Free onboarding checklist

About this document

An onboarding checklist lists everything that must exist before and during a new hire's start — logins, equipment, introductions, first tasks — each with an owner and a date. Day one is a test the employer either prepared for or didn't.

When to use it

• Between "they accepted" and "they start."
• Small teams, where onboarding is everyone's fifth job and no one's first.
• Seasonal rehiring, where the same list runs every spring.

Getting it right

• Split by deadline: before day one (accounts, equipment) versus during week one (training, introductions).
• Give every row an owner — "IT will handle it" is how new hires spend day one watching other people type.
• Record equipment handed over as its own rows; the property-return receipt closes that loop if they ever leave.

It's the preparation list — employment forms, payroll setup and eligibility paperwork are formal processes that run alongside it, not inside it.

Part of Hire and onboard — the whole situation, connected.

Common questions

When should it be finished?

The before-day-one section: the afternoon prior, completely. The week-one section fills as the week happens.

Same checklist for every role?

Duplicate a base list and adjust — the overlap is the point; the differences are the role.

Who owns the checklist itself?

Whoever the new hire will actually ask when something's missing — usually their manager. Owning the list means owning that first impression.