New Employee Orientation Checklist

Employee Orientation is a process of introducing just employed or appointed workers into their new workplaces. It is a part of the human resource (HR) management process to welcome newcomers and make sure they are aware of their new job duties and responsibilities. This New Employee Orientation Checklist explains how to orientate a new employee. It is designed for people from HR departments as well as managers and department heads. The checklist can be used as a template for planning employee training and orientation programs.

1. Make Necessary Preparations

• Workplace. Make sure the workplace of the new employee is ready and fully equipped with necessary tools and systems.
• Access. Arrange for the new employee’s access to the department’s files and papers.
• Documents. Leave copies of the necessary documents (see below in this checklist) in the workplace.
• Training. Assign at least one temporary mentor who will train the newcomer. Have an approved training schedule.
• Letter. Create and send an employee orientation letter to co-works of the person.
• Awareness. Be sure the department staff have read the letter and know about the welcoming date.
• Date. Set the date when you are going to welcome the new worker.
• Duration. Assign one hour to the welcome meeting in the morning of the dedicated day.
• Welcome. Ask the personnel to prepare a welcome message and short speech.

2. Review New Employee Profile

• CV. Have the newcomer’s resume or job application to get an idea about the employee’s qualification and employment history.
• Interview Summary. Review the interview summary to understand the new employee’s nature, particularly how well this person was interviewed, what questions were asked and what answers were received.
• Recommendations. Check the reference information and recommendations to gain an insight into the previous job places of the worker.
• Certifications. Make sure whether any licenses or certifications required for the person’s job were checked and verified.

3. Handle Paperwork

• Employment Eligibility. Make sure the newcomer is legally entitled to work in your country. For example, in the USA the Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9) is used to handle the issue.
• Employment Agreement. Check if the person has signed an employment agreement.
• Legal Obligations. Explore whether your company has agreed legal obligations and rights with the new worker. For example, US Small Business Administration requires using an employee handbook to specify the rights and obligations of the parties.
• Paycheck Withholding. As an employer, your company needs to determine what amount of money to withhold from the new employee’s paycheck for government tax incomes. For instance, in the USA W-4 Form for payroll withholding is used for this purpose.
• Personal Data Sheet. Request your company’s HR department for a personal data sheet that contains the necessary information about the worker. This document may include emergency contacts, home address, mobile number, social security number, and other information.
• Identification. Be sure the HR department can provide you with a copy of the employee’s identify card. Use this information to get the full name, living address, place of birth, etc.
• Copies.Provide your new employee with copies of the necessary documents listed below. Be sure the person understands the content of the documents and how and when to use them.
  • Legal obligations document (employee handbook)
  • Company’s annual report
  • Safety plan
  • Payroll deposit request
  • Employment benefits booklet
  • Employee newsletters

4. Explain the Practices and Procedures

• Introductory Employment. Communicate with your new worker to explain the probationary period and necessary training the person has to complete.
• Working Time. Have a drafted job schedule to show the employee his/her hours of work. Also provide  attendance/lateness policies
• Payroll. Explain payroll periods and pay rates.
• Overtime Rules. Explain how your company regulates and remunerate employee overtime.
• Benefits. Specify employee benefits the newcomer is eligible to receive. These are health insurance, sick leave, vacation and holidays, jury duty, pension programs, disability and accident insurance, savings programs, others. Please request your HR department to get the full list of employee benefits
• Activities. Make a list of activities the worker is obligated to undertake during the workday. Show this list to the worker and discuss possible issues or misunderstandings.
• Promotion. Discuss advancement or promotion opportunities and procedures.
• Suggestions. Have and share a copy of the employee suggestion plan.
• Informational Materials. Show your new worker any marketing or informational materials (booklets, videos, audio tapes, online presentations, websites, etc.) about your company.
• Parking. Finally, talk about parking arrangements.

5. Talk about the Company.

• Structure. Review the company by explaining the departmental structure. Then focus on the division the newcomer is supposed to work in.
• Mission. Explain the company’s mission (why we do thing in this particular way)
• Customers. Describe the target audience and how the company reaches the customers.
• Market Share. Talk about the company’s position in the market, the key competitors, the core products, etc. Also mention about the methods the company uses to reach and maintain market leadership.
• People. Tell your new employee about the people working for the company. Who are they? What duties they do in general?