When to use this template
Use this new hire onboarding checklist template when more than one location is bringing people on and each site has drifted into its own habits. One branch emails PDFs. Another prints everything. A third forgets the welcome call. A shared employee onboarding checklist fixes that. Every site runs the same core steps, and each location adds only what is truly local.
The templates below follow the order a hire actually moves through: before start, paperwork, day one, first week, and the 30-60-90 day check-ins. Each one names an owner and a due date. If a step has no owner, it will not happen.
Copy-ready onboarding checklist templates
Before the offer is accepted and before day one
Pre-start checklist
Hire: [New hire name] Role: [Job title] Location: [Branch name] Start date: [Start date] Owner: [Recruiter or branch manager] [ ] Confirm offer details in writing with [New hire name] [ ] Send start date, start time, and arrival address for [Branch name] [ ] Name who will greet them: [Greeter name] [ ] Share parking, entrance, and dress expectations: [Details] [ ] Send onboarding paperwork link by [Date] [ ] Schedule a check-in message for [Day before start] [ ] Tell the team at [Branch name] who is starting and when
Keep contact going between acceptance and day one. Silence is when accepted offers go cold.
Quiet weeks before a start date are where new hires drop off. For ways to keep accepted offers warm, see how to reduce new hire no-shows.
Paperwork and compliance tasks
Paperwork checklist
Hire: [New hire name] Location: [Branch name] Paperwork owner: [HR or office manager] Due before: [Date] [ ] Federal Form W-4 completed by the new hire [ ] State withholding requirements confirmed with [Payroll contact] [ ] Identity and eligibility documents uploaded for [Company]'s I-9 process [ ] I-9 review completed by [Reviewer name] [ ] Direct deposit details submitted [ ] Policy acknowledgments signed: [Policy list] [ ] Emergency contact collected [ ] All documents stored in [System or file location]
This checklist tracks collection. It does not decide what is required. Confirm requirements with your own HR, payroll, or legal advisers.
Day one setup
First day checklist for new hires
Hire: [New hire name] Location: [Branch name] Day one owner: [Branch manager] [ ] Greet at [Time] at [Entrance] [ ] Site tour: break area, restrooms, exits, [Other areas] [ ] Introduce to [Team names] and [Buddy name] [ ] Hand over equipment: [Keys, badge, uniform, device] [ ] Set up logins: [Systems] [ ] Walk through schedule and how to request time off [ ] Review safety basics for [Branch name] [ ] End-of-day check-in with [Manager name] at [Time]
First week milestones
First week checklist
Hire: [New hire name] Week of: [Date] Owner: [Manager name] Buddy: [Buddy name] [ ] Complete training modules: [Module list] by [Date] [ ] Shadow [Team member] on [Task] [ ] Perform [Core task] with support [ ] Confirm schedule for next [Period] [ ] Mid-week check-in on [Day]: questions, blockers, fit [ ] End-of-week conversation: what went well, what is unclear [ ] Log open items in [System]
30-60-90 day check-ins
Onboarding checklist for managers: 30-60-90
Hire: [New hire name] Manager: [Manager name] Day 30 on [Date] [ ] Review progress on [Core tasks] [ ] Ask what is harder than expected [ ] Confirm training gaps and next steps Day 60 on [Date] [ ] Review [Goals set at day 30] [ ] Gather feedback from [Buddy or lead] [ ] Agree on [Next responsibility] Day 90 on [Date] [ ] Review against [Role expectations] [ ] Discuss growth path at [Branch name] [ ] Record outcome in [System]
Book all three meetings on the calendar during the first week so they do not slip.
Early check-ins are one of the simplest retention habits. More ideas are in this guide to reducing employee turnover in entry-level roles.
Location-specific add-ons
Keep the core checklist identical everywhere. Then let each branch attach a short add-on list. Common add-ons include:
- Site access: alarm codes, key holders, opening and closing duties.
- Local contacts: branch manager, shift lead, facilities contact.
- Equipment specific to that site: vehicles, registers, tools.
- Local schedule norms: shift patterns, break rotation, peak days.
- Any state or local paperwork your payroll or HR team has confirmed for that location.
How to customize these templates
- 1 Set one master version Agree on the core steps centrally. Branches should add, not delete.
- 2 Assign an owner to every line Name a person or a team, not a department. Ownership removes guesswork.
- 3 Attach a due date Tie each item to the start date, such as two days before or end of week one.
- 4 Track completion in one place In ATS Mako, onboarding tasks can be assigned to a person or team with deadlines and priorities, and progress shows in real time.
- 5 Review after each hiring push Remove steps nobody uses. Add steps that kept getting missed.
Hiring for field or sales roles? There is a separate set of checklists for sales teams. For offer letters, outreach messages, and more, browse the recruiting template library.
What to avoid
- Letting each branch write its own checklist from scratch.
- Leaving paperwork until the morning of day one.
- Steps with no owner or no date.
- Treating this checklist as legal guidance. Confirm requirements with your own advisers.
- Scheduling the 30-60-90 check-ins later. Book them in week one.
- Tracking progress in personal inboxes where nobody else can see it.
Run this checklist the same way at every location
Assign onboarding steps, collect paperwork online, and track every new hire in one branded platform. Book a demo to see it.