September 12th, 2017 | Debbie Lamb, Sterling Talent Solutions

Essential Onboarding Checklist for Your New Hire’s First Day and Beyond

A new employee’s first day is more than just the beginning of their exciting journey with your organization – day one is the first experience of your company’s culture a new employee will have, so it should be fantastic. We all know first days on the job are overwhelming, what with new faces and names to memorize as well as learning the maze-like layout of the office space. So, everything that happens on an employee’s first day should reinforce the idea that someone is always around to help and that the company is thrilled to have them on the team.

Onboarding is a critical part of creating a great candidate experience for new employees. Sterling examines the successful components of onboarding a new hire from completing first-day paperwork to creating the candidate’s 30/60/90 Day Plan in the eBook HR’s Guide to Onboarding: From Decision to Day One and Beyond.

Having a good new hire onboarding experience in place can make a big impact on employee morale and retention. Most recruits will decide within the first six months if they want to stay with a company. If they are happy in their jobs, the first six months can be their most productive. More and more companies are creating formal onboarding programs with over 30% having programs that are longer than one month. To make sure that the first day and beyond is the best, we created The Essential Onboarding Checklist for Your New Hire as a handy guide to tips to make the first day memorable for the new employee.

Onboarding Checklist for Day One and Beyond

First-day onboarding should demonstrate loud and clear to new employees that the company is here to help them flourish. But, onboarding activities shouldn’t just be for the first day. The key to great employee engagement is to get them involved right away in meaningful tasks and projects. Managers should sit down with the new team member and create a 30/60/90 Day plan to set specific goals and how to meet these objectives. Having a plan will help new hires have a smoother transition to using company tools, understanding the company process and understanding their expectations.

  • First Day Must Haves: Create a warm welcome for the new employee on their first day by making sure there is someone from the team (or their direct manager) assigned to greet them, introduce them to other team members and give a tour of the company.
  • Provide the Right Tools: The tools that the new employee needs to be productive should be set in place before the first day. Work with IT to set up the desk, computer and receive network and voicemail passwords so that the new employee can sign-in on their first day of work.
  • Involve the entire team: Get the entire team involved in the new hire’s first day by having a welcome lunch, organize one-on-one meetings and schedule time with key leaders to get insight into the company’s goals.
  • Send benefits enrollment forms before day one: Most employee forms can be sent electronically and securely before the first day allowing the new hire time to review the paperwork and complete before they start. Send company handbooks and other specific information, automatic payroll forms, tax forms and Form I-9 to complete before the first day.

Gone are the days when a new hire’s first day consisted of being locked in a conference room filling out paperwork and watching orientation videos. Making a great first impression for the new employee will have lasting effects affecting both the employee as well as the employer’s brand, future recruitment efforts and the bottom line.  Avoid last minute mix-ups and set the stage for success with Sterling’ Day One and Beyond Onboarding Checklist.

Download the Essential Onboarding Checklist

Sterling is not a law firm. This publication is for informational purposes only and nothing contained in it should be construed as legal advice. We expressly disclaim any warranty or responsibility for damages arising out this information. We encourage you to consult with legal counsel regarding your specific needs. We do not undertake any duty to update previously posted materials.