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Creating a great onboarding experience isn’t just about making your new hires feel welcome — it’s about making sure they feel prepared, connected, and confident in their new role from day one. If done right, onboarding best practices can directly influence employee satisfaction, retention, and long-term performance.
Still, many companies fall short in this area, either by rushing the process or skipping vital steps that help new hires build momentum. Whether you’re an HR manager, a team lead, or someone responsible for bringing people onboard, having a structured and thoughtful onboarding best practices checklist will help turn a new hire into a fully integrated, high-performing team member.
Let’s break down exactly why onboarding matters, and how to implement an effective plan that works — especially through the lens of a proven 30-60-90 day structure.
There’s a reason the best onboarding processes go beyond paperwork and policy rundowns. They’re designed to create a seamless transition from candidate to contributing team member.
The onboarding process is often underestimated because hiring teams focus heavily on recruiting — finding, interviewing, and selecting the right candidate. But that’s just half the equation. What happens after the offer is signed matters just as much. In fact, research shows that the cost of hiring a new employee can reach up to 3 or 4 times their annual salary. Imagine investing all that time and money in sourcing, vetting, and negotiating with top talent, only to lose them due to poor onboarding.
When a company under-delivers on the onboarding experience, employees feel lost, unprepared, or disconnected. A great onboarding experience, on the other hand, increases the likelihood that your new hire will stay for the long run and grow within the company.
It’s tempting to think that onboarding is just a formality. But skipping or rushing it can hurt your team in more ways than one.
When onboarding is disorganized or overly crammed into the first day, new employees often feel overwhelmed. They might not know who to go to for help, what their responsibilities are, or how success is measured. This leads to stress, low engagement, and in many cases, early resignations.
The longer it takes for a new employee to feel comfortable and productive, the more it costs the company in lost time, missed opportunities, and internal disruptions.
Worst of all? It damages the candidate experience, which up until that point was probably pretty solid.
Some companies still try to check every onboarding box on the first day or within the first week. But cramming everything into one session or PDF guide is a mistake.
From company values and tools to team intros and compliance training, there’s only so much information a new hire can absorb at once. Bombarding them with everything at once leads to overload, not retention.
Instead, a warm welcome on their first day and spacing out onboarding over several weeks or months helps your new hire absorb what they need to know when they actually need to know it. A structured timeline also helps managers follow through more effectively without getting pulled in too many directions.
A strong onboarding checklist includes more than just the essentials. It ensures alignment between the employee, their manager, and the rest of the team. Here’s what a successful onboarding plan should include:
This checklist should be tailored to the role and department. Rather than trying to accomplish everything upfront, it should align with a phased approach, which brings us to the effectiveness of a 30-60-90 day plan as a tool for onboarding.
One of the most effective ways to implement onboarding best practices is through a structured 30-60-90 day plan for new hires. This approach breaks down onboarding into manageable phases with specific goals, making it easier for both the employee and the manager to stay on track.
Although this item and the following one are part of the first month, it’s worthwhile to dive into the specific actions for the first day. This day should be all about making the employee feeling welcomed, supported, and informed, but being careful not to overload.
Your goal here is to create a smooth, warm entry into the company. Make sure your new hire knows exactly where to go for questions and what’s coming next.
The first week at the job is another important mark within the first month that’s worth breaking down. Now that your new hire knows the basics, it’s time to deepen their understanding of the team’s dynamic and workflow.
Building relationships early on helps employees feel integrated faster. The first week should be more oriented to setting the foundation for interpersonal relationships, rather than productivity. Be sure to be informative without losing the human touch.
Once orientation is complete, it’s time to ramp up responsibilities.
Remember: This is not just about what you want the new hire to do, but also how they feel. Use your check-ins to understand whether they feel equipped, supported, and clear on expectations.
By this point, your new hire should be moving beyond learning and into doing. This phase is about encouraging initiative, independence, and real contributions.
At 60 days, you’re not just assessing performance, you’re gauging engagement. If your new hire is asking questions, seeking feedback, and owning their workflow, you’re on the right track.
By now, your employee should be fully ramped up and ready to operate independently, but still with ongoing support.
This final phase is key to cementing long-term commitment. It shows that onboarding isn’t just a warm-up — it’s the foundation for career growth.
Whether you’re onboarding your first hire or your fiftieth, here are some smart onboarding tips for managers:
Remote onboardings are far more complex than just moving the in-person process to a virtual environment. It needs to be intentionally designed for a digital experience. Here are a few tips to achieve successfully both virtual and on-site onboardings.
For remote onboarding:
For in-person onboarding:
Regardless of setup, the key is connection and clarity.
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Evaluate your onboarding program regularly to make sure it’s working. Here are a few evaluation instruments that you can use to asses the effectivenes of your onboarding process.
Also, take feedback seriously. If multiple hires feel overwhelmed or confused, your onboarding plan likely needs tweaking.
The onboarding process isn’t a one-size-fits-all manual. It’s a strategic opportunity to show your new hires exactly what kind of organization they’re joining; one that values preparation, people, and potential.And remember: onboarding doesn’t end at Day 1 or even Day 90. The best companies keep developing their people beyond that. Because long-term loyalty starts with a great first impression — and a checklist that actually works.
Here are some frequently asked questions related to making an onboarding best practices checklist:
The 5 C’s are: Compliance, Clarification, Culture, Connection, and Check-back. These represent the pillars of an effective onboarding experience that balances policy, expectations, culture-building, and feedback.
They’re often used interchangeably with the 5 C’s, but another breakdown includes: Preboarding, Orientation, Training, Integration, and Evaluation.
The core four steps are:
Preboarding (logistics and documentation)
Orientation (first-day intros and values)
Training (role-specific tools and tasks)
Transition to Role (taking full ownership)
A great checklist includes:
– Paperwork and account setup
– Tech and system access
– Role overview and expectations
– Team introductions
– Training sessions
– Performance goals
– Regular check-ins
– Feedback surveys
A good onboarding is structured, human, gradual, and adaptable. Break it down into phases, build trust early, and prioritize communication at every stage.
Contributed by Luis Arellano
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