Every phase of the onboarding process with a new employee is crucial, from pre-boarding preparations to the successful completion of their first year. A negative onboarding experience can lead to decreased employee morale, reduced productivity, and increased turnover.
Conversely, a positive onboarding experience fosters employee engagement, loyalty, and rapid adaptation to the company culture. To help you navigate this critical process, we ’ ve developed a comprehensive checklist with accompanying templates and resources. By following this checklist, you can ensure a smooth and successful onboarding experience for your new hires, setting them up for long-term success within the organization.
This resource pack provides you with a checklist, a number of templates and sample documents to use when onboarding your new hire 04
Hiring Manager Onboarding Activities Checklist
To ensure a smooth onboarding process, prioritize timely completion of all activities listed on the next few pages.
This onboarding checklist will help you identify and address potential obstacles, such as: unclear responsibilities, new-hire uncertainty, team workload, inadequate workspace, inconsistent cultural integration, and an overwhelming balance of onboarding tasks and work responsibilities.
Upon Acceptance of Offer/Pre-hire
Call your new hire to extend a warm welcome
Clearly review onboarding roles, responsibilities, and timelines for when each onboarding task should be completed
Prepare the new hire’s calendar and schedule including meet and greets with relevant team members, training sessions, and goals/deliverables for weeks 1-2
Verify availability of new hire’s team members for onboarding activities and schedule as needed.
Develop list of systems/network drives that the new hire will need access to and training (review systems list); Ensure this list is provided to IT as soon as possible and follow up with IT as needed to ensure set up.
In conjunction with office management, prepare in-office workspace and ensure all necessary resources are available to new hire
Send request to HQ Office Manager to order business cards, if applicable. The week prior to their start date, email (email template #2 provided or call) your new hire to give them a chance to ask questions about what to expect
Introduce the new hire and communicate the new hire’s start date to the rest of the team. (email template #1 provided)
Select a buddy and coordinate meetings and activities with the selected buddy
Schedule reoccurring weekly one on one meetings for the new hire’s first 90 days (adjust at the 90 day mark if needed).
First Week
Introduce the new hire to members of their immediate team
Provide tour of the office and their workspace i.e. the use of elevators (if applicable), common areas, printers, etc
Introduction to Federal: Organization, culture, mission, values, employee role and expectations
Continuously check-in to ensure the new hire has the basic tools and resources needed
Explain onboarding objectives and timeline.
Provide schedule of weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly meetings
Assign a mentor to continue development in specific areas.
Check in with the new employee daily (for the first week) to ensure they are OK and see if they have questions
First Month and Beyond
Identify stakeholders beyond the immediate team and help the new hire to start networking with them
Discuss with new hire how to prioritize and balance onboarding plan with work tasks.
Review onboarding plan to check whether timeline of activities is being followed or need to be readjusted
Establish goals with new hire, provide continuous feedback, elicit feedback from your new hire, continue regular check-ins
At 90 days, conduct a comprehensive performance review to assess the new hire’s overall progress and achievements.
Email Template #1: Introduce the New Hire to Team
The following template is designed to help you introduce a new direct report to the team.
Please note that this is only a suggested format.
As you make changes to personalize the email, please keep three things in mind:
It is with great excitement that I announce [new hire’s] future role with our team. As we continue our strong company growth, we’ve decided to expand our team with an additional, talented [insert role]. [He/She/They] will be responsible for [general overview of role], working closely with [insert team or employees] team. [provide a two to three sentence description highlighting the motives behind the transition along with a high-level summary of the new hire’s responsibilities and reporting relationship].
[To replace with the new hire’s name] comes to Federal from [former company name] where [he/she/they] [provide a two to three sentence description of the new hire’s relevant work history].
Outside of work, [new hire’s name] enjoys [provide a sentence description of the new hire’s hobbies or interests as relevant to the team].
[New hire’s] first day is [enter start date]. We are excited and very fortunate to have her [throughout the template, adapt according to the new hire’s selfidentified category of sex] join our team. Please join me in welcoming [New hire]. Reach out to invite [New hire] for coffee or lunch across the first few weeks. Don’t be shy to share your formal and informal knowledge regarding our organization. [Encourage employees to make the new hire feel welcome. Challenge employees to play a role in acclimating the new hire to the organization].
