Publication date: November 2, 2026
🕒 10–minute read 

You just spent weeks finding the right person for a critical role on your team. Sourcing, screening, interviewing, assessing – it’s a lot. Thankfully, that’s over! They accepted and everyone is excited. But now the hard work really begins. It’s time to get ready for them and get them up to speed as quickly as you can! 

A great onboarding experience should be designed to have your new employee think, “Coming here was the BEST career move I could have made.” Creating that experience takes more than paperwork, a tour, and a company T-shirt. It takes preparation, connection, and a plan that extends well beyond day one.  

Below is our guide to the 10 must-dos to get the onboarding experience right. Pro tip! Print this blog out and use it as an actual checklist for your next new hire! 

1. Start before they start.

This prep time is called “preboarding.” It’s the time between the new hire accepting the offer and arriving for their first day. Important: don’t let this time become a communication gap! Send the new hire a friendly welcome email with:  

• Their start and end time 
• First-day schedule 
• Location or virtual meeting link if remote 
• Parking and building navigation instructions 
• Dress expectations 
• What to bring (don’t forget I-9 documentation) 
• Who will greet them 
• Their day-of contact (and that contact information) for questions or accommodation needs 
• Lunch plans 

The preboarding communication goal is simple: Make the unknowns smaller before your new hire walks through the door.

2. Managers MUST be present to win.

Put the new hire’s first day on their manager’s calendar and protect the time. The manager should personally welcome the new employee, explain the plan, and check in before the day ends. Your first 1:1 should have you both answering, “Here’s how I like to be communicated with”, “You get the best of me when…” and “You get the worst of me when…”. Human resources can coordinate orientation, but it cannot replace the manager’s role in building the working relationship. Being present does not mean spending every minute together, but it does mean being available, engaged, and clear that this person’s arrival matters.

3. Be ready, not almost ready.

Read: A laptop still in its box is not a ready workstation. Before the employee arrives:  

• Prepare and test their equipment, accounts, access, supplies, and workspace 
• Have any necessary uniforms, business cards, ID badges or tools ready, too.  
• For remote employees, confirm equipment has arrived and provide a way to get help if sign-in fails 
• Use a checklist with a named owner for each task.  

Take it from us. “We thought someone else was handling it” is not the welcome you want to deliver. 

Bonus: Consider setting up the new employee’s important Bookmarks in their web browser for that extra special new hire experience!

4. Add a personal touch. (Yes, swag can help!)

A handwritten note, a welcome sign, or a team-signed card can make the arrival feel intentional. If you give company swag, choose something useful and make sure it is ready when they arrive or, better yet, mail it to their home (and if you go this route, include a note to the spouse, kids or Fido thanking them for sharing their loved one with you). A small touch tied to a preference they have shared can be especially thoughtful. None of these require a big budget! It’s the message is what matters: We remembered you. We prepared for you. We are glad you are here. (Just don’t ask a branded water bottle to make up for a missing manager or a broken login. You won’t get the response you’re hoping for.)

5. Give them a plan, not an information overload.

Build a first-week schedule that balances introductions, exploration, training, breaks, and time to practice. Explain what happens now and what can wait. While orientation covers the immediate basics, onboarding is the longer process of learning the job, understanding the organization, and building relationships. A packed day of presentations does not accomplish all three (and let’s be honest, that doesn’t sound very fun for anyone). Give employees a place to find information later rather than expecting them to remember everything at once.

6. Assign a buddy or mentor and explain the role.

“Ask anyone if you need help” is well intended, but a named person gives the new employee a clear starting point. An onboarding buddy can answer everyday questions about tools, routines, and how things work, and a mentor can provide broader guidance as the employee grows. Choose someone with the time and willingness to help, explain what support is expected, and schedule the first conversation. Keep in mind, neither role replaces the manager or a job-specific trainer.

7. Make introductions meaningful.

A quick tour full of names and job titles is a lot to absorb. So instead, of a parade of introductions, arrange a few focused conversations, explain how people work together, who the new employee will rely on, and where to go for different questions. Bonus points: Plan lunch so they are not left wondering whether to eat alone.  

Remember to prepare the team, too! Before the new employee arrives, explain what their role will own, how responsibilities fit together, and who is handling each part of onboarding. To really ensure introductions are meaningful and intentional, put intro and training time on people’s calendars. Remember that a welcome works better when everyone knows their part.

8. Give them meaningful work early.

New employees need time to learn, but learning does not have to mean watching from the sidelines all week (wouldn’t that be boring!). Choose a manageable, useful assignment with appropriate training and support. Explain why it matters, show what a good result looks like, and make it clear who can help. It might be contributing to a project, completing part of a familiar workflow with a trainer, or drafting something for review. Aim for an early contribution, not a sink-or-swim test.

9. Explain success, then teach toward it.

Review the role’s priorities, expectations, and connection to the organization’s mission. Describe what the employee should be learning and doing during the first 30, 60, and 90 days, then provide a training plan that gets them there. Explain the task, demonstrate it, let them try, and review it together. Include the unwritten basics, too: how the team communicates, when to ask for help, and how decisions get made. Telling someone once is not the same as training them. Our preferred way to train is:  

• Tell: Trainer explains the thing 
• Show: New hire shadows trainer doing the thing 
• Do: New hire tries to do the thing themselves 
• Review: Trainer gives feedback based on careful observation  

10. Keep checking in after the welcome wears off.

Don’t just send the new hire off to the races without checking in at pit stops. Instead: 

• End day one by asking what felt clear, what was confusing, and what they need for tomorrow.  
• Schedule regular conversations during the first weeks, along with 30-, 60-, and 90-day check-ins. During the check-ins, ask specific questions: “What would you like to see demonstrated again?”, “What is getting in your way?”, “What could I do to better support you?” Ask about the onboarding experience itself: “What surprised you?” “What did we promise during hiring that you haven’t experienced?” “What do you wish we had explained sooner?”  
• Capture recurring gaps and update the checklist for the next person, and task list for the current new hire. 
• Follow through on what you hear and adjust the plan.  
• Put conversations on the calendar early and keep them there.  

The Bottom Line: Make the welcome match the promise. 

Great onboarding does not require an elaborate program or an expensive welcome kit. It requires someone to own the details, managers who make the time, and a team that helps a new colleague learn and contribute. Before your next employee starts, ask: Will this person feel expected, equipped, connected, and supported? Believe us, that is a much better measure of readiness than whether their I-9 form is completed.