Onboarding Checklist

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What an onboarding checklist is and its purpose

An onboarding checklist sets out the steps an organisation follows when a new employee joins — from preparing their workspace and accounts before day one, to introductions, paperwork, training and early check-ins. It turns a hiring decision into a consistent, repeatable welcome.

Its purpose is to give the new starter a clear, supported start while making sure the employer meets its obligations. For the employee it removes guesswork; for the employer it protects consistency, compliance and a good first impression across every hire.

When an onboarding checklist is used

• Before a new employee starts, to prepare equipment, access and paperwork in advance.
• On the first day, to guide introductions, a workplace tour and initial setup.
• Through the first week, to schedule training and essential briefings.
• Across the first weeks or months, to track probation milestones and early reviews.
• When onboarding remote or hybrid joiners who need accounts and kit shipped ahead of time.
• When transferring or promoting an internal employee into a new team or location.

Elements a well-formed onboarding checklist includes

• The new employee’s name, role, start date and reporting line.
• Pre-start tasks such as workspace setup, system accounts and security access.
• Required documents to collect, including right-to-work and identity checks where applicable.
• A welcome plan: introductions, a buddy or mentor, and a workplace tour.
• Essential briefings on health and safety, policies and emergency procedures.
• Role-specific training and the tools or systems the person will use.
• Scheduled check-ins and the date of the first probation or settling-in review.
• Sign-off fields showing who completed each step and when.

Common mistakes

• Leaving everything to the first day instead of preparing access and equipment in advance.
• Treating onboarding as a single day rather than an ongoing process.
• Forgetting to collect or verify required documents and consents.
• Overloading the new starter with information all at once.
• Skipping a clear point of contact, so questions go unanswered.
• Never closing the loop with a check-in to confirm the person has settled in.

Best practices

• Start before day one so the new employee feels expected and prepared.
• Assign a named owner and a buddy or mentor for the first weeks.
• Space tasks across days and weeks so learning is manageable.
• Keep a single, shared version and export it as a PDF so the new hire and manager can both refer to the same checklist.
• Build in early check-ins to surface problems while they are easy to fix.
• Review and update the checklist after each intake so it keeps improving.