Employee Onboarding Checklist

Every task before, on and after a new hire's first day, including the ones people miss.

A real, editable checklist below — tick, tap a line to rewrite, drag to reorder.

  • Employee Onboarding Checklist
  • Get signed job acceptance
  • Collect Form I-9 and W-4
  • Collect bank account details
  • Get direct deposit forms
  • Ask about drug test record
  • Send welcome email
  • Email team about new hire
  • Send handbook before day one
  • Explain policies and benefits
  • Ship remote equipment early
  • Set up workstation
  • Create accounts and logins
  • Assign a buddy or mentor
  • Arrange an IT buddy
  • Greet them in person
  • Introduce team and leaders
  • Tour the office
  • Hand over keys, door codes
  • Cover PTO, hours, breaks
  • Get handbook acknowledgment signed
  • Run general training
  • Start job-specific training
  • Leave time for questions
  • Hold first-week check-in
  • Hold first-month check-in
  • Ask for onboarding feedback
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Select Software Reviews warns that setting up a new salary account may take multiple visits to a bank, so collect bank details early. Factorial lists telling the existing team about the new hire before the start date. Both are on this list. It starts with paperwork and ends at the first-month check-in. It assumes a US employer, because the I-9 and W-4 are US forms. Offboarding is not covered. Neither is onboarding built for deskless workers.

Why these items are on the list

  1. Get signed job acceptance. Factorial says to put the position, work conditions, hours and compensation in it.
  2. Collect Form I-9 and W-4. Select Software Reviews calls these the two key US government forms. Rules differ by place.
  3. Collect bank account details. Select Software Reviews warns that a salary account may take several visits to the bank.
  4. Get direct deposit forms. Factorial's checklist counts these among the onboarding documents.
  5. Ask about drug test record. Select Software Reviews: do this only if your company has a drug testing policy.
  6. Send welcome email. Select Software Reviews lists start date and time, directions, schedule, what to bring and a contact person.
  7. Email team about new hire. Select Software Reviews and Factorial both say to share their background, team and start date beforehand.
  8. Send handbook before day one. Factorial says the first days are chaotic, so reading the handbook early helps.
  9. Explain policies and benefits. Factorial names remote policies, stipends, health care and other benefits.
  10. Ship remote equipment early. Select Software Reviews says to send it to their address well in advance.
  11. Set up workstation. Select Software Reviews lists desktop, phone, ID, keys and business cards.
  12. Create accounts and logins. Select Software Reviews lists email, mailing lists, calendars, collaboration tools and project tools.
  13. Assign a buddy or mentor. Select Software Reviews and Factorial both recommend this.
  14. Arrange an IT buddy. Teachfloor says this person helps with email settings, VPNs and internal databases.
  15. Greet them in person. Teachfloor says a missed greeting can leave a new hire feeling forgotten.
  16. Introduce team and leaders. Select Software Reviews: managers, the CEO and other leaders explain the mission and culture.
  17. Tour the office. Factorial lists the kitchen, break rooms, restrooms, desks, meeting rooms and parking.
  18. Hand over keys, door codes. Factorial puts keys and door codes on the first-day list.
  19. Cover PTO, hours, breaks. Factorial includes these policies in the first-day session.
  20. Get handbook acknowledgment signed. Select Software Reviews says to have them sign after they receive it.
  21. Run general training. Select Software Reviews lists culture, processes, expectations and their role.
  22. Start job-specific training. Select Software Reviews says tools and workflows differ by team.
  23. Leave time for questions. Teachfloor says to block this time at the end of the session.
  24. Hold first-week check-in. Factorial and Select Software Reviews both place one after the first week.
  25. Hold first-month check-in. Select Software Reviews calls the first-month milestone significant.
  26. Ask for onboarding feedback. Factorial suggests a new hire survey and tracking satisfaction scores.

HR, the manager and IT each own their own part, and you can edit the list for remote or in-office hires. Everyone ticks from their own phone, and the shared list shows what is still open before day one.

When to use it

Start as soon as the offer is accepted, ideally a week or two before the start date.

Sources

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