Want to ensure the process of folding in new hires goes smoothly? Include these onboarding checklist templates in your process and onboard new employees in a breeze.
After weeks or months of going through a barrage of applications, you’ve finally selected the ideal candidate who ticks all the boxes on your list. But before you breathe a sigh of relief and get back to your business, it’s time to prepare for the next important phase — employee onboarding.
Employee onboarding is a long yet crucial process that can make or break a new hire’s experience in the company. If you get it right, they’ll settle in quickly and become a valuable addition to your team. If you get it wrong, they’ll leave your organization in a few months because of frustration and lack of information.
Unfortunately, not many hiring managers get onboarding right. They might forget a few steps along the way, leading to low employee engagement, low morale and a lack of trust in the company. This is where an onboarding checklist comes into the picture. In this blog post, we’ll discuss what an onboarding checklist is and what steps it includes. Plus, we’ll look into the 10 diverse, high-quality onboarding checklist templates to help you streamline the onboarding process.
Here’s a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit onboarding checklist templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:
An onboarding checklist is a comprehensive list of steps to guide new employees through their first days at the organization. It is a way for hiring managers to ensure that each task of the new hire onboarding process is organized and on schedule.
Successfully welcoming new employees and preparing them for the new role is not an easy task. From getting all the paperwork right to communicating the job expectations, it’s common to miss a few things in the process. But as the infographic below shows, it’s crucial for new hire retention and maintaining productivity.
A well-prepared onboarding checklist can help to ensure that each task is completed on time. It provides the starting point for steps specific to the job role and helps your new teammates get started as soon as you welcome them to the company.
However, completing all the tasks in the onboarding checklist doesn’t mean successful onboarding. Each checklist should be created with your company’s culture, employees’ needs and various unplanned moments in mind.
The items to be included in the new hire onboarding checklist depend on the company’s culture and employees’ expectations. But there are a few items that every onboarding agenda for new hires should have regardless.
1. Send a welcome email: The first few days or even weeks can be overwhelming for the new employees. From filling out the paperwork to meeting team members, there’s a lot to be done. So, before their first day in the company, send them a welcome email on behalf of the company’s founder or HR manager.
Your new member onboarding checklist should contain the first-day schedule, working hours, dress code and calendar invites to onboarding sessions, introductory meetings and more. Also, don’t forget to personalize it for each candidate. The goal is to ease their first-day jitters and make them feel appreciated and a part of your team.
2. Notify your team: Don't assume that your existing employees know about the new hire. For a warm welcome, share details about the new employee with your team members, such as name, photo, job role, work experience, background, education and skill set via Slack or email. Also, encourage your team to introduce themselves and share what they do at the organization.
3. Office tour: Take your new hires on a guided tour around the office on their first day and introduce them to their co-workers. Show them all the important areas and facilities, such as the bathroom, meeting room, kitchen, fitness center and canteen. Furthermore, take them to their desk and give them a swag bag filled with branded notebooks, water bottles, pens, t-shirts, or a mug. The goal is to familiarize the new employees with the work environment so they feel enthusiastic about coming to the office daily.
4. Complete the paperwork: Paperwork might be boring but it’s an important part of the onboarding process. So, once you assign the new employees a desk, provide them with the necessary documentation related to pay, benefits, taxes and more. These documents should be prepared by the HR team and signed by the new hire. In the case of a remote employee, email them all the documents and help them complete the forms if required.
5. Account signups: This is the perfect time for the new employees to sign up for all the important digital tools your company uses. These may include HR, training, email, project management software, communication and many more, depending on their job role. To make it easier for candidates, create a checklist of all the accounts along with their usernames and passwords. This will save time on the first day they would otherwise spend fumbling with passwords.
6. Assign training materials: Joining a new organization is challenging, even for experienced employees. It can take days or even weeks to get familiar with all the workflows and processes required to complete their tasks. So, provide them with onboarding templates, helpful resources and guides in advance to make their transition smoother right from the first day. Also, give them access to your employee handbook and internal knowledge base, if you have one.
This company culture guide template is a great example of the kind of material you should share with your new employee.
