The Essential Guide to Employee Onboarding Checklists 

An onboarding checklist is a very effective way to set out your plan as it decreases the likelihood of missing anything out. The onboarding process for both HR departments and the new employee involves many steps. With so many steps in place, documents to exchange, and equipment to supply, things can easily get missed.

Missing steps in the onboarding process can sometimes delay a new employee's start and might also contribute to them feeling less welcomed. A well-structured checklist can help avoid these issues. Research by Sapling HR indicates that new hires have 54 tasks to complete during onboarding. This process is time consuming, but it can also be isolating. Whilst integration into company culture and policy is important, it’s beneficial to maintain engagement. Therefore, including extended deadlines for tasks allows your new employees to engage in the social aspects of starting in your business. 

Feeling welcome and productive straight away is important for any new employee. A structured onboarding plan can contribute to increased employee engagement, which in turn can positively impact retention. Onboarding software can help streamline those tasks that employees have to complete. With an all-in-one software, document submission, training, and policy are all in one place. They are also linked to payroll and HR software, so information flows freely. This limits the amount of email exchanges where documents can get lost. 

The primary benefit behind employee onboarding checklists is the structure and organisation they provide. Structure and organisation inform some of the other benefits: 

Improved efficiency

Efficiency is desirable in all areas of a business because it often translates into lower costs and higher revenue. An inefficient process can waste time and resources. This affects your HR department and your new employee. With an efficient onboarding plan in place, both parties can check in less often and can track progress easily. 

Better compliance 

If onboarding checklists are integrated into an all-in-one onboarding software, supplying compliance documentation to employees is easier. The compliance documents sit in the software, are completed directly on there, and submitted to the relevant authority. As a result, new employee does not need to go various pages to fill in documents. All of this makes for a more efficient onboarding experience. As your new employee fills in documents, the software can tick off these tasks on the onboarding plan. 

Helps to ensure consistency 

Consistency is an important trait of effective onboarding. Using an onboarding checklist can be a valuable way to maintain consistency across different hires and departments. Your HR staff and line managers can all follow the same procedure. These procedures may vary across departments, but the fundamentals remain the same. Integration with company culture will be a consistent feature of onboarding plans. Prioritising the integration of company culture early in the onboarding process can often contribute to employees feeling more engaged and welcomed. Moreover, new hires will all receive a similar experience and can feed back on it. Feedback may help make changes and improvements for a better onboarding experience. 

Higher retention 

Turnover rate and retention are a constant struggle for employers. Research by Culture Amp indicates that 23% of UK workers are considering leaving their jobs in the short term. More importantly, this represents a 3% rise on 2023 numbers. Therefore, onboarding strategies are valuable. An employee onboarding checklist is a great tool in your strategy as it engages new hires and sets clear goals for their onboarding process. 

Increased productivity 

By virtue of being efficient, an onboarding plan can help to keep new employees on track to contribute to the business quickly. Consequently, they are able to learn their role and become productive. Increased productivity is beneficial for the business and the employee. Firstly, they feel valued for the work they’re able to accomplish early on. And secondly, the business begins to see a return on investment much faster. When you proceed to invest in their training and career development, those returns grow exponentially. If you want to learn more about the benefits this investment gives you, our ‘Employee development plans: everything you need to know’ blog has the details. 

Integration of company culture 

Designing breaks and extended deadlines in employee onboarding checklist is an effective way to promote company culture. By doing so, you can highlight to new employees that the social aspect of integration is incredibly important.  

Dedicating time to building networks with colleagues is a great way to increase engagement. It can also alleviate any feelings of isolation that new starters might experience. Scheduling meetings with different team members to establish how they can work together is key to building an internal network. Buddy systems are also popular ways of supporting employees with any issues inside and outside of work. Employee welfare has seldom been more important with the advent of remote and hybrid work. 

The structure of an effective new employee checklist and onboarding plan may focus on several stages. When an integrated all-in-one onboarding software system is in place, you can delegate many steps to the pre-boarding section. Consequently, first day, first week, and monthly integration tasks become easier. We discuss these components below: 

Pre-boarding tasks to facilitate a smooth start

Pre-boarding has become an important way of engaging new employees. It’s beneficial for components to be in place for the employee’s first day, therefore pre-boarding takes on increased importance. Components to include in an onboarding plan to consider sorting out include: 

Documentation and compliance - Send out the offer letter and employment contract for signing, directly in the onboarding software. Collect tax forms, ID verification, and bank details. Distribute and obtain signatures for the company policies and employee handbook. 

Tech and equipment setup - Ensure that the hardware required is delivered before the first day, including laptops and phones. Set up employee email and logins to allow for a smooth start. 

Work environment preparation - Set up their workstation in the office, and have any access passes ready to give them as they arrive. A welcome kit at their workstation is a great way to promote company culture. 

Communication and engagement - Engagement is important early on so have the team ready to welcome the new employee. Introduce them to their buddy and their colleagues so they know who to turn to in their first few days. 

First-day activities to welcome the new employees

First days are nerve-wracking, no two ways about it. Therefore, a solid structure with varied activities can help to ease new employees in. The components to include as a part of your onboarding plan include: 

Welcome and orientation – Have the manager and HR greet the new employee and introduce themselves as primary points of contact. Give the employee an office tour and a more detailed insight into the company. 

Admin tasks – If there’s anything outstanding from pre-boarding, finish off these admin tasks at some point on day one. 

Social integration – A team lunch/coffee, buddy introduction, and a few casual check-ins throughout the day can break it up for new employees. Isolation is easy to encounter early on, therefore, encouraging team members to introduce themselves may increase engagement from a new hire. 

