Your helpful checklist for new employees

New hire? No problem. Give your newest team member an outstanding first day (week and month) with this simple onboarding checklist.

Your helpful checklist for new hires (PDF 61KB)

Before start day.

Start communicating.

• Call your new starter a week before their first day to confirm their start date and time. Let them know you’re looking forward to seeing them.
• Make sure they have all the paperwork they need, like job description, tax information and superannuation forms, which you should ideally provide along with the job offer.
• Tell existing employees about their new team member and encourage everyone to drop by and introduce themselves when he/she arrives.
• Find an internal mentor or first-day buddy who can show your newbie around and answer any questions. It worked at primary school and it works in the workplace, too.

Set up their workspace.

• Don’t forget the obvious. Create an organised, well-equipped workspace so your new hire has what they need from the get-go. For desk jobs that means a desk, laptop, stationery, welcome pack and security/access cards. Other roles might need a uniform, locker or additional work equipment.
• Avoid first-day tech hassles: create an email account, arrange phones or other devices and install essential software (and yep, that includes logins and passwords).

First day.

Show them the ropes.

• Make them feel welcome with small personal touches, like asking for their coffee order in advance, or taking a quick walking tour of the local lunch spots.
• Introduce everyone, but not in an overwhelming way. Remembering names is always a first-day drama, so name badges can help.
• Check they’ve given you their commencement forms, like their tax file number declaration and super fund choice, so you can get everything organised for payroll.
• Give your new starter their welcome pack and go over the role. A few simple introductory tasks will help them warm up and get focused.
• If it’s practical to do so, go out for a team lunch.

First week.

Expand and inspire.

• Time to hand over a project that they can sink their teeth into – keep it achievable (an early win), with realistic timelines.
• Follow up on any paperwork or induction procedures. The sooner the formalities are out of the way, the better.
• Ask them how they’re going! Often a casual check-in helps new starters feel at ease, and it gives you insights into how you can tweak the new-employee experience. Bonus.

First month.

Follow up.

• Reach out to the rest of the team to see how the new dynamic’s working.
• Have a (very) casual evaluation meeting to see if your new starter is on track with their workload and if their hopes and expectations of the role are being met.
• Look for any knowledge gaps and organise extra training to help your new hire upskill.