10 Important Elements to Building Your Employee Onboarding Checklist

A good employee onboarding checklist will cement a strong foundation in your company from the get-go. Check out these 10 checklist items to set them up for long term, lasting success.

Why is Implementing a Good Onboarding Checklist Important?

The employee onboarding process plays a huge role in establishing a system of efficiency, engagement, and satisfaction.

Don’t believe us? Studies have shown that a well developed onboarding process can optimize employee retention by over 86% and productivity by over 70%!¹

Implementing a well structured employee onboarding checklist gives the impression that your company is organized, professional, and cares for each and every hire.

1. Introduce Your Employee to HR to Confirm Details (Again)

Form a line of communication between your new hire and HR– whether it be email, phone, or both.

Onboarding can be overwhelming for employees. Initiating dialogue between them and HR will give them a point of contact to refer back to, whenever they need it. More importantly, your new employee can iron out any details or questions around training, compensation, hours, etc. It is critical to set a strong foundation and establish proper communication channels.

2. Have Employee Onboarding Forms and Paperwork Ready

Do your employees a favor, and keep all of your required onboarding paperwork organized (such as tax forms, contracts, payroll forms, or an employee handbook). Prior to a new hire’s day on the job, send over the required paperwork as soon as you can. They’ll appreciate it.

As a result, they can get these tasks out of the way and clarify possible issues early on without it becoming added work during their first few days.

3. Prepare Them for the First Day

Ease any first day jitters by making the employee feel well prepped for their first day at work. Send a welcome email and build a physical packet if possible that gives an outline of expectations.

Things to include are a first week work schedule, workspace location, park information, items to bring, dress code, and a point of contact for questions. Set them up with any accounts to make sure they have all the tools they need.

Trust us, you don’t want the “what’s my username/password?” conversation on repeat for the first week.

4. Give a Warm Welcome

To make sure everyone is on the same page, introduce your new hire to the rest of the team. This can be done in your team huddle or a special all-hands coffee. For many organizations, the weekly Zoom call is the best option.

Make them feel extra welcome by setting up their desk/work space with welcome gifts, like a company branded mug, t-shirt, or pen. Maybe throw in some candy if you’re feeling generous.

To help with comfortability, take them out with the rest of the team to coffee or lunch. They’ll love feeling part of the big kids.

5. Assign Them to a Peer Coach

Assign a friendly peer accustomed to the environment connect with them. They should show the new hire around their workplace, how to use work equipment, and other housekeeping items.

Moreover, this will become someone they can easily ask questions to or go over any initial tasks.

6. Have a Well Structured Training System

Insufficient training leads to a weak foundation for employees. While you are training your new hire, make sure the experience feels organized, concise, and clear to them. Accomplish this by having an organized training system that uses various learning materials, like videos, quizzes, pictures, etc.

OneTeam360 is an excellent employee training and compliance platform that implements all of these functions to make sure employees have a strong start.

7. Schedule Frequent Check-ins

New hires need (more than a little bit) of hand holding. Set a schedule to touch base with your new employee everyday for the first week, and then at the 30, 60, and 90 day checkpoints.

These meetings should be prioritized for honing in on feedback and concerns from both sides.

8. Utilize a Feedback System

As new employees navigate a job, infrequent guidance and feedback can be an issue. Having recognition will help them figure out their strengths and what practices are best to continue.

OneTeam360 uses a detailed view of their employees’ performance to do this. Additionally, managers send employees personalized messages, ratings, and feedback to encourage good work.

9. Have Incentives

The start of a job is when employees are the most observant and excited. Utilize the momentum of a new hire to propel them even further. A common issue we frequently see within the workplace is an unclear promotion plan. Have some sort of performance review system that clearly defines what constitutes advancement within the company.

OneTeam360 uses a level-up system that outlines exactly what you can do to advance within a company.

10. Use a Performance Management System That Keeps Them Engaged

While the first nine checklist items are great for setting employees off to a good start, it is important to establish a well structured system that can guide not only new hires, but all of your employees in the long term. Engagement using a performance management system keeps you on top of all aspects of employee health including frequent feedback, risk mitigation including certifications, training, and other performance goals.

A good HR performance management system automatically builds a great team culture, incentivizes employee behavior that aligns with core values, and motivates your team to be and perform at their best. OneTeam360 displays these performance health metrics on a dashboard that is easily accessible to both the employer and the employee.

Establish a lasting line of communication that allows both the employer’s and the employee’s work to function seamlessly while maintaining a strong, healthy relationship.

Reap The Benefits of a Well Rooted Employee

The onboarding of new hires can be a lot of pressure for both employers and employees. Therefore, it is important to have the right plans, systems, and tools in place (like a strong employee onboarding checklist). By utilizing these correctly, you will be able to form a strong connection to new hires, resulting in better employee performance and productivity.

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¹ https://b2b-assets.glassdoor.com/the-true-cost-of-a-bad-hire.pdf