Free for 7 days
No credit card needed
Cancel any time
Onboarding is a process we’ve iterated a lot at Charlie – and no matter how many times we do it, I find there’s always room for improvement.
Regardless of the adjustments we make, onboarding checklists are an item I would never remove from the process, as they help me steer clear of easy mistakes such as forgetting to sign a document.
If you don’t have time to read our guide now, simply download our onboarding checklist templates below.
An employee onboarding checklist is a document that you can tick off as you onboard new team members. It can help you ensure you stay compliant and don’t miss any crucial aspect of onboarding, no matter how small it is.
One thing to be said is that there’s no “right” onboarding checklist. All companies are different processes and will use a multitude of methods to onboard team members.
However, when it comes to onboarding processes in the UK, there are a lot of similarities and that’s why we thought sharing our own checklists could be useful.
As someone who onboards people regularly at CharlieHR, these are the seven onboarding checklists I use and share with managers and employees:
Of course, these are a lot of checklists and you don’t want to overload yourself with too many processes, but it’s important that you also don’t forget what an employee onboarding process includes.
To save myself the time and effort, I add them directly in Charlie. That way I don’t lose track of anyone’s progress, and I can simply re-use templates for each team member I onboard.
Maybe get a free trial with Charlie to find out more about this feature.
It may look pretty simple, but having an employee onboarding checklist will be the first step to the standardisation of your processes across the business.
By having this process in place, you can ensure everyone is able to pick up onboarding and go through the checklist. It comes in handy in a startup or small business where many people have to play the HR role at some point.
By covering all areas on your checklist, you’ll get the guarantee that your new hire is in good hands.
This is the first reason why you should think about getting an onboarding checklist. It’s a great way to structure your processes and helps everyone in the company have a clear understand of what they need to do and when.
Wherever you’re based, it’s essential that you follow the government directives when it comes to hiring people at your company. You will need passports, and sometimes visas to ensure they can work for you and avoid any legal issues. All of this can be combined in your onboarding checklist for due diligence.
If you want to build up on your HR processes, onboarding checklists are probably the right place to start – by giving your new hire tasks on that checklist, you’ll also make sure they don’t overlook any aspects of the readings they have to do as well as their role and responsibilities.
This may seem like a trivial aspect of onboarding, but your checklist should ensure you double check what your new hire needs and already has – computer, keyword, second screen, access to software, etc.
Another piece of advice? Don’t leave your new hire all by themselves and make sure they get introduced to as many people as possible in your company. Stakeholders for specific areas may be the most important if you have a lot of employees, but you and your team members should make a conscious effort to at least say hello and welcome to foster a warm environment.
Having a well-structured onboarding process - including a checklist - will be a great way to make your new hire is set for success right from the start. Following the steps outlined on your onboarding checklist, they’ll be able to be up and running in no time and have more chance to meet expectations after their first week. It will also reduce the uncertainty and lower the stress they may have at the beginning of a new job with a clear roadmap ahead of them.
It’s been proven many times that having a clear and efficient onboarding process will give your employee more of a reason to stay in the long run. After all, a first impression is one that lasts, so it makes sense that people will have a hard time forgetting a bad experience. When your team members feel supported, informed and welcomed, they’re more likely to stay engaged with their work.
To follow this up, it’s important to remember that an onboarding process is the first port of entry for your employee into the company.
It will be the only way to set up your new hire to success and ensure they have all the tools and knowledge in hand to start working efficiently.
Here are the goals an employee onboarding process should achieve:
For additional resources on employee onboarding, you can also have a look at our guides below:
The onboarding plan starts way before your new hire’s start date and directly after they’ve accepted the job offer.
The quicker you are to process all their information and get all the onboarding tasks ready, the more confident they’ll feel about joining your business and starting their new job.
Task
Responsibility
Due date
Completed
Send employment contract
HR/Ops
Sign employment contract
New hire
Set up email address, add to distribution lists and add to company calendars
IT
Open accounts (Slack and other software)
IT
Order laptop
HR/Ops
Order office access and fob
HR/Ops
Inform payroll of new hire
HR/Ops
Email first-day agenda
Manager
Invite to company meetings
Manager
Book introduction meetings with key people in the business
Manager
Send welcome email/letter a few days before they start with instructions for first day
Manager
You can also choose to download a Google Doc version of this checklist to make it your own, convert it into PDF or download it under whatever format you feel is the right one. Simply click the link below.
Of course, getting an employee onboarding checklist template is important, but you won’t be the only person involved in the process.
Perhaps that’s where automation can come in to help. With onboarding software like CharlieHR, you can create checklists from scratch, assign them to coworkers and set a due date – they get automatic reminders so there’s never a need to chase.
Maybe have a look for yourself and start a free trial today.
