Hiring new employees is a stressful process for both the company and the employees. New employees are clueless about what to do and need someone to guide them. For companies, new employees are inexperienced and need to get used to the company culture. Onboarding is necessary to speed up and ease the onboarding process for the company and the employees. According to Jobvite’s report, new employees leave their jobs within the first 90 days, so a strong onboarding process is important. If you don't know how to increase the efficiency of your onboarding process, we've got you covered!

In this article, we will explain what onboarding is and provide onboarding templates for different departments.

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Let’s dive in!

TL; DR

  • Onboarding is a process where your new employees learn company knowledge, get to know the work culture, and develop their skills to be productive employees.
  • An onboarding checklist allows you to track the completion of the onboarding process of your new hires.
  • Although the items you will cover in the onboarding checklist may vary for departments and roles, there are also common items.
  • If you are looking for templates for your company's onboarding processes, you can review the examples generated by ZenoChat.
  • If you want to create personalised onboarding checklists for your employees and departments, ZenoChat is your saviour with its knowledge bases and multiple LLMs.
  • You can increase the performance of your employees and boost the productivity of your company by using ZenoChat and its knowledge bases.

What is an Onboarding?

Onboarding is the process by which new employees gain skills, become familiar with company knowledge, learn about the work culture, and increase their capabilities to become productive employees. The onboarding process is more than just getting training and signing contracts. A sufficient and high-quality onboarding process increases the loyalty of new employees to the workplace and ensures that they work long-term. Moreover, a successful onboarding process causes your new employees to have a good impression of the company and feel that they are working in the right place.

What is an Onboarding?

What is an Onboarding Checklist?

The onboarding checklist is a to-do list that includes guiding new hires and training them organizationally, familiarising them with the workflow, and involving them in the process. The onboarding checklist ensures that each critical stage of the new hire onboarding process is done. However, an onboarding checklist does not mean your company meets the new hires’ needs. With the help of the onboarding checklist, you should meet the needs of your new hires, guide them, and introduce them to the company culture.

Onboarding Checklist Templates for Different Departments

Different departments and companies need customised onboarding checklists for different hires. It would be inefficient to prepare the same onboarding checklist for a front-end developer and a marketing employee. You can create them manually or include AI in the process to meet the onboarding checklist needs of different departments.

By leveraging AI co-pilots like ZenoChat, which can be integrated with your internal knowledge base, you can create customised onboarding checklists tailored to specific departments and even personalised for individual employees. This approach ensures that your new hires adapt more efficiently to your company's culture and processes. Let's explore some department-specific onboarding examples generated by ZenoChat to illustrate this concept!

Onboarding Checklist Template for HR

With ZenoChat, you can create a checklist template to manage the HR onboarding process and help your new employees adapt to the process more easily. Here is an example short template for HR onboarding:

  • Offer letter and employment contract signed
  • Completed tax and direct deposit forms
  • Equipment ready (laptop, email, software access)
  • Welcome email sent with first-day details

First Day

  • Welcome meeting with HR
  • Office tour/introduction to the team
  • Overview of job role and company policies
  • Workstation setup

First Week

  • Job-specific and compliance training
  • Meet with direct supervisor and key team members
  • Set 30, 60, 90-day goals

First Month

  • Continued job-specific training
  • Bi-weekly check-ins with supervisor
  • Participate in team-building activities

First 90 Days

  • 30, 60, 90-day performance reviews
  • Set long-term development goals

Onboarding Checklist Template for Managers

Managers should be well-prepared for the onboarding process and adapt new hires to the company culture. Here is an example onboarding template for managers that includes pre-boarding, first day, first week, first month, and first quarter.

Pre-boarding

  1. Welcome Package:some text
    • Send a welcome email with start details and agenda.
    • Provide access to important documents and policies.
  2. Workspace Preparation:some text
    • Ready workstation (computer, phone, credentials).
    • Set up email and necessary software accounts.
  3. Team Preparation:some text
    • Inform team of new hire.
    • Assign a buddy/mentor.
    • Schedule intro meetings with key members.

First Day

  1. Welcome and Introduction:some text
    • Greet and introduce to the team.
  2. Orientation:some text
    • Office tour and administrative procedures overview.
  3. Systems Setup:some text
    • Assist with setting up tools and systems.
  4. Role Overview:some text
    • Discuss responsibilities and first week agenda.

