# Employee Onboarding Checklist: What to Include (With Example)

> What to include in an employee onboarding checklist: tasks before day one, the first day, the first week, and the first 30 to 90 days, with a worked example and common mistakes.

Source: https://buildpdfs.com/guides/employee-onboarding-checklist-guide
Published: 2026-10-12

> **What should an employee onboarding checklist include?** Group tasks by time: before day one (paperwork, equipment, accounts), day one (setup, welcome, manager meeting), week one (key introductions, reading, first small tasks), and weeks two to four or beyond (real work, goal setting, check-ins). Give every task an owner — new hire, manager, HR, or IT — and end with clear milestones, so the new hire knows what "on track" looks like.

Most onboarding problems are small and boring. The laptop arrives late. Nobody booked the intro meetings. The new hire spends day three wondering what to do. A checklist fixes this, because it turns "we should do that" into a list with names and dates.

This guide covers what to include, how to structure the checklist by phase, a worked example, and the mistakes to avoid. If you want a ready layout, our [employee onboarding checklist template](/templates/employee-onboarding-checklist) is organized by week, with a task type tag on every item.

## What to include in an onboarding checklist

A useful checklist covers five kinds of tasks. Many teams only write down the first one.

| Task type | Examples | Usual owner |
|---|---|---|
| **Admin and paperwork** | Signed offer, tax and payroll forms, ID checks, benefits enrolment, policy sign-offs | HR |
| **Equipment and access** | Laptop, email, chat, password manager, the tools for the role | IT |
| **People** | Manager welcome, team intro, 1:1s with key colleagues, a buddy | Manager |
| **Knowledge** | Company wiki, handbook, product overview, past work to read | New hire |
| **Work and goals** | First small task, shadowing, 30/60/90-day goals, check-ins | Manager and new hire |

Paperwork rules differ by country and state. Check local law for which forms you must collect, and by when.

## How to structure it: the four phases

### Before day one
The work here is mostly for the company. Send the offer and contract. Start payroll and any required forms. Order equipment early enough that it arrives on time. Create accounts and send invitations. Tell the team the start date. On the new hire side, keep it light: accept tool invitations, read a short "about us" page, confirm the start time.

### Day one
Aim for a calm, short list. A setup call with IT, a longer welcome meeting with the manager, a team intro, and time to read. Do not schedule a full day of meetings. The goal is that the new hire leaves with working tools and knows who to ask.

### Week one
This is where introductions happen. List the five or six people the new hire should meet, with the topic of each meeting. Add a reading list with links. Add one small task they can finish, so they get an early win.

### Weeks two to four, and beyond
Move from learning to contributing. Shadowing, joining regular team meetings, a first real piece of work, and setting 30/60/90-day goals with the manager. Many companies extend onboarding to 90 days for more senior roles. A [90-day plan template](/templates/90-day-plan) works well as the next document after the first month.

### Milestones
End the checklist with three or four things the new hire should know or have done by a set date. These turn the checklist from a to-do list into a way to measure progress.

## Worked example: a support specialist's first 30 days

This is an example only. The company and names are made up.

Northwind Outdoor sells camping gear online. Jordan is joining as a customer support specialist on Monday 2 March. Jordan's manager is Lena, the support lead. HR is Priya. IT is Tom.

**Before day one**
- [ ] Signed contract and payroll forms received — Priya, by 20 Feb
- [ ] Laptop and headset shipped — Tom, by 24 Feb
- [ ] Email, help desk, and chat accounts created — Tom, by 26 Feb
- [ ] Welcome email with start time and first-day plan — Lena, by 26 Feb
- [ ] Buddy assigned (Sam, senior agent) — Lena

**Day one**
- [ ] 30-minute IT setup call — Tom
- [ ] 60-minute welcome meeting: role, goals, how we work — Lena
- [ ] Team intro on video call — Lena
- [ ] Read the employee handbook and support style guide — Jordan

**Week one**
- [ ] 1:1s with Sam (buddy), the returns lead, and the product lead — Jordan to book
- [ ] Read the 20 most common ticket replies — Jordan
- [ ] Shadow Sam for four live chat sessions — Jordan and Sam
- [ ] Answer 10 low-risk email tickets with review before sending — Jordan

**Weeks two to four**
- [ ] Take live chat with Sam on standby — from week 2
- [ ] Join the weekly ticket review meeting — every Thursday
- [ ] Set 60- and 90-day goals with Lena — end of week 3
- [ ] 30-day check-in with Lena and Priya — 27 March

**By day 30, Jordan should**
- Handle the top 10 ticket types without help
- Know who owns returns, shipping, and product questions
- Have a written 90-day goal agreed with Lena

Notice that every item has an owner and a date. Notice also that the company tasks come before the new hire's tasks. Most first-day problems start with a missed step before day one.

## Format: one checklist or a full guide?

Keep the checklist short enough to scan. One to four pages is typical. Put long explanations somewhere else and link to them.

- A **checklist** is the task list with owners, dates, and tick boxes.
- An **onboarding guide** explains the company, the team, and how work gets done. Our [new employee onboarding guide template](/templates/new-employee-onboarding-guide) is built for this.
- A **handbook** holds the policies: hours, leave, expenses, conduct. See our guide on [how to write an employee handbook](/guides/how-to-write-an-employee-handbook).

Our [30-day onboarding layout](/templates/employee-onboarding-checklist) combines the checklist with a short welcome, a team table with "go to for" notes, a tools list, and a first-week FAQ. That mix answers most of the questions a new hire asks in the first few days.

Share the checklist as a PDF so the layout stays the same on every screen, and print it if the role is on-site.

## Common mistakes

- **Only new-hire tasks.** If the checklist does not include HR, IT, and manager tasks, those are the ones that slip.
- **No owners or dates.** "Set up accounts" with no name next to it will happen late.
- **Day one is overloaded.** Eight meetings on the first day are hard to remember. Spread introductions across the week.
- **No early win.** A small task they can finish in week one builds confidence faster than more reading.
- **Onboarding ends after a week.** Most people are still learning the job a month in. Plan check-ins at 30 days and beyond.
- **One checklist for every role.** Keep a shared core, then add role-specific tasks. A sales hire and an engineer need different week-one lists.
- **No milestones.** Without them, neither the manager nor the new hire knows if things are on track.

## Make your onboarding checklist with BuildPDFs

Describe the role, the start date, the team, and the tools. BuildPDFs drafts the checklist on our template, with phases, owners, task tags, a team table, and milestones. Edit anything in plain language, then export a print-ready PDF to send before day one. If you also need written procedures for the role, the [AI SOP generator](/ai-sop-generator) builds them in the same way. You can see more layouts in [all HR and people templates](/templates/category/hr-people).

## FAQ

### How long should employee onboarding last?
There is no single rule. Many teams plan the checklist for the first 30 days and then hand over to a 60- or 90-day plan. Senior and technical roles often need longer.

### Who is responsible for onboarding, HR or the manager?
Both. HR usually owns paperwork, payroll, and policy steps. IT owns equipment and access. The manager owns introductions, goals, and the first real work. The checklist makes each part visible.

### What should a new employee do on their first day?
Get their tools working, meet their manager, meet the team, and read a short set of key documents. Keep the day light so they leave knowing who to ask and what comes next.

### Should remote onboarding be different?
The phases are the same. Remote onboarding needs equipment shipped earlier, more scheduled video intros, and clear written notes on when people are available, because the new hire cannot just walk over and ask.