Employee Onboarding Checklist: 10 Essential Items to Include

A well-designed onboarding process does more than check administrative boxes—it shapes how new hires perceive your organization from day one. In complex fields like healthcare, higher education, manufacturing, and finance, onboarding is a critical moment to establish trust, communicate expectations, and build early engagement. When it’s done right, it shortens ramp-up time, reduces turnover, and sets employees on a path to long-term success. A clear checklist ensures nothing important slips through the cracks, whether you're onboarding in-person, remotely, or at scale. Here are ten essential items to include.

Prepare Documentation and Workspace in Advance

Before a new hire walks through the door, make sure the basics are covered. That means employment contracts, tax forms, non-disclosure agreements, and benefits paperwork are ready and accessible. Workstations should be set up with the necessary hardware, software, and security access. For remote workers, ensure that equipment is shipped and system access is pre-configured. This level of preparation reflects a company that’s organized, thoughtful, and committed to employee success from day one.

Introduce Company Culture and Values

A good onboarding program goes beyond policies and tech—it immerses employees in your culture. Whether you're a healthcare network emphasizing patient care, a financial firm prioritizing compliance or a university built on academic collaboration, new hires need to understand your mission, values, and what’s expected behaviorally. This might include an overview of your code of conduct, diversity and inclusion principles, or how teams collaborate. It’s also a chance to introduce leadership through videos, welcome notes, or in-person meetings.

Schedule Compliance and Safety Training

Industries like healthcare and manufacturing come with strict regulatory requirements. Onboarding is the time to ensure all compliance boxes are checked. This includes HIPAA training, OSHA safety procedures, data privacy rules, and any role-specific certifications. In finance and education, this might mean protocols around FERPA, GLBA, or anti-money laundering training. Automating these modules with verification and tracking can save time while protecting your organization from risk.

Assign a Peer Mentor or Buddy

One of the fastest ways to get someone acclimated is by connecting them with a peer who can guide them through the informal aspects of their new role. This person isn’t a manager—they’re a go-to for questions like where to find things, how to navigate systems, and who does what. In more technical environments like manufacturing or IT, a buddy can help walk through workflow tools and jargon. It’s about making new hires feel supported beyond their formal training.

Set 30-60-90 Day Goals

Clarity beats ambiguity. From the start, outline what success looks like in the first month, first 60 days, and first 90. These goals should be realistic, measurable, and tailored to the role. In finance, that might mean mastering certain reporting tools. In education, it could involve managing a student caseload. By aligning managers and employees early, you prevent miscommunication and establish momentum that carries beyond the onboarding window.

Provide Structured Role-Based Training

Every department has its own processes, tools, and expectations. That’s why onboarding should include targeted, role-specific training. This can range from learning an electronic health record (EHR) system in a hospital to understanding procurement systems in higher ed. Segment training by job function and pace it out over the first few weeks. Use a mix of self-paced modules, shadowing, and live instruction to keep it engaging and effective.

Introduce Key Stakeholders and Teams

Don’t assume new employees will naturally meet the right people—they need a nudge. Schedule introductions with department leads, cross-functional partners, and anyone the employee will work closely with. In distributed or hybrid workplaces, these meetings might be virtual, but they’re no less important. Strong internal relationships are essential for collaboration, especially in large or siloed organizations. A formal structure ensures those relationships begin on the right foot.

Set Up Performance Management Tools

Onboarding should lay the foundation for long-term performance. Introduce the systems your company uses to track objectives, give feedback, and conduct performance reviews. Show new hires how to access these tools and walk them through what a typical evaluation cycle looks like. This transparency promotes accountability and helps employees feel like they’re in control of their development from the start.

Gather Feedback on the Onboarding Experience

Improvement comes from listening. Solicit feedback from new hires after their first week, first month, and again at the 90-day mark. Ask what worked, what felt confusing, and where they see room for improvement. This isn’t just about fine-tuning your process—it’s a chance to show employees that their voices matter. Over time, feedback helps create a smoother, more efficient onboarding experience for future hires.

Navigate Employee Onboarding with TruPay

At TruPay, we believe onboarding should be as seamless as it is strategic. Our Talent Acquisition Software bridges the gap between hiring top talent and helping them enjoy long-term success in their new position. With the HCM Onboarding tool’s intuitive preboarding portal, new hires have the convenience of a one-stop shop for company information, forms, and culture at their fingertips. HR teams can create multiple onboarding tracks to meet the needs of specific roles. Also, managers and employees receive automated notifications and alerts when each stage of the onboarding process is complete. 

TruPay’s onboarding solution gives your team real-time visibility into every step of the process, helping new hires start strong and stay engaged. If you’re looking to elevate your onboarding process and deliver a better experience for your new employees, request a live demo with us today!