Best Onboarding Checklist Template 2026

Are you looking for the perfect onboarding checklist template?

Most onboarding programs are disregarded or tend to be tossed together at the final minute. Unfortunately, a poor onboarding experience can harm morale and engagement.

What is an Onboarding Process?

Onboarding is the process of bringing a newly hired employee into your organization, completing all required paperwork, and designing an experience that will leave them highly involved on their first day.

It is important to note that onboarding includes far more than a few forms. Ideally, it will consist of complete team introductions, early training on tools and systems, office tours, personal technology, and anything else the worker will need.

New Hire Onboarding Checklist Template

An email will be the first official message your new employee will get, except for the contract signing. The email will create a positive impression and set up a practical onboarding experience.

The new employee onboarding checklist must include the following:

• Warmly include them in the team
• Include the starting date and location
• Provide the number and email of their supervisor
• Provide a list of the papers they need to bring
• Include a program breakdown of their first day
• Attach your firm’s informational documents.

Executive Onboarding Template

Highlight your company’s management culture by showing:

• A video that showcases your ways of working
• A book that reflects your leadership style
• A statement from your administration that conveys your company’s mission

Explain what managers want monthly, quarterly, and yearly. This will help new heads comprehend short-term and long-term plans and focus on outcomes. Include company-wide, division, and personal goals, and cover how you keep track of progress.

Brief managers on individual team members. Describe the department’s structure and where the department fits within the entire organization. Also, mention any recent:

• Promotions
• Conflicts
• Hires
• Separations
• Schedule one-on-one meetings with relevant coworkers.

Make sure new managers meet with people they will work closely with, including:

• Their direct supervisor
• Their team members
• Other managers

Enroll managers in regular management training. Leadership capabilities are difficult to produce, especially for those new to senior positions.

Schedule training about:

• Motivation: Leaders need to motivate team members to remain effective despite difficulties.
• Conflict management: Conflicts arise within a group, and a good supervisor cannot let issues grow.
• Time management: Team leaders handle deadlines and delegate jobs, so they must know how to prioritize work and complete tasks on time.
• Team management: Managers must understand how to coach group members, track performance, and outline careers.

Give a summary of your employee performance review process.

• Review the processes you follow
• Softwares you use
• Frequency of performance reviews
• Standards you use to assess performances

Express your most important company policies and monitor whether team members follow them. Managers must understand how the company operates to set a suitable example for their team.

Policies you have to highlight are:

• Leave policy
• Security policy
• Remote work policy
• Confidentiality policy

Explain how your workplace rewards employees.

• Monetary bonuses (for example, based on performance)
• Non-monetary rewards (for example, additional paid days off after a big project)
• Ways to acknowledge success (for example, a “thank you” on your company messaging app)

Explain your company’s recruiting process. Mention:

• Your hiring plan review process
• Your internal mobility policy
• Your recruitment policy
• Any recruiting software you’re using

Explain what their team budget includes. Team leaders are responsible for budgets regarding:

• Training
• Resources
• Subscriptions
• Software and hardware
• Team-building exercises

Plan periodical discussions between new HR managers and your HR department. Make sure they are comfortably settled into their recent role, and let them address any questions they will have during their first days.

Retail Onboarding Process Template

Before the start date:

• Record information
• Collect vital forms
• Schedule employee meeting
• Notify relevant teams and managers
• Arrange a meeting with the team
• Add employees to appropriate email distribution lists
• Send a welcome video or other training materials
• Prepare for an orientation session

Start date:

• Tour facilities
• Explain technology and systems
• Introduce team members and employees
• Describe job expectations and performance requirements
• Train on more advanced equipment (if appropriate)
• Continued Q&A and ongoing communication

Longer-term:

• Schedule or promote one-on-one meetings
• Schedule a 30-day check-in for feedback and coaching
• Support questions, provide feedback, and create longer-term goals

Restaurant and Hospitality Onboarding Process Checklist

Before the First Day:

• Record new hire’s information
• Prepare a welcome letter
• Highlight total work duties
• Assign a mentor

First week:

• Evaluate the performance carefully
• Schedule meetings for feedback
• Give space for questions

Field-Based Employee Onboarding Process Checklist

Before the First Day

• Confirm the starting date, location, and contact details
• Send the employee a welcoming email with a link to an onboarding portal
• Provide documentation so that they can complete it beforehand
• Confirm details about meeting field-based managers or other personnel
• Provide field-based equipment or technology, such as laptops, mobile devices, or specialized equipment

Week One and Beyond

• Allow regular check-ins to make sure employees are getting up to speed
• Check-in with the employee about technology, machinery, or use of field-based equipment
• Answer any early questions the employee has
• Communicate performance goals and objectives
• Check-in with team leads
• Schedule relevant training sessions
• Review certifications and schedule events to keep them up to date

Remote Employee Onboarding Template

Tips in the Recruiting Phase

• Make sure recruiting messages are aware of the role
• Communicate your company’s values, culture, and mission
• Carefully curate interview questions to communicate what their role will be like at your company

Onboarding Remote or Virtual Employees

• Carefully create an offer letter that includes all the details
• Include details related to schedules, time-off policies, on-site requirements (if any), the equipment you will provide, and more
• Communicate essential information related to working with leads, reporting, and collaborating with the team

Day One:

• Prepare all the paperwork, such as legal forms, the job offer, and the job description
• Have employees complete paperwork
• Tell the employees about company-specific elements such as the company chart, directory, handbooks, videos, documentation, etc.
• Have employees sign documents

