Onboarding checklist
Checklist to ensure your new employees are onboarded successfully
Inducting new employees is a process that involves many small steps and a large number of people. A checklist is a helpful tool to ensure you don’t leave anything essential out during the onboarding process. An onboarding checklist helps you systematically prepare and carry out the induction process.
Benefits of this onboarding checklist
- Structure and clarity: This checklist provides you with a clear, step-by-step roadmap for your onboarding process. Both you as the HR manager and the new employee know exactly what tasks need to be completed. This creates structure and avoids confusion.
- Consistent inductions: By using a standardized checklist, you ensure that every new employee receives the same high-quality induction, regardless of who is conducting the onboarding. This ensures a consistent experience.
- Avoidance of errors: A checklist minimizes the risk of important steps in the onboarding process being forgotten. Every detail from administrative tasks to an introduction to the company culture is covered systematically.
- Time savings and efficiency: A ready-made checklist saves you time as you don’t have to start from scratch for every new employee. You instead rely on your onboarding checklist, which includes all the essential tasks, making the process faster and more efficient.
- Monitoring progress: Checklists make it easy to track a new employee’s progress during onboarding. You can quickly see which tasks have already been completed and which are still outstanding so you can offer support if necessary.
- Improving employee loyalty: A well-organized onboarding program, supported by a checklist, helps to ensure new employees feel valued and accepted right from the start. This can significantly increase employee satisfaction and loyalty to the company.
Downloadable onboarding checklist
Structure of the onboarding checklist
Preboarding
First day
First week
First 90 days
An effective onboarding process for new employees should be divided into different phases. This ensures that new employees are systematically and effectively integrated into your company. The onboarding checklist sets out the relevant to-dos for each phase. Simply adapt the checklist to your individual requirements.
Preboarding—the preparation phase
The preboarding phase refers to the period between the signing of the contract and a new employee’s first day of work. In this phase, you take all the preparatory measures needed to get the new employee ready to join the company.
Use the preboarding phase to give the new employee a sense of excitement and loyalty before they even start their first day at work. In this way, you can reduce any remaining uncertainties. Make the new employee feel that they are already part of the team before their first day. Early integration strengthens the bond with the company right from the start.
Tip
Send a short but personal welcome message before the person’s first day that expresses your excitement about working together. Be creative and feel free to include a little company merchandise. Provide the employee with their first few interesting things to discover online.
Excerpt from the onboarding checklist
- The employment contract is signed and both parties have a copy.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
- The employee has information about their start date and their personal onboarding program.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
- The necessary keys, employee ID card, and any other relevant items are organized and ready to use.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
- The hardware has been ordered, set up, and is ready to use.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
The first day—the orientation phase begins
This day is primarily aimed at welcoming the new employee. Introduce them to the office, their colleagues, and workspace, and let them take care of any initial small administrative tasks. Important elements of this day include an introduction to the corporate culture and their workspace, and some initial orientation with regard to the tasks they will be performing and their general working environment. Plan a welcome lunch or a coffee break with the team to foster the social aspect of the induction. Give the new employee an overview of important contacts and which resources are available to help them during their onboarding period.
The first day lays the foundations for your new employee’s ongoing commitment and loyalty. A positive and well-structured first day can reduce anxiety, create a sense of belonging, and increase motivation. It also acts as a starting point for successful and efficient onboarding by giving employees confidence and a sense of orientation. The first day plays
Tip:
Ensure the person receives a warm and well-organized welcome! A warm welcome from the person’s managing director or assigned mentor, and an organized introduction to the company, are essential to welcome the new employee and make them feel valued. Don’t let the new employee sit somewhere alone on their first day—pay attention to them.
Excerpt from the onboarding checklist
- The person receives a personal welcome from the managing director, team members, and mentor.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
- An introduction to the company, departments, and colleagues—and a tour—are planned and given.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
- An introduction to the department is given, including a detailed introduction to the team members and the person’s mentor.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
- Personal equipment such as keys, employee ID etc. are handed over.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
The first week—the orientation phase
Use the first week to integrate the new employee more deeply into their role, the team, and the company. The new employee will now undergo in-depth training on your company’s products or services, and receive comprehensive information on internal processes and tools. In addition to these technical aspects, you will also be encouraging the development of relationships within the team, e.g. through joint activities or meetings. This strengthens cooperation and team spirit.
Now assign the person their first smaller projects or tasks. This helps the new employee gain practical experience and slowly settle into their role. Start with some initial feedback meetings to find out what challenges the new employee may be facing and what their first experiences have been like. The first week is very important in determining how quickly the new employee can familiarize themselves with their tasks effectively and independently.
Tip:
Provide the new employee with a permanent point of contact in the form of a mentor. A mentor serves as a direct and personal contact for all the new employee’s questions. The new employee feels less alone and gains confidence in the new environment more quickly.
Excerpt from the onboarding checklist
- The employee receives information on vacation arrangements, overtime, working from home, etc.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
- An introduction to the team is given, during which the person’s colleagues, their responsibilities, and work processes in general are presented.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
- Specific software training courses are provided so the employee can start to use the company-specific tools.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
- The company’s own products and services are presented to the employee in training sessions and meetings.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
The first 90 days—completion of the orientation phase and solid integration
The orientation week is followed by a period of integration and development for the new employee. The foundations are now being laid to enable them to develop from a fresh face into an effective and fully integrated member of the team. During this phase, the employee deepens their understanding of the company’s products, services, and internal processes, often through specialized training and the practical application of what they have learned in real projects.
Now is the time to set clear performance targets and provide regular feedback to measure progress and identify key areas for development. Once the new employee has acquired the basic skills, expand their responsibilities gradually. This could be in the form of larger projects, leading meetings, or processing customer inquiries independently. Keep in mind, however, that the first 90 days are not only important for immediate productivity, but also for long-term employee retention and satisfaction.
Conduct an initial formal evaluation of the employee’s performance after three months. Based on this, you can then discuss and plan further development steps, possible additional training, and further career opportunities.
Tip:
As a mentor to a new employee, it is particularly important for you to be proactive and communicative. By arranging regular meetings to discuss progress and exchange feedback, you create an open and trusting atmosphere. Foster a culture in which open feedback is valued, and encourage the new employee to share their challenges and experiences openly. Demonstrate the company values through your own behavior and act as a role model for the new employee.
Excerpt from the onboarding checklist
- A meeting is held with the new employee to ascertain their initial impressions.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
- Targets are set for the first month and for the period up to the third month.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
- Ongoing training courses (consolidating the basics and expanding specialist knowledge) take place.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
- The new employee is actively involved in larger projects.
By: ________________________ Person responsible: ________________________
Digital onboarding
At any time. From anywhere. With no limits.
Put an end to paperwork and the constant repetition of training courses! Digitalizing your onboarding process is a smart solution for training new employees efficiently and effectively. With online training modules available anytime and anywhere, you not only save time and resources, but also ensure that all your team members are kept up to date in a consistent manner. Digitalize your onboarding program to simplify inductions and make your processes future-proof.
All you need is an eLearning authoring tool and a learning platform.
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