Checklist for Onboarding a New Employee

According to research by PWC, 1 in 3 employees leave their job voluntarily or involuntarily in their first year and the cost of turnover is anywhere between 50-150 % of the annual income budgeted for the job. One thing that will help you reduce this rate is by providing an excellent onboarding experience for the new hire.

After all, after spending a considerable amount of time, effort, and money in finding and hiring the best candidate for your company and the role requirements, it is only fair for you to go that extra mile when onboarding them. This will,

• Help them feel welcome and valued
• Give a good first impression of the brand
• Build trust and a lasting bond with the company
• Lead to higher engagement and better retention rates
• Improved employee morale and confidence

Here’s a checklist that can help you provide that exceptional onboarding experience that will leave your employees feeling welcomed, valued, and confident!

1 Month Before the Joining Date

Get Confirmation From HR

Talk to HR to confirm that the candidate can be selected for the role. Also, check for all the documents that the candidate will have to submit or fill out and any information the candidate has to provide to be able to accept the job offer and join the company. This would be a good time to settle on the ideal joining date for the new hire.

Discuss Roles and Responsibilities With the Hiring Manager

Once HR has given the go-ahead, it’s time to work with the direct and second-level manager or supervisor of the new hire to decide their roles and responsibilities. This will include what’s expected of this employee on their first day, first week, first month, and first 3 months of employment.

Share the Offer Letter and Contract

Once you’ve confirmed that the candidate is a good hire, go ahead and have the offer letter and contract drafted. Sending the offer letter and contract well in advance, and giving the candidate time to read and come back to you with clarifications is a great way to ease your new hire into the process and build trust. It also shows them how well organized your brand is.

Pull Together a New Hire Information Packet

Now that you know what’s expected from the new employee, you can start collecting all the documents, links, credentials, access, etc. that he will need to get started in the company and with his tasks seamlessly. This can include his official email, access cards, company swags, company policies, emergency numbers and protocols, information security and harassment policies, etc. While it’s good for the new hire packet to be extensive, it’s important to ensure that you are not overwhelming the new employee.

Schedule and Communicate the Dates of Onboarding and Orientations

Finally, schedule their joining and communicate all the meetings and calls they will likely attend on the first day of work. This will ensure they don’t feel overwhelmed and lost. This will also show them how organized you are and will give you a chance to make time for them when they come in.

1 Week Before the Joining Date

Request Required Documents

Communicate the list of documents that the new employee is required to submit and by when they should submit it. This will give them time to arrange the required documents. Remember to follow up or remind them about it before the joining date.

Share Company COC and Policies

It’s important that the employee be familiar with the company’s code of conduct and policies in terms of employee safety and security, information safety and security, and any dress codes if any. Sharing this list of documents and paperwork ahead of time will help them be mentally prepared and give them a feeling of familiarity even before they start work.

Arrange for Hardware, Software, and Access

Finally, make sure that the employee has a stipulated workplace with all the required hardware that they might require. It is also a good practice to have the laptop fully loaded and ready to go when they join. You can check with other team members or IT to understand all the software and access requirements for the new employee and have that sorted. This is more important if the employee is remote or offshore.

On the Day of Joining

Welcome Your New Employee

One of the best things you can do on an employee’s joining date is to be there when they show up. Nothing will make them feel more welcomed, belonged, and valued than someone waiting to welcome them and help them get familiar with their surroundings on their first day. The second best thing would be to leave clear instructions and have a call set up with them first thing and brief them through the day.

Talk Them Through Their First Few Days

While the first day is usually full of paperwork and introductions, it’s good to set some time with the new employee to give them an idea of what their first couple of weeks may look like and what is expected of them. This will give them more structure and act as a guide to figure out their place in the team and the company. You can also have a few simple tasks pre-assigned for them and allocate a mentor or buddy to support them.

Handover All the Hardware and Ensure Necessary Access is Provided

Remember all the prep work you did the week before the new hire joined? Now’s when you will see how it helps. Having a fully prepared workspace can help ease the employee into their role faster and with few interruptions. Another aspect of onboarding that is all the more important if the employee is remote or offshore. This will help avoid delays due to time zones and availability.

Work With HR to Complete All Formalities Smoothly

We’ve already acknowledged that day 1 is usually full of paperwork and introductions. So, work with HR to ensure that all the joining and onboarding formalities are completed on the day of joining and any questions the employee has regarding their contract or salary are answered clearly.

According to a Gallup study, only 12% of employees thought their company did a good job onboarding them. If you manage to do all this, the new employee is likely to have a very smooth onboarding in the first few weeks. This will also mean that you’ve given an employee an experience to remember and have helped them feel valued, comfortable, and confident in their new job. A happy new employee is the best asset a company can ask for!

Tell us how you onboard your new employees and how it has helped your company!

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