Ongoing

• Engage the employees
• Make them feel part of the team
• Keep them excited and informed
• Encourage team members to welcome the new team member
• Make them belong to the group with informal recognition or other forms of encouragement
• Recognize and reward early efforts and successes
• Answer any questions they have
• Train employees on existing systems
• Schedule recurring meetings to answer questions and provide feedback

IT Onboarding Process Checklist

A formal developer onboarding checklist helps recruits:

• Acquaint themselves with hardware and software they will be utilizing
• Set up their company accounts
• Learn security guidelines
• Feel confident that they have the tools to get their work done

Use this checklist to organize IT onboarding sessions for your new employees:

Before Your New Hire’s First Day

Interact with the hiring manager and the HR department to gather information to help you prep IT setup. Make sure you have new hires’:

• Names
• Contact details
• Job titles
• Departments
• Starting dates
• The software they will require for their jobs

Order equipment new hires will need, for example:

• Keyboard
• Cables
• USB sticks
• Phone
• Laptop or Desktop
• Monitor
• Mouse

Determine which software and tools new hires need. This can include:

• Company email
• Internal messaging
• Productivity tools
• Analytics
• Spreadsheets
• Approval from the senior team to set up new accounts
• Contact new hires or hiring managers to learn their preferred tech equipment.

On Your New Hire’s First Day

Prepare new hires’ desks with required hardware, like:

• Computer
• Phone
• Printer
• Schedule 1:1 meetings

Set up company accounts:

• Email
• Company messaging app
• Password security tools
• Provide copies of manuals for hardware and software so new employees can check them when needed.
• Explain how to use office equipment, like:
• Projectors
• Video conference tools
• Printers
• Ensure all new workers understand and sign data privacy agreements
• Explain visitors policy

Train new employees on how to secure their workstations. For example, make sure they are aware of:

• How to store files
• How to send and share sensitive data
• How to protect their computer and desk

Explain how new employees can reach you if they have any technical issues.

Include your:

• Location
• Email and phone
• The formal procedure to request technical assistance

During a new employee’s first week or month

• Check in with new hires to see if they have correctly installed all software.

If necessary, schedule training on:

• Security policies
• Best practices when using office equipment
• Productivity tips for commonly used tools
• Answer specific questions new hires will have after using tools for a while
• Sign up recent recruits for security training exercises

Intern Onboarding Process Checklist

Contact interns before their first day to confirm:

• Their exact start date
• Their time of arrival
• The documentation they need to bring with them (like their ID)
• Their first-day schedule

Ensure hiring managers are preparing for their interns. They need to understand their interns:

• Seating area
• Projects they will participate in
• Job duties
• Regular tasks

Give interns the necessary hardware and software. Ask your team to set up intern email and accounts. For as long as their employment with you, interns need to be able to communicate with their coworkers and access the tools they need for their job, including:

• Company email
• Group messaging app
• Project management software

Help interns fill out HR paperwork. This can be a recent graduate’s first professional job, so they won’t be familiar with employment terms and tax documents. Ensure that a member of your HR team is by their side to answer any questions.

Help interns set up their workstations. Inexperienced employees will not be aware of company software. Provide them with simple instructions and manuals. Ask your IT department to check if they have installed the tools, such as anti-virus systems.

• Offer welcome kits and show interns that you are excited that they are joining your company by offering gifts and branded merchandise.

Schedule role-specific training. To ensure interns make holistic contributions to the workplace, train them on the tasks they will undertake. Assign a mentor, especially if you don’t have the time to run training sessions on company policies and habits, and assign an employee as a mentor to guide interns and answer their questions.

Present your departments, functions, and organizational chart. Interns will not have the chance to interact with everyone in the company, so give them an overview of your operations and your team’s structure.

Announce interns’ hiring to the company. You can send a mass email or share their introduction on your company’s chat tool. Make your employees introduce themselves to your new intern during their first week at work.

Arrange group meetings and activities. Interns must become part of your company culture. So, make them feel comfortable and help them interact with their coworkers by inviting them to lunch or an after-work activity.

Conclusion

The onboarding process takes time, so it helps to provide new hires with information in chunks. In addition, the onboarding program enables new hires to process information better and get up to speed faster.

For example, you can train a new hire on your company’s values, mission, and goals. Then, an overview of their job-related project and deliverable responsibilities is ideal for the next training phase.

Moreover, you can provide the company information, such as your departments and workflows. You will also want to review the prominent people running the company here.

You also want to provide a separate onboarding process where you can discuss a new employee’s role and responsibilities. During this part of the training, you will review whom the new hire reports to and introduce them to their coworkers.

You can introduce the recruit to company tools during the next training chunk. Again, you will want to provide step-by-step guides in your onboarding process to help your new employee become familiar with the tools they must use to do their job during this training phase. As you can see, new hires have much information to consume.

FAQs

Here are the most frequently asked questions about onboarding checklist templates.

What is an onboarding checklist template?

An onboarding checklist template is a structured tool used by HR teams to streamline the entire onboarding process, ensuring all tasks are completed efficiently for new hires.

Why is an onboarding checklist important for HR?

An HR onboarding checklist covers all necessary onboarding tasks and procedures and ensures consistency, compliance, and a smooth transition for new employees.

What should be included in an HR onboarding checklist?

An HR onboarding checklist should include tasks such as completing paperwork, setting up IT, introducing team members, preparing orientation schedules, reviewing the employee handbook, and conducting initial training sessions.

How can onboarding templates improve the onboarding process?

Onboarding templates help standardize the onboarding process, making it easier to manage and track tasks, ensure no missed steps, and create a better experience for new hires.

Are there different types of onboarding checklists?

Yes, onboarding checklists can be tailored for different roles, departments, or locations, such as specialized checklists for remote employee onboarding templates.