The Team Onboarding Checklist

The Team Onboarding Checklist is a practical guide to ensure that new hires become connected and are successful in their new job. Because our @Work Experience Survey found that nearly 50% of women “don’t know what to do to be successful” we focused our research on understanding the new hire experience. This Team Onboarding Checklist is based on research with managers and new hires working in a wide variety of companies. Armed with what works and doesn’t for new hires, we created the Team Onboarding Checklist to help managers plan for new hire success.

Download the full Checklist for planning and The Quick Reference Guide at the end of the page

The Team Onboarding Checklist guides managers to plan the best way to integrate a new hire into their team. Few managers are trained in how to onboard or how to manage a new hire’s social, emotional, and professional growth. Managers are busy, often expected to work as well as manage, onboard multiple people at once, or simply manage many people. This checklist can help and can easily be integrated with other onboarding requirements.

Structure of the Checklist

The Team Onboarding Checklist helps focus managers on what to do during each of four key time segments for onboarding. Activities suggested within each time segment reflect our research about what new hires need at different points in the first 4-6 months of work. These activities are broken into eight building blocks. Four building blocks plan for Connection – helping the new hire build relationships with people that matter for success.

The person responsible for planning and overseeing the onboarding experience, the first line of connection critical to success particularly early in one’s career.

The set of people who will partner with and guide the new hire. The Work Buddy partners to do the work. The IT Buddy helps get the right tools and technology working. The Experienced Buddy gives perspective, feedback, and helps with hard work. The Company Buddy helps to understand how to be a worker at this company. 

The people who will work directly with the new hire, in and outside of the formal team; the source of value and knowledge.

The social connections, collaborators, influencers and stakeholders within the company; critical for career development.

Four building blocks plan for new hire Success – helping the new hire gain the knowledge and skill needed for successful work.

The people who will work directly with the new hire, in and outside of the formal team; the source of value and knowledge.

The team’s way of working and socializing, rules of engagements, habits and expectations beyond corporate policy

Clear communication of the value of the role. Clear role expectations, responsibilities, practices, and typical collaborators.

The project or work the new hire is assigned to with clear expectations of deliverables, timeframe, and success criteria.

Use of the Checklist

To use the checklist, review it and make a personalized plan for your new hire. Fill out the note boxes with your plan, what you learned and what you intend to do the next time. Be sure to create the introductory documents we recommend or otherwise plan how to share the necessary information described. As you get to know the new hire, you can adjust as needed. Put the Quick Reference Guide on your desk to remind you what to do on a daily basis.

If you have questions or want to share your experience contact us. 

Resources

The Full Team Onboarding Checklist. This is the complete guide to planning for your new hire.

The Desktop Quick Reference Guide. This will remind you of what to think about for each timeframe organized by the eight building blocks. Print the guide and then fold it to sit on your desk. 

The Quick Reference Guide Sheet. Alternatively use this one-page sheet to remind you.

Try our Team Onboarding Checklist and Quick Reference Guide to help you plan the best way to help your new hires connect to the right people and gain the skills for success.