Purpose
Give every new employee the same organised start: contract and legal paperwork done before day one, equipment and accounts ready on arrival, and a clear plan for the first 90 days.
Scope
Covers the period from the signed offer until the end of the probation review. It applies to full-time and part-time employees. Contractors, interns and internal transfers follow a shortened version agreed with HR.
Roles and responsibilities
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| HR coordinator | Owns the process, prepares contract and payroll paperwork, and tracks every step to completion. |
| Hiring manager | Plans the first 90 days, assigns a buddy, runs the week-one meetings and the reviews. |
| IT administrator | Orders and configures equipment and creates accounts and access. |
| Buddy | Shows the new hire how the team works day to day and answers informal questions. |
| New employee | Returns paperwork on time, completes required training and gives feedback on the process. |
Prerequisites
- Signed offer letter or contract with a confirmed start date
- Approved role description and reporting line
- Budget approval for equipment and licences
- The onboarding checklist and your HR system, or a shared tracker
- Contact details the new hire has agreed to share before day one
Procedure
- Open the onboarding record. HR creates the record on the day the offer is signed, with start date, manager, buddy, work location and the date each later step is due. Share it with the hiring manager and IT.
- Collect legal and payroll paperwork. Send the paperwork pack at least 10 working days before the start date: tax and bank details, identity and right-to-work documents, emergency contact and any consent forms. Chase anything missing five working days before start.
- Request equipment and accounts. IT orders the laptop and accessories, creates email, chat, password manager and the systems listed in the role description, and applies the least access the role needs. Equipment must be ready two working days before the start date.
- Prepare the workspace and welcome. The manager arranges a desk or remote setup, a first-day schedule and a welcome message. Tell the team who is joining and when.
- Run the first-day orientation. Meet the new hire at arrival time, hand over equipment, walk through the building or remote tools, health and safety basics, security rules and who to ask for what. Make sure they can log in to every account before lunch.
- Complete required training in week one. Assign security awareness, code of conduct, data protection and any role-specific safety or compliance training. Record completion dates in the onboarding record.
- Agree goals for the first 30, 60 and 90 days. The manager writes three to five goals per period with the new hire, ties each to something observable and records them in the onboarding record.
- Hold the week-one check-in. At the end of week one, the manager and new hire review what went well and what was missing. Fix gaps in access, tools or information the same week.
- Hold the 30-day check-in. Review progress against goals, workload and fit with the team. Record agreed actions and the next review date.
- Run the end-of-probation review. Before the probation end date, the manager completes the review form, HR confirms the outcome in writing and updates payroll and benefits where the outcome changes them.
- Close the record and improve the process. HR closes the onboarding record, asks the new hire for feedback on the process and logs anything to change in the revision table.
Revision history
| Version | Date | Author | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | [Date] | [Name] | First version |