FirstWeek Kit / Free guides
Employee onboarding checklist for small teams: from the week before to day 90
In a small team, onboarding usually lives in one person’s head. Writing it down once means every new starter gets the same good start, even in a busy week.
Give every task an owner. “The team” is not an owner.
Free printable: employee onboarding checklist
The week before day one
- Send a welcome email with start time, place and what to bring
- Order or set up laptop and equipment
- Create email and tool accounts
- Plan the first-week schedule
- Choose a buddy and brief them
- Tell the team who is starting and when
Day one
- Someone meets them at the door or on the first call
- Tour of the office or the online tools
- Laptop, logins and passwords working
- Lunch or coffee with the manager or buddy
- Go through the first-week schedule
- End-of-day check-in: any questions?
First week
- Meet each person they will work with
- Read the team handbook or key documents
- Agree 30/60/90 day goals
- Give them a small, real piece of work
- Set up a regular 1:1
Day 30
- Review the 30-day goals together
- Ask what has been confusing or missing
- Check equipment and access are all sorted
Day 60
- Review progress and adjust goals
- Ask for feedback on the onboarding itself
Day 90
- Review the 90-day goals
- Agree goals for the next quarter
- Update the checklist with anything you learned
Tips
- Do not fill day one with forms. Give them something real to do by the afternoon.
- A buddy who is not their manager makes it easier to ask small questions.
- Keep the same checklist for everyone, and tick off “Not needed” rather than deleting tasks.
Employment paperwork and workplace rules depend on your country. This checklist covers the practical side only and is not legal or HR advice.