Most hourly onboarding goes like this: "Here's your apron, follow Sam around." Then Sam gets busy, and the new person spends their first shift trying not to look lost. Some of them don't come back for a second one.
It doesn't take much to do better. Here's a checklist for each stage, with the legal paperwork marked, because it has actual deadlines. You can download this as a template.
Before their first day
Send the basics. A short message covers a lot of nerves: when to arrive, which door to use, where to park, what to wear, who to ask for and whether to bring ID documents. If they aren't sure about the dress code, they'll spend the night before worrying.
Set up what they'll need. Add them to your schedule and your app. Print a badge or find an apron in their size. It feels good to show up and find you were expected.
Tell your team. Name, start date and role. Ask somebody to say hello and show them where to put their stuff.
Pick a buddy. One specific person, for the first week or two. Tell the buddy they'll need extra time, and don't schedule them as if they were on their own.
Paperwork with deadlines
These are the legal basics for US employers. There may be more for your state or industry.
| Form or task | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Form I-9, Section 1 (employee fills it in) | By the first day of work |
| Form I-9, Section 2 (you review documents) | Within 3 business days of the first day |
| Form W-4 (federal tax withholding) | Before the first paycheck |
| State tax withholding form | Before the first paycheck, where your state requires it |
| New-hire report to your state | Within 20 days of hire, or sooner in some states |
| State notices and wage notices | Varies. Some states require a written notice of pay on hire |
Don't ask for specific documents for the I-9. The employee chooses which acceptable documents to show. Also, don't complete an I-9 before you've made a job offer. If you aren't sure about any of this, the USCIS I-9 Central page covers it.
If you hire minors, check for work permits or age certificates as well. See our guide to minors' hours.
Day one
Keep this short. People remember very little from a first day.
- A real welcome. Someone who expected them, and knows their name. Introduce them to whoever's on shift.
- A tour. The bathroom, where to put their things, the break area, the fire exit, the first-aid kit.
- How to clock in. Show them on their phone or the kiosk, and have them do it themselves.
- How to get paid. When's payday, how do they see their hours and who do they ask if something looks wrong?
- What to do if they're sick or late. Who to call, and how early.
- Safety. The two or three things that can actually hurt someone in your workplace.
- One real task. Something they can finish and feel good about. Don't leave them just standing and watching for hours.
Then check in at the end of the shift. "What was confusing?" is a better question than "How did it go?" You'll get an honest answer.
Week one
- Work next to their buddy, and move from watching to doing it with someone there, then doing it alone.
- Go through your written procedures, such as opening, closing and how to handle a complaint.
- Sign the handbook and any policies.
- Finish their first short training course, with a quiz if it's about safety.
- Have a five-minute check-in with their manager at the end of the week.
Remember that required training is usually paid time, even if they do it on a phone at home. Plan for it in your schedule.
Weeks two to four
- Gradually add harder tasks, with feedback on what's going right as well as what isn't.
- Add them to more of the regular schedule, and make sure they aren't left alone until they're ready.
- Hold a proper 30-day chat. Ask what's working, what they'd change, and what they still don't understand. New people see things the rest of you have stopped noticing.
- Thank them for something specific, in front of the team if you can.
Why it's worth the effort
Think about what a new hire costs: the time spent hiring, the hours when two people are paid for one person's work, and the mistakes along the way. If someone leaves after two weeks, you pay all of that again. Most of this checklist costs nothing but a little planning.
There's also a simple human reason. People decide quickly whether a place cares about them. A first shift where someone was expected, shown around and given something real to do goes a long way.
Doing this without doing it every time
If you hire more than a few people a year, you shouldn't be starting this from scratch each time. Put the repeatable pieces in a pack.
In PinkLinq, you build an onboarding pack once from four kinds of steps: something to read, a link to open, a task to do, a quiz to pass. Turn on auto-assign, and each new person gets it on their first sign-in. You can see how far each one's got. Your handbook goes in as a Read and sign document, and your safety course goes in as a course.
It doesn't handle the I-9 or tax forms for you. Those remain your job, and they have their own rules on how they're handled.
Sources
- I-9 Central, US Citizenship and Immigration Services
- New hire reporting, US Office of Child Support Services
This is general information, not legal advice. Your state may have other forms and deadlines.