Hiring Employees

New Hire Checklist

A new hire checklist can be your best friend when it's time to introduce a new employee to your company. If you don't have one yet, just follow these helpful tips for creating a new hire checklist in a small business workplace.

If you're company is on the verge of a growth spurt, you're probably already thinking about bringing in new employees.

That makes good business sense. But is your company really prepared to bring new hires into the fold? Although you have a need to increase the size of your workforce, the real question is whether you're on top of hiring requirements and new employee orientation routines.

New hire checklists eliminate the potential for first day confusion, particularly for employers who haven't yet established an employee orientation routine. The benefit of a new hire checklist is that it gives anyone in the organization the information that is necessary to transition a new employee into the workplace. Checklists should be customized to address specific workplace requirements, including the following common new hire issues.

Background checks. If your company requires background checks for new hires, make sure that's included as the first item on the new hire checklist. In workplaces where exposure to sensitive data or children is an issue, the employee may not be permitted to work until the background check has been completed.
Eligibility verification. The checklist should contain a line that reminds orientation supervisors to receive a completed an I-9 form, verifying that the individual is eligible for work in the U.S. While you're at it, also include a W-4 form reminder for payroll withholdings.
Orientation materials. There are many different kinds of orientation materials that should be provided to new hires on their first day in the workplace. Employee handbooks, policy statements, work schedules - the list of materials goes on and on. Yet each piece of material should be detailed on the checklist to avoid missteps and oversights.
Workspace preparation. Has the worker been assigned a sufficient workspace? If not, it's going to be difficult for her to perform her job effectively. If possible, workspace assignment should happen before the new hire's first day.
Email & phone access. New hires will also need to be given access to company email and phone systems. Although the orientation manager may not be capable of creating these accounts, the new hire checklist gets the ball rolling.
HR updates. It's important for a section of the checklist to describe follow-up tasks, i.e. updating the organizational chart, creating a personnel file, etc. Once the entire list has been completed, the orientation manager should sign it and file it with the individual's permanent records.