# New Employee Onboarding Guide > A warm, practical onboarding guide for new hires at small businesses and startups. Covers the day-1 checklist, first-week schedule, team directory, tools and access, company values, and FAQ. Source: https://buildpdfs.com/templates/new-employee-onboarding-guide Category: Business A warm, practical onboarding guide for new hires at small businesses and startups. Covers the day-1 checklist, first-week schedule, team directory, tools and access, company values, and FAQ. ## What's included - Welcome letter and day-1 checklist with checkboxes - First-week schedule grid (Monday through Friday) - Team directory with roles and how to reach each person - Tools and access table with setup instructions - Company values and FAQ for common new-hire questions ## Sample content Welcome Aboard · Employee Onboarding Your First _30 Days_ at Acme Everything you need to hit the ground running — your team, your tools, your first week, and the culture that makes this place worth working at. Start Date Your Start Date Your Manager Manager Name Your Role Your Job Title Department Team Name Welcome We're Really Glad _You're Here_ Welcome to the team. We mean that genuinely — building a great team is the hardest thing a company does, and you were picked because we believe you're exceptional at what you do and someone we'll actually enjoy working with every day. This guide exists so your first days feel oriented, not overwhelming. We've tried to capture the things that take most people weeks to figure out: who to go to for what, how we actually work (versus how the org chart says we work), and the cultural context that makes our norms make sense. A Note Before You Start Don't try to absorb everything in this document on day one. Read the Day 1 section, skim the rest, and come back to specific sections as they become relevant. The goal is that you feel like you belong here from your very first hour — not that you've memorized a handbook. Your manager, **\[Manager Name\]**, will be your primary point of contact during your first 30 days. You'll have weekly 1:1s scheduled and an open line for any question, no matter how basic it feels. There are no stupid questions in week one — ask everything. The People team is here too. Reach out to **\[HR Contact\]** for anything related to payroll, benefits, time off, or anything that feels sensitive and shouldn't go through your manager first. Day One Your Day 1 _Checklist_ This is what the first day looks like. Some of it happens in your first hour; the rest fills out through the day. Nothing here is high-stakes — it's mostly setup and introductions. The goal is that you leave today feeling like you know where things are. **Complete your IT setup** — laptop, email, and Slack are the first priority. IT will have sent you setup instructions. If anything's stuck, message \[IT contact\] directly in Slack. **Join the #introductions channel** and post a quick hello — one paragraph about yourself and what you're joining to work on. This is how everyone on the team first "meets" new hires. Keep it casual — who you are, where you're from, something interesting. **1:1 with your manager** — context on the team, current priorities, and your first week plan. Should already be on your calendar. If not, ping \[manager name\] to schedule. **Set up access to core tools** — Notion, GitHub, Figma, Linear (see the Tools section). Some require an invite; others you can join with your company email. Request invites from your manager today. **Complete benefits enrollment** — you have 30 days from start date to enroll in health, dental, and vision. Log into the benefits portal (link in your onboarding email) and make your selections. Don't leave this to the last minute. **Read the company handbook** — available in Notion under "Company / Policies". Focus on time-off, expense, and communication norms. The legal stuff is there too; skim it now, ask later if anything's unclear. **Meet your onboarding buddy** — a peer assigned to help you get oriented without the manager dynamic. They'll reach out to you. Their job is to answer the questions you don't want to ask your manager. **Block "orientation time" on your calendar** for the rest of the week — at least 2 hours per day. You should not have wall-to-wall meetings in week one. Reading, exploring, and asking questions is your actual job right now. Week One Your First Week _at a Glance_ Here's how the first five days typically look for someone joining your team. Meetings will vary — treat this as a rough template, not a rigid schedule. Your manager may adjust this based on what's happening that week. Monday Setup Day * IT setup and access provisioning * 1:1 with your manager (60 min) * Intro Slack message * Benefits enrollment start Tuesday Meet the Team * 30-min calls with each team member * Attend team standup (observe) * Read current sprint / project context * Explore Notion workspace Wednesday Deep Dive * Product walkthrough with team * Review past sprint retrospectives * Set up dev / design environment * Lunch with onboarding buddy Thursday First Contribution * Pick up a starter task (low stakes) * Ask questions before you get stuck * Cross-functional intro (1-2 peers) * Check in with manager on questions Friday Reflect & Rest * Week-one retro with manager * Document questions / gaps * Set goals for week two * Optional: team social / lunch 30-Day Goal Target * Ship one meaningful contribution * Know who does what on the team * Understand the current top priority * Feel like you belong here The Team Meet the _People_ Here's who you'll be working closest with. Titles are a rough guide — in practice, roles overlap and most people pitch in wherever it's most useful. When in doubt about who to go to, ask your manager or your buddy. S Sarah Chen Founder & CEO Leads company strategy and investor relations. Best way to interact: join her weekly all-hands Q&A. Don't be shy — she prefers directness. M Marcus Hill Head of Product Owns the roadmap and works across design and engineering daily. Your go-to for product context and prioritisation questions. In Linear for everything. P Priya Nair Lead Designer Runs design system, user research, and all product surfaces. Figma is her home. If you want feedback on anything visual, she's the one to ping. J Jordan Kim People & Operations Your contact for HR, benefits, payroll, office supplies, and