Free template

Free employee onboarding checklist for startups

An employee onboarding checklist lists what has to happen before a new hire starts, on day one, in week one and over their first 90 days, and who does each part. This one gives every step an owner and a due day, with a remote variant. Copy it or download it as Markdown.

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When to use it

Start it the day the offer is signed, not the morning they arrive. Most of what makes a first week go well is done before it.

  • Bringing on your first employee and wanting nothing forgotten

  • Hiring someone remote, in another time zone, who will never see the office

  • Onboarding a contractor who needs access but not the whole handbook

  • Turning the way you onboarded the last hire into a repeatable process

The template

The complete template

Everything below is included when you copy or download it. Replace the [bracketed] blanks and delete the guidance lines as you go.

Onboarding: [Name], [Role]

Replace everything in [brackets]. Each step starts with who owns it: the new hire, their manager, an admin or their buddy. Delete steps that do not apply rather than leaving them unticked.

01At a glance

The facts everyone involved needs. Agree the buddy before day one; it should not be the manager.

  • New hire: [Name]
  • Role: [Title, Employee / Contractor / Part-time]
  • Start date: [Date]
  • Manager: [Name]
  • Buddy: [Name: a peer they can ask anything]
  • Location: [Office address, or remote and time zone]
  • Checklist owner: [The person who makes sure every step happens]

02Before day one

From the signed offer to the evening before they start. Paperwork and access are done here so day one is about people and work.

  • Admin: Send the contract or offer for signature and file the signed copy
  • New hire: Send personal details, an emergency contact, bank details and ID
  • Admin: Create their email and the accounts on the access list below
  • Admin: Order or set up their laptop and anything else they need
  • Manager: Send a welcome note with the start time, where to be and who they will meet
  • Manager: Write the 30/60/90-day plan below and share it on day one
  • Manager: Put day-one and week-one meetings in their calendar
  • Buddy: Introduce yourself and offer a short call before they start
  • Manager: Tell the team who is joining, when and what they will work on

03Day one

Keep it light on reading and heavy on people. They should leave knowing who to ask and what they will do this week.

  • Manager: Welcome them in person or on video at the start of the day
  • New hire: Sign in to every account and confirm each one works
  • Manager: Walk through the 30/60/90-day plan and agree it
  • Buddy: Lunch or a coffee, and a tour of the office or the chat channels
  • Manager: Introduce them to the people they will work with most
  • Manager: Give them a first small task they can finish this week
  • Manager: End-of-day check: what was confusing, what is missing

04Week one

One finished piece of real work is worth more than a week of reading.

  • New hire: Read the handbook and the policies that apply to them
  • New hire: Set up the tools and environment they need for their work
  • New hire: Meet each person on the introduction list, one to one
  • New hire: Finish and ship the first small task
  • Manager: Hold the first one-to-one and agree how often they will happen
  • Buddy: Check in at least twice: what is unclear, what is slow
  • Admin: Confirm payroll, benefits and any equipment are set up

05The first 30, 60 and 90 days

Outcomes, not activities. Write what will exist or be better at each point, and agree it with the new hire on day one.

  • Day 30: [Learns the product, the customers and how the team works; ships first piece of work]
  • Day 60: [Owns a defined area and delivers in it with less help]
  • Day 90: [Works independently; the review confirms the role is right]
PointFocusWhat done looks likeReview with
Day 30Learn[Specific outcome][Manager]
Day 60Contribute[Specific outcome][Manager]
Day 90Own[Specific outcome, and the end of any probation][Manager and founder]

06Accounts and access

Every account they get, who granted it and when. The same list is what you revoke when they leave.

ToolAccess levelGranted byDate
[Email and calendar][Member][Admin][Date]
[Chat][Member][Admin][Date]
[Code, design or CRM tool][Role][Admin][Date]

07Remote variant

Add these for someone who works remotely. Nothing happens by accident when there is no office, so schedule it.

  • Admin: Ship the laptop and equipment to arrive at least two days before the start date
  • Manager: Agree the hours of overlap with the team in their time zone
  • Manager: Send a written plan for week one, since they cannot ask across the desk
  • Buddy: Book a short daily video call for the first week
  • Manager: Schedule the introductions as calls instead of leaving them to chance
  • New hire: Post a short introduction in the team channel
  • Admin: Check they can sign in securely from home: password manager, two-factor, VPN if used

08Before you call onboarding done

Check each line at day 90.

  • Every step above is ticked or deleted as not applicable
  • The 90-day review happened and its outcome is written down
  • Their access list is complete and up to date
  • You asked them what to change in this checklist for the next hire

Atrix AI

Do this with Atrix AI

Atrix keeps this checklist inside the workspace you hire from, so the steps start themselves and the right person is reminded.

  • It starts when the offer is signed

    Hire an applicant in Atrix and they become a teammate. When they sign their offer, their onboarding checklist starts, counted from their start date. You can also start it from their profile, or with an automation rule.

  • One checklist, with owners and due days

    Your workspace keeps one onboarding template of up to 25 steps. Each step belongs to the new person, their manager or an admin, and is due a set number of days before or after the start date. Steps such as bank details, ID and the signed offer tick themselves when the record exists.

  • Reminders for whoever owns the step

    Owners are reminded when a step is due tomorrow, due today or overdue. The new hire sees their own checklist and ticks their own steps; their manager and admins see the whole of it.

FAQ

Questions, answered

What should an employee onboarding checklist include?

Paperwork and access before day one, people and a first task on day one, real work in week one, and agreed outcomes for days 30, 60 and 90. Every step needs an owner and a date, or it is a wish list. This template has all of these, plus a remote variant.

How long should onboarding take?

Plan for 90 days. The paperwork is done in the first week, but most people need around three months to work independently, and the 90-day review is a natural point to confirm the role is right.

How is remote onboarding different?

Nothing happens by chance, so everything is scheduled: equipment shipped early, a written plan for week one, introductions booked as calls, a daily call with a buddy, and agreed hours of overlap.

Who owns onboarding at a startup?

The manager owns the outcome and the 30/60/90-day plan. An admin or founder owns paperwork, payroll and access. A buddy, who is not the manager, answers the questions people hesitate to ask their boss.

Is the template free?

Yes. Copy it or download it as Markdown without signing up.

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