The expense of hiring a new employee averages around $86,000 AUD, and it takes around five months of full-time employment for the new employee to reach full productivity. Managers that fail to onboard new hires successfully can incur huge losses in terms of time and money for their organisation.

So we have developed a useful employee onboarding checklist. A high-quality and well-thought-out process will save you and your resources in the long term. It will ramp up the new hire to full productivity in a maximum of ninety days or less, depending on the job’s complexity.

The Ultimate Employee Onboarding Checklist

Onboarding plays a vital role in forming the first impression about your company in the minds of new hires and candidates, but many HR departments struggle to get it right.

Below is a checklist for successful employee onboarding. Tick the boxes as you go through each step. In the end, you’ll be fully equipped to welcome the newcomer into your organisation!

Before the Employee’s First Day:

• Prior to the interview, you need to collect the candidates, right to work in Australia – VEVO Checking as well as their Tax File Number, Superannuation forms and bank details. You may also need to check tickets and credentials and qualifications. This may amount to several packs of paperwork.
• Send the offer letter and contract. You can create a personalized letter from a template or a company form
• Complete reference checks to ensure the resume information includes skills and qualifications are accurate.
• Send a personalized video message. You can use the welcome video to highlight the company culture and introduce key personnel.
• Share the link to the online directory with your new hire. This will help give them an idea of their team at your organisation that will most likely welcome them.
• Have your new employees review the employee handbook before they come in, preferably online. Please encourage them to ask any questions they might have and ask them to sign off on the document to confirm they have read it.
• Send all policy-related documents, such as the confidentiality agreement, to the employee before their joining date. Make sure they sign off on these documents as well and revert them to you.
• Send your new full details of the remuneration and benefits package. This should include an overview of their gross salary/wages, as well as additional deductions. Quality employee onboarding software like Onboarded can take care of all these aspects with one link including reference checking, VEVO checking and induction and introduction videos.
• Send the new employee their login details via email so that they have a running email account as soon as they arrive to work on day one.
• Set up a fully functioning workstation for the new hire. Make sure their computer has all the necessary software that they need to perform their tasks.
• Send out a welcome email to the new employee. Include an itinerary for their first day and let them know their first day’s date, time, and location.
• Plan the orientation day for the new hire. Set up one-on-one introductory meet-and-greets in advance. Onboarded’s onboarding software solution allows you to set up virtual meetings and connect calendars.
• Send the new hire a welcome kit. A creative package will make them feel welcome and reflect your company’s culture.

On the Employee’s First Day:

• Introduce the training schedule to your new employee. Ensure they understand that you will provide support throughout training to get them up to speed.
• Introduce them to the people in their department and the people they will be working with. Allow them time to socialize with their superiors and subordinates. Consider teaming them up with a buddy.

Final Words

As a manager, there is so much you can do to make the onboarding experience enjoyable for your new hires. A successful onboarding process will accustom new hires to your workplace more quickly and make them productive members of your organisation much sooner.

Image Credits: Claire Nakkachi