anything logistical. Very approachable — the kind of person who actually fixes things. R Rafael Torres Senior Engineer Tech lead on the core product. Lives in GitHub. Great to pair with for codebase context in your first two weeks — very patient with new-hire questions. Tools & Access What We Use _and Why_ We try to keep the tool stack lean. Everything on this list has a clear owner and is actively used — we audit and remove tools that aren't pulling their weight. Request access to anything marked "Setup" from your manager or IT on Day 1. | Tool | What It's For | Access | | -------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------ | | Slack Day-to-day communication, async updates, quick questions | Primary async channel. Default to public channels unless something is genuinely private. Threads keep channels readable. | Setup Day 1 | | Notion Company wiki, meeting notes, OKRs, onboarding docs | The single source of truth for how we work. If it's not in Notion, it doesn't officially exist. Add your notes here too. | Setup Day 1 | | Linear Project and task tracking, sprint planning, roadmap | Where all work lives. Every task has an owner, due date, and priority. Nothing is "in my head" — it's in Linear. | Setup Day 1 | | GitHub Code repository, pull requests, deployments | Main engineering home. PR reviews are how we share context and catch issues. All deploys run through CI/CD from main. | Request from IT | | Figma Design files, component library, prototypes, handoffs | Source of truth for all product design. Engineers reference Figma specs directly. Priya owns access and the design system. | Request from Priya | | 1Password Shared credentials and secure notes | Never share passwords in Slack or email. If you need access to a shared account, it's in 1Password. Jordan sets this up. | Setup Day 1 | Culture & Values How We _Actually Work_ These aren't the values we hung on a wall and forgot. They're the things that come up in retrospectives, in how we give feedback, and in what gets celebrated. They've earned their place because they describe something real about how this team operates at its best. Write it down Decisions, context, and reasoning get written down — not because we don't trust memory, but because the next person shouldn't have to ask. Default to direct We say what we mean. Feedback is specific, given promptly, and aimed at the work — not the person. Passive politeness wastes everyone's time. Ship small, learn fast Perfect is the enemy of useful. We'd rather ship something imperfect to real users and iterate than spend three weeks polishing something in private. Ownership, not approval If something is in your remit, run it. You don't need sign-off to do your job. Come to others for input, not permission. Async by default Meetings are for decisions that need discussion. Most updates, reviews, and questions happen in Slack or Notion — on your own schedule. Rest is part of the work We don't glorify overwork. Time off is expected, not earned. Taking care of yourself is part of operating at a high level over the long run. Quick Answers Common _Questions_ What are the working hours? We're async-first with core overlap hours of 10 AM – 3 PM in your local timezone. Outside that, work when you're most effective. Let your manager know if you're keeping unusual hours so they can plan around you. How does time off work? We have an unlimited PTO policy. In practice, most people take 3–4 weeks per year. Give at least two weeks notice for time away of a week or more, and just coordinate with your manager on shorter breaks. There's no approval bureaucracy — just communicate. When do I get paid? Bi-weekly via direct deposit, on alternating Fridays. Your first paycheck may be delayed by a pay period depending on your start date — Jordan in People can give you the exact timing. How do I expense something? Use your company card for anything pre-approved in our expense policy (software, home office supplies, conferences, team meals). Submit receipts in Ramp within 5 days of purchase. For anything over $200, check with your manager first. Who do I go to if I have a problem with someone on the team? Your manager first, if it's appropriate. Jordan in People for anything sensitive, HR-related, or if your manager is involved. We take interpersonal issues seriously and handle them with discretion. What does a good first 30 days look like? You've shipped at least one contribution (no matter how small), you know who does what, you understand what the current top priority is, and you feel comfortable asking questions without worrying whether they're too basic. That's it. We're Glad You're Here #### Now Go Make Something _Great_ This guide is a starting point, not a complete picture. The best way to learn how this team works is to be on it — to ship things, get feedback, make the occasional mistake, and figure out the texture of the work over time. We're genuinely excited about what you'll contribute. Welcome to the team. Your Manager Manager Name People Team Jordan Kim All-Hands Fridays, 4 PM ## Frequently asked questions ### What should a new employee onboarding guide include? A good onboarding guide covers: a welcome message, day-1 checklist, first-week schedule, team directory, tools and system access, company values and culture, and a FAQ for common questions. This template includes all of these in a print-ready PDF that feels warm and professional. ### How do small businesses onboard new employees? Small businesses often onboard informally, which leads to confusion about who does what, what tools to use, and what the expectations are. A simple printed or digital onboarding guide — even just 8-10 pages — dramatically reduces the first-week anxiety that makes new hires question their decision to join. ### Should I print the onboarding guide or send it digitally? Both. Email the PDF before the start date so the new hire can read it in advance. Have a printed copy waiting on their desk on day one. The physical copy is a signal that you prepared for their arrival. ### Is this onboarding guide template free? Yes — free to customize and download. Describe your company, team, tools, and culture to the AI and it will generate a complete onboarding guide tailored to your business. [Use this template](https://buildpdfs.com/signup?templateId=new-employee-onboarding-guide) — free, no credit card required.