Sincerely,
Email Templa Welcome Let to New Hire
The following template is designed to help you establish a relationship with your new direct report(s).
Please note that this is only a suggested format.
As you make changes to personalize the letter, please keep three things in mind:
Let me personally welcome you to [Federal]! We’re very excited that you’ll be joining the team. With this letter, I’d like to take the opportunity to briefly tell you about myself, the team that you’ll be working with, and offer some thoughts on how I can help you gain a smooth onboarding experience.
I have worked at Federal for [#] years, and I’ve been a member of this department for [#]. Prior to my experience with Federal, I [provide a three to four sentence description of your work history and managerial experience].
This is an [exciting/challenging] time at Federal, and our team is working on a number of important projects and initiatives. Among these: [provide three to four sentences describing one of the team’s major projects/priorities].
As your new manager, I am very interested in your development and success at Federal. When it comes to your onboarding, you can trust that we’re not going to simply “hope” that things work out. Instead, we’ll establish a formal transition plan and ensure that it translates into reality. But, despite your talents, you won’t be able to succeed on your own—you’ll need to engage the network around you. To this end, I’ll work with you to:
A. Coordinate a smooth onboarding experience,
B. Establish a solid relationship with your key stakeholders,
C. Connect with peers who can help you navigate the new environment, and
D. Understand how I can best coach and guide you as you step into this role
I look forward to meeting with you and working with you. In advance of our first “official” meeting, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Guide to Assigning a Buddy
Any capable tenured employee from the same group/function/department can be chosen to play a “buddy” for the new hire
The buddy is an individual chosen to help the new hire settle in, adjust to Federal’s culture, build personal networks across the organization and answer job and nonjob-related questions and concerns.
Do’s
The buddy will be expected to:
Send an introductory letter/email to the new hire
Be present and welcome new hire along with manager
Help with team introductions
Address questions related to:
Support services
Intranet
Workspace/IT/Logistics
Office hours
The selected buddy can be a Peer Buddy or a Connector Buddy.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Process questions (e g , expenses, benefits, etc )
Support further network building
Don’ts
Criteria for Selection on Next Page.
The buddy is not expected to:
Replace the manager in supporting the new hire in their onboarding process
Brief the new hire on HR or finance policies
Encourage/engage in salary inquiries or similar discussions
Quality check new hire’s deliverables
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
Peer Buddy Connector Buddy
Works in same group/function/department
More than a year ’ s tenure with the firm
Same level in hierarchy as the new hire
Strong knowledge of “how things get done around here” (processes, systems, working styles)
Possesses patience, maturity, strong communication skills and spirit of generosity
Preferably has demonstrated skills in areas such as upward relationship management, active listening
Works in a different group/function/ department
More than a year ’ s tenure with the firm
Preferably has similar identifiable background or interest as the new hire (e.g., academic background)
Possesses patience, maturity, strong communication skills and spirit of generosity
Preferably has demonstrated skills in areas such as upward relationship management, active listening
Preferably has broad network across the organization
Preferably familiar with L&D offerings and knows how to approach L&D for support
Tips to Successfully Onboard Tips to Successfully Onboard Tips to Successfully a Remote Employee Remote a Remote Employee
Cheat sheet for tips to keep a remote new hire engaged during onboarding process
Build Relationships Create Visibility
Ensure your remote new hire feels integrated in their network
Use technology to facilitate networking, e g , video conferences and instant messaging
Discuss communications and flexible work preferences, e g , phone, IM, when to be home or in the office, online or offline
Pair them with a buddy or mentor from a different part of the business to expand their network beyond people they work with daily
Discuss with new hires the team norms and collaboration habits
Embed Culture
Ensure your remote new hire feels connected to the organization’s culture
Share the corporate values and highlight ways they can contribute through their work
Encourage participation in virtual events about the company culture, like the company ’ s social platform feed
Arrange a visit or rotation to the head or hub office
Ensure your remote new hire feels included in the professional life and work situations
Introduce your remote new hire in virtual meetings, especially larger department/business unit meetings, and give them an opportunity to speak or contribute
Create a role for your remote new hire that is essential to a meeting or event to encourage employees to draw them in consistently
Mitigate Risks
Ensure your remote new hire feels valued and supported
Periodically ask your new hires about the challenges connected to working remotely and brainstorm solutions
Discuss with your new hires after the first month on how they feel collaboration is being supported and discuss with the whole team to address potential issues
Create an onboarding task list based on feedback from new hires to improve future virtual onboarding
Guide to Helping New Hires Build Networks
Manager Plan Sheet
Instruction:
Using the guidance below, map your new hire’s network by filling in the matrix table on the next page with key stakeholders.
