Employee onboarding checklist for businesses

Employee onboarding is a crucial step in looking after your employees. It’s their first impression of how your business operates, what you value, and helps set the culture you are trying to create in your team.

Onboarding processes can often be a bit of an afterthought. Many organisations have an ad-hoc setup process that underwhelms new staff and takes them longer to get up to speed.

When it’s done properly, it can save a business money and improve staff retention rates. More importantly, you can empower new team members and show them they’ve come to a company that is organised and values the way people feel.

Employers should see the onboarding process as the final stage in recruiting new staff. After all, it takes time for new team members to be productive, especially when they replace old staff who knew their roles inside out.

Taking care of people is at the core of any small business management strategy, and new staff can feel vulnerable and uncertain without a thorough onboarding. 

The employee onboarding process doesn’t start on someone’s first day - it begins well before that. In fact, by being ready to bring in new staff at any time, businesses can make more proactive hiring decisions when opportunities present themselves.

​New staff almost always require new equipment, whether it’s an office set up, vehicle, laptop, or software, etc. Many of these things can take days, or even weeks, to arrange, and you’ll be paying employees while you wait for them to get the tools they need to do their jobs.

It helps to think in advance about what roles you might be hiring for in the future and what equipment is needed in that role. This is the first step in getting the kit you need so anyone who comes into that role can get up and running with all the equipment ready to go.​

​Businesses have all sorts of digital systems, including access to software and other tools. Make someone responsible for setting up all the accounts a new team member needs so it’s all taken care of at once.  

If you don’t do this, it’s easy for new staff to go for months without having access to a system or account that can help them with their jobs.​

Insurance policies are impacted by new staff, particularly if they’re using business assets such as vehicles. Make sure you protect yourself by notifying your insurance company to update your policy.

An employee file is the home for all relevant information, including their contact information, CV, and contract. It is a good idea to keep employee records in a single file to easily access them when employment agreements change. For wage records, such as wages and time records, an employer needs to keep these records for up to seven years, even if the employee has left.

​Setting up an employee payroll means getting their tax code, IRD number, KiwiSaver details and bank accounts. All new staff need to sign a tax declaration and return it to you to keep on file.

Make sure new staff understand when they’ll be paid, how they’ll be paid and how they’ll receive pay slips. Payday is important to all staff, particularly new team members who aren’t familiar with how you do things.​

​Company policies set clear expectations in a number of areas, and by sharing them with new staff, you prevent basic misunderstandings over things like dress codes and office hours.

Staff onboarding should include introducing staff to the code of conduct, IT, leave and all other policies. Provide this in writing so they have a clear reference point at all times.​

​It’s just awkward if someone comes in for their first day of work and there isn’t a desk for them. Get a workspace organised before they start. This is fairly basic, but often ignored. ​

When hiring new staff, you’ll need to understand what deductions you need to apply to their paychecks. Deductions include income tax, KiwiSaver contributions, student loan repayments, retirement scheme payments and any other payment that comes off their wages.

Read more: The tax guide for employers

It’s critical to get all deduction information correct from the beginning, including the tax rate and how much they want to put towards KiwiSaver, etc. Have a formalised system for eliciting all the information you need so you don’t make a mistake on this front.

You won’t just stumble upon a good employee onboarding system - spend time thinking about exactly what’s needed and come up with a checklist that you can use every time you bring a new team member onboard.  

​When someone arrives to work for their first day, you should know exactly what steps you’ll take to onboard them. You can even communicate this with them so they know what to expect too.

Their workstation should be set up and ready to go, with all the equipment they’ll need. Paperwork should be prepared, including tax forms and payroll requirements, so you can work through all the administration that’s required efficiently, and you won’t need to go back to ask for further information you forgot about.​

​Tell your team you have a new staff member starting that day, so they know what’s going on. Explain who the new staff member is and what they’ll be doing. Encourage them to introduce themselves and be available to help or give directions to the coffee machine or bathrooms.  

These little things really do go a long way.​

Go beyond just planning someone’s first day and schedule in time to work through specific tasks. This also means booking in time with staff for inductions, such as for IT setup, HR briefing and introductions to colleagues.  

You might even want to schedule a team coffee so people aren’t distracted by being at their desks. This is a good way to set time aside for one specific purpose, rather than trying to introduce colleagues who are on the phone or trying to meet a deadline.​

​New staff often need help grasping the specifics of what their job is, how they’re supposed to do it, and who they need to talk to in their role. Match new employees with a relevant mentor who can guide them through everything they need to know until they can stand on their own two feet.

This can include scheduling training and upskilling beyond just the initial stages in the new workplace. ​

​It takes time for new staff to feel truly comfortable in a new role, particularly when onboarding an executive. Don’t make the mistake of organising the first day and then leaving them to it.

The best onboarding experience is a long-term nurturing process that empowers and enables new staff members to be at their best.​

The best employee onboarding process is a deliberate one. Take the time to consider the best way to onboard new staff and stick to the system - don’t make the mistake of being too busy.

You can use the above tips as a checklist to work your way through, or even use small business software with prescribed onboarding processes.

The time you put into onboarding staff will reap rewards by showing people they’re valued and supported from the very beginning. Not only does it allow people to give their best to a role, but it fosters a sense of loyalty and engagement that flows through to the quality of work someone produces. 

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