites out early, so their co-workers can block out time. 

• Assign them an onboarding buddy or mentor. To ensure a smooth onboarding experience, assign a point person for your new hire. This person will help guide them through the onboarding process, address their questions, and introduce them to the rest of the team. Designate this person in advance to give them time to create a welcoming environment for the new hire.
• Send a welcome email. As their first day approaches, your new employee probably has a lot of questions. Create a welcome email that includes their agenda for the big day, dress code tips (formal and conservative are generally the norm in Lithuania), and a FAQ that answers any questions they might have. This information will go a long way to ensuring that they’ll be excited (and stress-free) about starting their new job. Our onboarding tools can do this for you automatically.
  
  

During their first 90 days

• Schedule organizational and role-specific training. Your new employee’s main goal during their first couple of months should be to learn about the company and how they fit into it. Start with corporate training, where they learn about the firm, its purpose, goals, and values. Then transition to job-specific training that will help them learn the skills and information they'll need to succeed in their new role.

• Assign work and help them set goals. It’ll take some time for your new team member to get up to speed. You should expect there to be a learning curve during their first few weeks and months. Be sure not to overload them and set reasonable goals. Goal setting and guidance are common in Lithuania and using a framework like SMART goals—setting goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound—can help. Giving your new employee defined targets to achieve will prevent them from losing focus or becoming lost in their new job.

• Schedule regular check-ins and mentorship to help them stay on track. Organize regular meetings with your new employee to discuss how things are going if they’re meeting their goals, and if they have any new questions. Check-ins at 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days are a good start, but remain flexible if they prefer more frequent meetings.

• Offer regular feedback as they get settled in. Be forthcoming with your feedback. Your new employee shouldn’t be wondering where they stand. Performance appraisal is the norm in Lithuania and it lets them know if they’re doing a good job or if they need to pivot to meet their goals. Note that work-life balance is also very important to Lithuanians.

• Seek their feedback on how you can improve the onboarding experience. Feedback is a two-way street. Survey new employees about their experiences during the onboarding process and ask what you can do to make improvements in the future.  

Make onboarding a breeze with Rippling

If you're hiring remote contractors in Lithuania, you need more than just a new hire checklist: you need Rippling. With Rippling, you can complete and verify background checks, send offer letters, and store digital documents—all from one centralized system.

Rippling makes it easy to onboard and manage your global workforce and keeps you compliant with local employment laws and regulations.

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, and should not be relied on for tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and accounting advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.