First-week goals to get the ball rolling

It’s beneficial to focus on integrating the employee into their role in the first week. It’s also a great time for them to complete recommended training sessions at their own pace. 

Job role alignment – Schedule a meeting between the employee and manager where the job role and tasks are outlined. Set some short-term goals to engage the employee and make them feel accomplished early on. 

Training and development – Employees will complete several required training sessions to bring them up to speed on policy. Provide them with some extra learning resources related to their role. It is also beneficial to discuss any pathways and growth opportunities. 

30 day feedback to set up long-term success

30 days or a month is a natural point to check in and review the new employee’s lifecycle at the business. At this juncture, the employee will have completed various training sessions, met many of their team, and completed some starting tasks. It provides a great opportunity for some reflection and long-term goal setting. Some components to may include in your employee onboarding checklist for this part of the process include: 

Performance review and feedback – Book a check-in meeting to assess how the employee is getting on. Provide them with some feedback to affirm their work and look to set long-term goals. Long-term goals play a key role in productivity. They provide not just a target, but also a sense of ownership and investment in the company's success, which can be a strong driver for new hires 

Culture and engagement – Check in on their participation and networking within the team and outside of it. It is important to build a close network of colleagues who they can turn to help. 

Professional development – Identify areas for employee development and how that aligns with training offerings. Some solutions could include mentoring within the business, or utilising agencies and outsourced training. 

Manager checklist

It can be beneficial for the manager onboarding checklist to incorporate all of these components. It serves as an effective tool to remind managers to have everything ready for their new starter. It also allows managers to track progress through the process. If your HR onboarding software is fully integrated, you’ll be able to track every stage of onboarding, and any outstanding tasks can be flagged. If you’re unsure which software to choose, check out our guide on how to choose the best onboarding software. 

Remote employee checklist

Remote working has become extremely popular in the post-lockdown world. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 41% of workers engage in remote work at least part of the week. It is more difficult to engage remote workers early on, simply due to the lack of human interaction. This is why it’s beneficial for the whole onboarding process to be as efficient as possible. Remote employees may be more susceptible to feelings of isolation, particularly during the initial onboarding period. Some of the components to include in a remote employee onboarding checklist include: 

Pre-boarding remote setup – Ensure that the required hardware is delivered at least a few days before their first day. Access to tools, resources, and internal systems should also be pre-loaded. 

First day – Start the day off with a virtual welcome call with the manager and any other relevant personnel. Walk the employee through a task list that details the systems they’ll use, how to use them, and who to reach out to meet. 

First week goals – Set goals for remote employees to meet colleagues and establish a network of support. Introduce them to their buddy and how they can lean on them. 

Long-term engagement – If possible, look to schedule a day for them to visit the office and meet the team in person. Encourage engagement through regular catchups and team calls, as well as cultural integration.  

There are often pitfalls that could derail onboarding. Retention, particularly early on, is intrinsically tied to effective onboarding. But what are some of the common mistakes that businesses can make that leaves their new employees isolated and disengaged? 

Lack of clarity in expectations – It’s important for new employees to be confident and clear in their role. Dedicate a session in the onboarding plan to clarifying expectations, both short and long term. 

Overloading with information – As we’ve discussed previously, new hires may have to fill in around 50 documents. When you add training and job tasks on top of that, it can be overwhelming. A collaboration study between Forbes and OnePoll revealed that 81% of employees feel overwhelmed during the onboarding process. Consider having a realistic timeframe with dedicated breaks in an onboarding checklist. Allow your new employees to work through clerical and policy tasks at their own pace. In turn, they’ll have time to engage socially with their new network. 

Failing to provide timely feedback – Failing to provide timely feedback, especially during the initial stages, can create unnecessary anxiety and hinder a new employee's progress. Isolation can already be a big issue, but inducing anxiety whilst they wait for feedback deepens that feeling. Following a timeframe for feedback that reassures employees frequently can be a helpful tool. 

Role-specific onboarding plans are important. They furnish new employees with tailored and relevant training. With a generic onboarding experience, you may end up supplying irrelevant information that may take up time, leading to disengagement. Specific and tailored guidance also leads to less errors. It is particularly important to establish how a role fits into the wider picture. Introducing new employees to colleagues working in the same department and on the same projects could increase synergy. 

Inductions and onboarding plans are also for hybrid and remote employees. If not managed well, hybrid working can be source of stress. This was clear from a study into hybrid working that we commissioned from the University of Nottingham. While just under 59% said they were generally happy, a concerning 41% of those surveyed reported feeling depressed. For more information on the study, take a look at more stats in our article: A hybrid working nation: new research highlights how it’s working out. 

Effective onboarding software can give you the capability to create, process, and analyse onboarding checklists. They can also give you the ability to transfer data directly to HR and payroll systems. These systems are often referred to as all-in-one integrated systems, and data flow freely through them to cut down time spent on clerical work. Many systems like this are enhanced by AI. AI can cut down time spent on administrative tasks. In research conducted by Perspectus Global, they found that 73% of HR professionals believe that the role of AI should be to save time. Our HR Onboarding Software is an excellent example of AI enabled software that can handle the whole process. 

Onboarding software may include all of these integrations to make the lives of HR departments easier. We have a handy guide to detail how to choose the best onboarding software. 

An onboarding checklist is a valuable tool in helping your business organise onboarding. With in-depth onboarding plans, employees, managers, and HR can all follow a tried and tested structure. Consequently, your business benefits from increased retention and engagement, leading to better productivity and higher staff welfare. 

If you’re not sure where to start with a template even after reading our blog, fear not! Through a partnership with HR Magazine, you can download a free template.