First days can be nerve-wracking – both for you and your new hire. That’s why getting that day right is important to make a good first impression.
To ensure your new team member feels confident in their new role, you‘ll be responsible to give them an onboarding experience that’s as smooth as possible.
Task
Responsibility
Due date
Completed
Complete employee details in HR software and add bank details
New hire
Get New starter checklist and P45 and set them as PAYE with HRMC
HR/Ops
Right to Work Checks
HR/Ops
Send and sign relevant forms depending on company policies
HR/Ops + New hire
Ensure new hire is set up with access to all relevant software
Manager
Book a welcome coffee – online if you’re doing remote onboarding
Manager
Book welcome lunch
Manager
Give an office tour and book an induction
Manager
Show how to book time off and send requests through HR system
HR/Ops + New hire
Read employee handbook
New hire
Set a one-to-one for end of week
Manager
Share goals for the rest of the week
Manager
The first week will come sooner than you think, so it’s best to be ready with a checklist to go through all the essentials.
Task
Responsibility
Due date
Completed
Put together and share a job specification with responsibilities
Manager
Go through job specs and see if new hire has any questions
Manager
Set a manageable number of goals around onboarding for the new hire
Manager
Organise check ins at the end of each day
Manager
Discuss performance and goals for the next three months until the end of probation
Manager
Go through company values and culture goals
HR/Ops
Ensure they’ve read your employee handbook and share any documentation related to processes
HR/Ops
Assign an onboarding buddy
HR/Ops
Show how to book time off and send requests through HR system
HR/Ops
Give access to benefits platform and budgets
HR/Ops
Your new hire’s first three months is where you should get them to settle in their role and first show what they’re capable of to make it to the end of probation. Better to have a roadmap in the form of an onboarding checklist to do so.
Task
Responsibility
Due date
Completed
Set clear expectations as to what’s expected at the end of probation
Manager
Set a date for an end of probation meeting
Manager
Schedule regular check ups regarding new hire’s performance
HR/Ops
Assess if the new hire is a culture fit and a good communicator
HR/Ops
Give regular feedback on how they’re doing and where they could improve by scheduling catchups
Manager
Provide support and advice in areas where it’s needed
Manager
Collect feedback from other team members on the quality of their work and their soft skills
Manager
Organise a few team events to make the new hire feel part of the team
Manager
You’ve made it to the end of the onboarding with the final – the end of probation. So what do you need to do if your new hire has successfully passed? And what if they haven’t? Let’s have a look.
Task
Responsibility
Due date
Completed
Get together your notes about the new hire to confirm with them they’ve passed probation in your meeting
Manager
Gather the key areas where they should focus their development and start creating a progression plan
Manager
Collect feedback from other people to share it with the new hire
Manager
Invite new hire to share feedback during the meeting
Manager
Send a confirmation that they’ve successfully pass probation
HR/Ops
Collect feedback about their onboarding
HR/Ops
Announce the decision to your team
Manager
Give access to anything that was not accessible before probation (benefits, etc)
HR/Ops
Task
Responsibility
Due date
Completed
Prepare a concrete explanation with evidence and examples as to why they’re not passing probation
Manager
Follow an offboarding checklist to make sure you don’t forget any items
Manager/HR/Ops
Send a confirmation that they’ve not passed probation and that their contract is terminating
HR/Ops
Announce the decision to the wider team
Manager
Onboarding someone means having tons of documents on hand – easy to forget some, even for people used to dealing with a lot of paperwork. To help in the process, you can use this handy list.
Task
Responsibility
Due date
Completed
Offer letter to the new hire
New hire
Employment contract
HR/Ops
Confidentiality agreements (if applicable)
HR/Ops
P45 or New starter checklist
HR/Ops + New hire
Employee details form (names, emergency contact, address, email address)
Manager
Right to Work checks
Manager
Visa’s (if applicable)
Manager
Health and Safety documents
Manager
Employee handbook
HR/Ops + New hire
Intranet or Notion page with all information related to company
New hire
Pension scheme enrollment
Manager
There are several onboarding steps you should follow and many reasons why you shouldn’t dive right into it without an idea of what the process looks like:
These are all great ways to make your onboarding as effective as possible for your business.
There’s no need for you to have a separate checklist for each of them – you can simply download the checklists included on this page, or you can also choose to take a free trial with CharlieHR and find out how to build a checklist directly in our software.
Charlie will allow you to directly assign tasks to your colleagues, as well link documents and software for streamlined workflows all in one place.
Perhaps you need to tailor the content of your onboarding checklist template, and you’re not sure whether the options we got above are suitable to your business.
To make your own onboarding checklist, you’ve got tons of solutions available:
Save yourself hours every week – and spend it building a happy, high-performing team instead
Free for 7 days
No credit card needed
Cancel any time
