Best practices for employee onboarding
- Checklist items
- 37
- Items due before or on day one
- 17
- Items due in the first 30 days
- 20
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Best practices for employee onboarding come down to five: the paperwork done before day one so the first day is about the job, a named person the new hire can ask anything, the handbook acknowledged and the policies that matter today explained, a first week that has a plan, and check-ins at the end of week one and month one that are written down. The onboarding checklist on this site produces the list for the hire, free and without an account; HeadcountDesk Pro keeps it and chases what is open.
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Paperwork before day one
Contract, tax and state forms, I-9 section one, the acknowledgement, the accounts and the equipment: done and recorded before the start date so day one is the job. The free onboarding checklist on this site lists them with owners.
A named person and a planned first week
One person the hire can ask anything, named on the checklist, and a first week written as a calendar rather than left to whoever is free. The plan is the difference between a hire who is productive in a month and one who is looking in three.
The policies that matter today, explained
Hours, time recording, PTO, conduct, the things the hire will meet in week one, explained in person and acknowledged in the handbook. The free employee handbook template on this site has them written.
Check-ins that are written down
End of week one, end of month one, before probation ends: a conversation with notes, filed. The free review template on this site records the goals; Pro reminds the manager and keeps the notes. From the vendors' own pricing pages: Homebase lists Essentials at $24 per location per month billed annually or $30 monthly, with a free Basic plan for one location of up to ten employees; BambooHR lists Core at $10 and Pro at $17 per employee per month; Deputy lists Core at $6.50 per user per month. HeadcountDesk Pro is $24 a month per location.
Best practices for employee onboarding: common questions
What is the most important onboarding practice?
Doing the paperwork before day one, so the first day is about the job and the hire, not the forms.
Is the onboarding checklist free?
Yes. It produces the list for the hire with no account. Pro keeps it and sends the reminders.
How long should onboarding last?
Through the first month with written check-ins, and to the end of probation.
Will it do what you need for Best practices for employee onboarding?
Tell us what your business needs and we will tell you straight whether HeadcountDesk Pro does it today, whether it is coming, or whether you are better off with something else. A person reads these and replies.