Creating Your Onboarding Checklist
Just about any process can have an accompanying checklist if you think about it. The checklist is there to make sure everything gets done, and if there is a process, there are things within that process that need to happen. Hence, a checklist.
One HR checklist that can really save the day is your onboarding checklist. We've talked about the importance of onboarding before, but your checklist can really make your process run much more smoothly. Being able to visibly check all of the boxes helps you ensure that nothing inadvertently slips through the cracks. Whether you have one hire every six months of 40 hires each month, taking time to customize and complete your checklist can provide you with a sense of ease and also ensure that new hires start off with everything they need to have a successful journey within your organization.
Start with a template
Think of your checklist as a base list that should be customized as needed for each hire or each category of employee, which could be based on role, department, level, etc. For example, new senior managers may need to have an individual meeting scheduled with the vice president of their division, while those coming in at a junior level may meet with the same vice president as a part of a group. You'd want to customize what meeting you're scheduling on your checklist based on that criteria.
Don't wing it
It's tempting to want to wing the experience and just go through onboarding steps as they come. Don't give in to this temptation. Let your checklist guide what you do. It's there to make your process go to plan. When you do your own thing, something is more likely to slip through the cracks. The checklist is there for a reason. Use it.
Gather feedback
Your checklist is there to make sure no steps are missed, but do you have the right steps on your list? Yes - there are things you have to do from a compliance perspective in order to bring a new hire onto your team. But there is also the cultural piece to consider. How are you infusing company culture into your process? Does your checklist reflect that? Do your new hires have anything to share about the experience? You won't know until you ask. So guess what also needs to go onto your checklist? You’ve got it, a follow up survey. It a great tool to gather the feedback you need and also course correct if something has gone awry early in a new hire’s tenure at your company.
Want your own starter checklist? Check out our version here.
Need help implementing? We can help with that too. Contact us today.