Hiring takes weeks of effort. Onboarding is where that effort pays off or leaks away. A new starter who arrives to no laptop, no logins and a manager who forgot they were coming forms an opinion of the business in a morning, and it is hard to change later.
Small businesses rarely have an HR team to run onboarding, so it tends to live in one person's head. That works until that person is on holiday, or until you hire three people in the same month. This guide sets out what to do before day one, on the day, in the first week and over the first 90 days, and ends with a checklist you can copy.
Before day one: the paperwork
Some of this is good practice. Some of it is the law. In the UK, get these done before or on the first day:
- Right to work check. You must check that every new employee has the right to work in the UK before they start, and keep a record of the check. Follow the current GOV.UK guidance for the type of document or online share code they give you.
- Written statement of employment. Employees and workers are entitled to a written statement of their main terms on or before their first day. Most businesses combine this with the contract.
- Payroll details. Ask for their P45 from their last job, or have them complete the HMRC starter checklist if they do not have one. You will also need bank details, their National Insurance number and a date of birth before the first payday.
- Workplace pension. Under automatic enrolment you must assess each new starter and enrol those who are eligible, and write to them about it within six weeks of their start date.
- Policies they need to read. The handbook, health and safety, data protection and acceptable use of company systems are the usual minimum.
Before day one: getting ready
The practical preparation matters just as much. A new starter should be able to do something useful on their first afternoon.
- Equipment. Order the laptop, phone or anything else they need early, and set it up before they arrive.
- Accounts and access. Create their email and system logins, and give them access to what their role needs. Start with less and add more, rather than copying someone else's permissions.
- A welcome message. A short email a few days before, with the start time, where to go or which link to join, who to ask for and what the first day looks like.
- A buddy. Pick someone other than their manager who can answer the small questions people feel awkward asking.
- A first week plan. Book the introductions, training and first tasks into their calendar before they start.
The first day
The aim of day one is simple: the new starter should go home feeling expected, welcomed and clear about what happens next. Keep the paperwork light and the people heavy.
- Have their manager greet them, not whoever happens to be free.
- Walk through the week plan so they know what is coming.
- Check their equipment and logins work, and fix anything that does not straight away.
- Introduce them to the people they will work with most.
- Give them a small, real task they can finish.
- End the day with a ten minute check in with their manager.
The first week
The first week is for context. New starters need to understand how the business makes money, who the customers are, how work flows through the team and where to find things.
- Schedule short sessions with each team they will work with.
- Cover the tools they will use every day, one at a time rather than all on Monday.
- Ask them to complete any required training, such as data protection or health and safety.
- Agree what good looks like for their first month.
- Hold a proper one to one at the end of the week and ask what is confusing.
The first 90 days
Onboarding does not end on Friday. Most people take a few months to become fully productive, and the questions that matter most, such as whether they are doing well and whether the job is what they expected, come up after the first week.
- Set goals for 30, 60 and 90 days. Keep them few and specific, and link them to the work the team actually does.
- Hold regular one to ones. Weekly at first, then fortnightly. Ask what is going well and what is getting in the way.
- Plan the end of probation. If the contract has a probation period, put the review in the calendar on day one and use the 30 and 60 day goals as the basis for it.
- Ask for feedback on onboarding itself. A new starter is the best person to tell you what was missing.
Onboarding remote starters
Everything above applies to remote hires, with a few additions. Ship equipment so it arrives before day one, and have someone available on a call to help set it up. Replace the office tour with a short video call introduction to each team. Put the week plan in writing, because a remote starter cannot glance across the room to see what everyone else is doing. Above all, schedule more check ins than feel necessary for the first fortnight.
Common mistakes
- Nothing ready on day one. Missing equipment and logins waste the first day and set the tone for the rest.
- Onboarding in one person's head. If only one person knows the steps, they get skipped the first time that person is away.
- Too much at once. Handing over every policy and system on the first morning means none of it sticks.
- Legal steps left late. The right to work check and the written statement cannot wait until the first week.
- No follow up after week one. The first month is when people decide whether to stay.
- Too much access. Copying an experienced colleague's permissions gives a new starter access they do not need.
How this works in Wizard Application
Wizard Application brings onboarding into the same workspace as the rest of your HR, so the steps live in the system instead of in one person's memory. Onboarding is available on the Standard plan and above.
- New starter details. When a new user first logs in, they complete a short onboarding form with their contact details, and optionally their bank details and tax information for payroll. You choose which of these to collect.
- Department checklists. Each department can have its own onboarding checklist. When you add a new user with a department and a manager, that checklist is created for them and the manager is notified. The manager ticks items off, can add notes, and the checklist records who completed each item and shows progress at a glance.
- Onboarding modules. Build training modules with written content, attached documents and media, and links to external resources. Mark modules as required and set the order. New starters see their outstanding and completed modules on a My Onboarding page, and their dashboard reminds them about required modules they have not finished.
- Completion records. For each module you can see who has completed it, when and how long they spent, and export the list to a spreadsheet.
Because access is managed through roles and permissions, a new starter gets what their role needs rather than a copy of someone else's access. Policies and handbooks can live in document management and be attached to a module, and automations can run when a new user is added.
An employee onboarding checklist
Before day one
- Complete and record the right to work check.
- Send the written statement of employment and contract.
- Collect the P45 or starter checklist, bank details and National Insurance number.
- Plan the automatic enrolment assessment and letter.
- Order and set up equipment.
- Create accounts with access matched to the role.
- Send a welcome message with first day details.
- Choose a buddy and book the first week into their calendar.
Day one
- Manager welcome and walk through the week plan.
- Check equipment and logins.
- Introductions to the immediate team.
- A small first task and an end of day check in.
First week
- Sessions with each team they will work with.
- Training on daily tools and any required courses.
- Agree first month goals and hold an end of week one to one.
First 90 days
- Set 30, 60 and 90 day goals.
- Hold regular one to ones.
- Book the probation review.
- Ask for feedback on the onboarding process.
Frequently asked questions
When should onboarding start?
As soon as the offer is accepted. The legal checks, equipment and accounts all need to be ready before the first day, and a welcome message beforehand makes the first morning much easier.
How long should onboarding last?
Plan for the first 90 days. The first week covers the essentials, but most people need a few months and regular check ins before they are fully settled and productive.
Is onboarding included on the free Starter plan?
No. Onboarding forms, checklists and modules are part of the Standard plan and above. Every paid plan comes with a 7 day free trial, so you can set up your onboarding before your next starter arrives.
Onboarding starts before the offer. Our recruitment checklist for small business hiring covers the steps up to the offer, and our guide to GDPR and candidate data explains what to keep once someone is hired. To see onboarding next to time off, expenses and the rest of your people records, take a look at HR software.
