Employee onboarding may seem like a straightforward process: a bit of paperwork to fill out, a workplace orientation, and some on-the-job training. It can be tempting to make it up as you go along, especially if you don’t have to onboard new hires often.
But by using an employee onboarding checklist, you can ensure that every new hire gets the same experience and that you make a great first impression. Here’s how to create your own onboarding checklist template, and how to use HR automation to welcome new team members to your workplace.
An onboarding checklist is a to-do list that contains all of the tasks a new hire needs to complete as they start their new job. This includes administrative tasks like filling out onboarding documents, as well as in-person activities like a new hire orientation.
The onboarding experience can be an individualized process, or you may be welcoming multiple new team members to your workplace at once. In addition to practical concerns like a tour of the workspace, the employee onboarding process is a great opportunity to show off your company culture and foster a collaborative atmosphere.
Here are three things to keep in mind when creating an onboarding checklist:
A new hire onboarding checklist isn’t just for the employee: It’s about keeping everyone involved in the process on the same page. This might include the hiring manager, your human resources team, and even an onboarding buddy or mentor.
Make sure everyone involved in the onboarding program gets a copy so you can work together to acclimate your employee to their new role.
While your new hire’s first day is important, a successful onboarding process starts early and continues beyond the first day — or even the first week. Send out a welcome email to make a good first impression, and schedule one-on-one check-ins for the first three months to improve acculturation and increase employee retention.
Your onboarding checklist doesn’t have to be a printed document. In fact, it’s better to use a digital checklist that employees can access from their mobile devices. Consider using new employee onboarding automation to standardize the process and deliver onboarding documents and training materials virtually.
This is especially useful if you’re onboarding remote employees who won’t be able to visit your workspace in person.
The exact details of your onboarding process will depend on factors like the size of your team, the complexity of the job description, and the structure of your work environment. That’s why it’s important to keep your onboarding process consistent, but flexible.
Make sure your onboarding checklist includes these seven key components:
Sending out a welcome email should be the thing on your onboarding checklist. This is a great opportunity to let your new hire know what to expect from Day One.
Describe your onboarding plan, including any important dates or activities, such as:
When you automate the onboarding process with Pulpstream, you can send a series of emails out automatically as soon as an employee accepts a job offer.
Next, ask your new hire to read the employee handbook and familiarize themselves with your company policies. This should include things like your:
Depending on the size of your company, you could send along an organizational chart so they know who’s who and where they fit into your organization.
Every onboarding process will include standard onboarding tasks like enrolling in your employee benefits program and setting up direct deposit. Although filling out forms can be tedious, it’s important to get them out of the way before the employee’s first day on the job. Your new employee onboarding checklist may include:
With Pulpstream, you can generate documents automatically and pre-fill them with any information you already have, like an employee’s name and address. Digital forms are easier to fill out and employees can sign and date them electronically.
Later, they can log in via a self-service portal if they want to update their information without having to call your human resources department.
Now, it’s time to get your new hire set up with access to the hardware and software you use to run your business, such as company laptops and cloud-based software. Your IT onboarding checklist may include setting up the following user accounts:
This can be tedious if you have multiple accounts to administer, and if you want to follow strict security protocols to avoid ITIL incidents. With Pulpstream, you can generate new user accounts automatically, and set passwords that meet your security standards.
Even if your new employee has already been to your workplace, it was likely during the recruiting process and under very different circumstances. It’s important to give them a site tour and introduce them to their colleagues before they start their new job.
Your tour should include an overview of all the locations they might use, such as:
If your workspace is especially large, consider providing a map (printed or digital). Have other items ready, such as an ID card, access badge/lanyard, and company swag.
The traditional onboarding process is known for its dry training videos and outdated skill assessments — but you can deliver a more effective onboarding experience by making use of personalized tutorials and online training modules. These might include:
With online training, employees can move through the process at their own pace, and you can track their progress and see if they need any special attention. Plus, you can use the same software for upskilling or reskilling later on.
At a very minimum, your onboarding checklist should help employees feel comfortable in their new role. But by extending the onboarding process into the first month or even year, you can help them settle in and feel even more like part of the team.
Consider using this schedule for an onboarding follow-up:
Following up with new hires and checking in about their job satisfaction is an essential part of employee relations and helps to reduce turnover at your organization.
The onboarding process is a multi-step plan designed to ease your new hire into their new role — not overwhelm them with tedious paperwork and training videos. By using an onboarding checklist, you can make sure the most important onboarding tasks get completed so your new employee can focus on doing what they do best.
Pulpstream is an HR automation platform that can streamline the recruiting, hiring, and onboarding process with our easy-to-use cloud-based interface. Generate documents automatically, deliver training materials, and send out email notifications to welcome new employees and prepare them for their first day on the job.
Request a demo today to see Pulpstream in action for yourself!