Before day one
- Send start time, door, parking, dress code and who to ask for
- Tell them which documents they may bring for Form I-9. They choose from the list; you can't specify which ones
- Add them to the schedule and the app
- Find a uniform, apron or badge
- Tell the team, and pick a buddy
Paperwork with deadlines (US)
- Form I-9, Section 1: by the first day of work
- Form I-9, Section 2: within 3 business days of the first day
- Form W-4: before the first paycheck
- State withholding form, if your state has one
- New-hire report to the state: within 20 days, sooner in some states
- State wage notice, if your state requires one
- Direct deposit form
- Work permit or age certificate for minors, if required
Day one
- Welcome them and introduce whoever's on shift
- Give them a tour: bathroom, break area, fire exit, first-aid kit
- Show them how to clock in, then have them do it
- Explain payday and who to ask about pay
- Explain how to report being sick or late
- Cover the two or three things that can really hurt someone here
- Give them one real task to finish
- Check in at the end of the shift. Ask "What was confusing?"
Week one
- Work with their buddy, moving from watching to doing
- Go through the opening and closing routines
- Sign the handbook and policies
- Finish the first training course, as paid time
- Have a five-minute check-in at the end of the week
Weeks two to four
- Add harder tasks, with feedback
- Add them to the regular schedule
- Have a 30-day chat. What's working, and what would they change?
- Thank them for something specific
How to make it your own
Add the things only your place needs, such as a food handler card, a forklift certificate, a uniform deposit or a safety walk-through. Remove what doesn't apply. Give one person the job of making sure it's finished. When everybody's responsible, nobody is.
A paper copy works well if it stays in a folder with the manager. Don't keep the I-9 in the general personnel file, though. Many employers store those separately, since they contain sensitive information and might be inspected. Medical information has to be kept apart from the rest as well.
For the reasons behind each of these steps, read our onboarding guide.
Doing it once rather than every time
If you hire more than a few people a year, it's worth building this once. In PinkLinq, an onboarding pack is made of steps: something to read, a link to open, a task to do or a quiz to pass. Turn on auto-assign, and every new person gets the pack on their first sign-in. You can see how far along each one is, without having to ask. Your handbook goes in as a Read and sign document, and courses can be steps too.
The legal paperwork, such as Form I-9 and tax forms, stays with you. Keep using this checklist to make sure it gets done.