Then use the templates on the next two pages to gather more relevant details from each stakeholder to help new hires understand the importance of their relationship with each stakeholder and plan their network building activities aligned with their developmental needs.
Think about the role your new hire will play, and identify the stakeholders who:
Provide inputs to the new hire’s projects
Consume what the new hire produces
Partner with the new hire on key projects
Approve or (even unofficially) sign off on the new hire’s work
Demonstrates skills the new hire aspires to develop
Can bridge the experiences align with new hire’s career aspirations
Possesses the expertise to coach the new hire on individual development and career growth
Matrix Table
Fill in the table below with key stakeholder you identified. Share this matrix with your new hire along with a link to the org chart.
Local Colleagues Remote Colleagues Roles You Depend On Roles Depending on You
New Hire Performance Expectation Setting Guide
Within your new hire’s first 30 days, set up time with them and discuss the five key questions to make sure your new hire is clear about their performance expectations by the end of the conversation
Keep checking and reinforcing these expectations in your catchups with the new hire throughout their first 90 days
Clarifying New-Hire Role Expectations
How Our Team Contributes You Help Us Succeed How We Measure Your Performance Instructions: 1 2 3 4 5
Who We Are Why We Exist
The organization’s mission, vision, goals and strategy
The department’s vision and goals, as well as how our department contributes to organizational strategy
The role of the new hire’s team and how it helps achieve the department’s objectives and key results
The new hire’s role and how it helps achieve team goals
The new hire’s performance objectives and how the organization effectively measure role performance
New Hire Early Informal Review Checklist
Overview of an Early Informal Review
Instructions:
Managers should use this checklist to provide feedback on new-hire performance after they have been in role long enough, typically between one and three months from their first day-in-role.
What is an early informal review?
An early informal review is a scheduled, structured conversation between you and your new hire about their performance to date, including areas for improvement. It should not replace immediate feedback and course corrections that you give prior to the early informal review
The early informal review should synthesize feedback that you have already given your new hire in the context of the criteria for the upcoming formal review.
What is an early informal review?
An early informal review is a scheduled, structured conversation between you and your new hire about their performance to date, including areas for improvement. It should not replace immediate feedback and course corrections that you give prior to the early informal review The early informal review should synthesize feedback that you have already given your new hire in the context of the criteria for the upcoming formal review.
What is ideal timing for an early informal review?
Ideal timing for the informal review is at a point when you have had a chance to observe the new hire and can comment fairly on their performance, but early enough so that the new hire has a chance to take corrective action prior to their first formal review This is typically between the first and third months on the job.
Hiring Manager Checklist for an Early Informal Review
Systems Guide for Hiring Managers
Have I had enough time to observe the new hire’s performance (e g , do I have specific examples to support my points)?
Have I solicited input on the new hire’s performance from colleagues who work with them on a regular basis?
Have I set the new hire’s expectations about the early informal review and let them know the focus will be on preparing them for their formal review?
For the developmental areas I will be covering in the informal review, do I have specific, actionable advice on how the new hire can address these (e g , training or mentoring opportunities)?
Am I prepared to address whether the new hire’s behavior is commensurate with organizational values?
If I have significant concerns to address with the new hire, have I obtained guidance from my HR and/or recruiting partners?
Systems Guide for Hiring Manager
Intranet – All employees
Propidex – All employees have general access, self -directed training available
Xtender (FIDO) - Search leases, documents and contracts – all employees have general access
Deal Management – Legal Leasing, Leasing
Nexus – Only have an account if they are a part of the workflow for processing invoices, either a coder or an approver
Concur – Only if their position grants them an expense account
