What Is an Employee Onboarding Checklist?
The human resource department will create an employee onboarding checklist to prepare new hires for their new position. The goal of an onboarding process is to communicate the company’s culture, history, and mission. An HR managers will also go through job expectations and provide basic training.
HR also uses a new employee onboarding checklist to document the onboarding process, as it is legally necessary to have records of an employee’s W-4 and I-9 forms.
This article provides a brief explanation:
1. What to include in an employee onboarding checklist
2. A mobile solution for new hire documents
What Belongs in a Successful Employee Onboarding Checklist?
An effective employee onboarding checklist template must ensure that the onboarding process includes everything new employees will need for their daily work. A successfully planned onboarding process consists of 3 phases: (1) Preparation, (2) the first day on the job, and (3) continued onboarding. With a checklist, you can cover each of these phases seamlessly.
1. The Preparation
The onboarding of new employees starts long before the first day of work. In the preparation phase (preboarding), you need to take care of all preparations before the new employee starts working for you. It’s all about taking care of formalities, preparing the workplace, and working out the induction plan. This preparation part of your new employee onboarding checklist should include the following items:
- Arrange Formalities
- Is the employment contract signed by both parties?
- Has the HR department received all necessary documents and information? (ex. income tax card, bank details, health insurance information)
- Which documents still need to be submitted or brought on the first working day?
- Maintain Contact
- Has the person received all the important information about the first day of work?
- Is there additional onboarding material, such as the employee handbook, that is available to give to the new employee?
- Is there a dress code that the new employee be made aware of?
- Are there any relevant events or appointments to which you can already invite the new employee?
- Can the company help with the housing search if the employee is relocating?
- Prepare the Workplace
- Will the new employees have easy access to the workplace? (Keys, access cards, badges)
- Where will the new colleague sit?
- Is a computer available and set up?
- Does the employee have their own company email address?
- Have you applied for other system access codes the employee might need? You might have to purchase additional licenses for certain programs.
- Are screen, chair, mouse, keyboard, and office supplies (pens, notepads, etc.) available?
- If necessary, is the company telephone, car, and business cards available or ordered?
- Has a welcome gift been procured?
- Develop an Onboarding Plan
- Which tasks should the new employee get trained in and take over first?
- Does the new employee need internal or external training?
- Who from the team will provide the relevant knowledge?
- Which colleagues from their own or other departments, as well as external partners, will the new employee work together with? When will he get to know them?
- When should the first feedback meeting take place?
- Inform Colleagues
- Is everyone informed about the new hire?
- Who will be his contact person?
- Are all colleagues informed about their role in the induction process?
2. The First Working Day
From the beginning, the company should make a good impression. The new employee should feel comfortable in their new workplace. Therefore, the following six points should be observed:
- Welcome
- Conversation With Supervisors
- Personal questions to get to know the new hire better
- Mutual expectations
- Procedure for onboarding
- Current issues affecting the company and department
- Vision, mission, values, and company culture
- Focus of work
- Questions from the new employee
- Round of Introductions and Tour of the Company
- Familiarization With the New Workplace
- Giving the welcome gift
- Introduction to the IT systems (e.g. laptop/PC, telephone, important programs)
- Explanation of internal procedures (ex. working hours, break regulations, application for vacation, company policies, and procedures in case of illness)
- Explanation of safety regulations (escape routes, fire extinguishers, and what to do in the event of a fire)
- Transfer of keys, access card, company car, telephone, business cards
- Lunch and Breaks
- Final Meeting
- What is the first impression?
- Did the company meet your expectations?
- Are there any unresolved issues?
Employee onboarding should start on time on the first day. It is important that the employee responsible for onboarding the new hire has time to do the role properly, such as presenting them for greetings and introductions with the rest of the team. The new employee must not fall to the wayside amidst everyday mental stress in the workplace. In any case, HR should determine who will pick the new employee up from reception and who will take over introductions.
The team supervisor should do the first official greeting, so the new employee feels immediately valued. In an initial conversation, the following you can discuss the following:
At the very least, you should introduce the new hire to his direct colleagues on his first working day. You can follow this up with a company tour, so he knows where everything is located and can better orient himself.
Most new employees are eager to get started, but the following still need to be covered before the new hire can begin work in earnest:
On the first day and throughout the first week, new co-workers should be actively integrated into the team. Lunches and breaks together are ideal for getting to know each other.
At the end of the first working day, the supervisor should once again seek conversation with the newcomer. The following questions can be clarified:
Now, you can discuss the onboarding plan for the coming days and weeks if you have not already done so.
3. Further Familiarization
Employee onboarding is not completed after the first working day comes to a close. The familiarization phase extends over the entire probationary period. Therefore, you can include an elaborated onboarding plan in the checklist along with a detailed schedule. Don’t miss the following points in your checklist:
- Take Over Tasks and Responsibilities
- Attend Introductory Events
- Encourage Team Building
- Setting Goals
- Conduct Feedback Sessions
Step by step, the new employee assumes all duties and responsibilities for their position.
In larger companies, it is worthwhile to organize introductory events for new employees so they can get to know the different departments and teams better.
A new addition usually changes the team dynamic. In order for the team to emerge stronger from the period of change, various team-building measures (team coaching, indoor or outdoor activities) can be scheduled.
Agreeing on work goals helps both parties set expectations for the new hire’s work.
To avoid unpleasant surprises for both parties at the end of the probationary period, regular feedback talks should be held.
A Mobile Solution for the New Employee Onboarding Checklist
A good onboarding process promotes employee engagement, cooperation, and retention. As the company grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain a high-quality level of onboarding. The use of a Lumiform digital employee onboarding checklist helps in this situation.
With Lumiform’s mobile app, you can perform onboarding processes easily via tablet or smartphone – online or offline. Use the desktop software to create a new hire checklist and later analyze the collected data. This allows you to optimize the orientation process and create a consistent, high-quality onboarding experience. Digitize your internal employee onboarding checklists with Lumiform:
- The flexible form construction kit helps you convert any paper list into digital checklists within minutes.
- Generate real-time data via internal processes. This makes quality and security measurable, and you can use the data to continuously optimize processes.
- Reports are created automatically – this saves you from having to create them yourself.
- Increase the efficiency of your internal processes: By communicating more efficiently with the team and management and by reporting difficulties more quickly, you can solve problems up to 4 times faster than before.
- Save time by easily analyzing all the data from the new employee onboarding checklist and quickly identifying areas that need your attention.