First Week

  1. Meetings and Training:some text
    • Schedule meetings and training sessions.
  2. Task Assignment:some text
    • Assign initial tasks with clear deadlines.
  3. Regular Check-Ins:some text
    • Daily check-ins for questions and support.
  4. Feedback:some text
    • Encourage feedback on the onboarding process.

First Month

  1. Ongoing Training:some text
    • Continue necessary training.
  2. Performance Reviews:some text
    • Conduct bi-weekly or monthly reviews.
  3. Goal Setting:some text
    • Help set short and long-term goals.
  4. Integration Activities:some text
    • Promote participation in team activities.

First Quarter

  1. Formal Review:some text
    • Conduct performance review, provide feedback.
  2. Career Development Plan:some text
    • Develop career goals and growth plans.
  3. Community Engagement:some text
    • Encourage involvement in company-wide events.
  4. Ongoing Support:some text
    • Maintain regular check-ins and offer mentorship.

Onboarding Checklist Template for Sales Teams

There is a unique culture with a sales team that requires a unique onboarding process. You can use the following onboarding template for sales team hires.

Week 1: Foundations

Day 1: Orientation

  • Welcome Meeting: Meet the team and get an overview of company culture.
  • IT Setup: Set up your computer, email, and sales tools.
  • Paperwork: Complete HR forms and benefits enrolment.

Day 2-3: Sales Introduction

  • Overview: Learn about our sales strategy and key metrics.
  • Product Training: Understand our products/services and market positioning.
  • CRM Training: Introduction to our CRM system.

Day 4-5: Skill Building

  • Sales Techniques: Learn our sales methodologies.
  • Shadowing: Observe experienced sales reps.
  • Role-playing: Practise your sales pitch.

Week 2: Deep Dive

Day 6-7: Market Understanding

  • Market Insights: Target market, customer personas, competitive landscape.
  • Case Studies: Review successful sales stories.

Day 8-9: Advanced Tools Training

  • Sales Tools: Advanced training on our tools.
  • Data & Analytics: Use data to drive decisions.

Day 10: Practice

  • Cold Calling: Start making calls with mentor support.
  • Lead Generation: Identify and qualify leads.

Week 3: Integration

Day 11-12: Personalization

  • Tailoring Techniques: Adapt sales techniques to your style.
  • Mentorship: Ongoing support from senior reps.

Day 13-14: Pipeline Building

  • Prospecting: Build and manage your sales pipeline.
  • Networking: Tips on leveraging connections.

Day 15: Goal Setting

  • Performance Goals: Set short-term and long-term targets.
  • Development Plan: Create a personal development roadmap.

Ongoing Support

  • Weekly Check-Ins: Regular progress reviews.
  • Team Meetings: Stay aligned with team goals.
  • Training Materials: Access ongoing resources.

Onboarding Checklist Template for IT

The IT department should provide regular support to prevent wasted time and ensure smooth onboarding. You can use the following checklist to ensure the IT team provides new hires with a company email account, hardware, and internal system access.

Pre-Arrival Checklist

  1. Documentationsome text
    • Sign and return the offer letter and employment contract.
  2. Account Setupsome text
    • Create email and IT accounts.
    • Prep hardware (laptop, peripherals) and install software.

Day 1: Orientation

  1. Welcome Meetingsome text
    • Meet with HR for company orientation.
    • Introduction to company culture and policies.
  2. IT Team Introductionsome text
    • Meet the team and review department structure.
  3. Workspace Setupsome text
    • Set up a workstation and configure email/tools.
  4. Policy Reviewsome text
    • Go through IT policies and complete any required paperwork.

Week 1: Getting Started

  1. Technical Trainingsome text
    • Overview of IT infrastructure and internal systems.
  2. Security Trainingsome text
    • Introduction to IT security practices.
  3. Meet Team Memberssome text
    • Scheduled meetings with key team members.
  4. System Accesssome text
    • Ensure access to necessary systems and applications.

First Month: Integration

  1. Project Assignmentssome text
    • Start with introductory projects/tasks.
  2. Ongoing Trainingsome text
    • Continue advanced system training.
  3. Regular Check-Inssome text
    • Weekly meetings with your supervisor.
  4. Peer Mentoringsome text
    • Pair with a mentor for guidance.

First 3 Months: Evaluation and Feedback

  1. Performance Reviewsome text
    • 60-day performance review and feedback.
  2. Skill Developmentsome text
    • Access to professional development resources.
  3. Continuous Improvementsome text
    • Gather feedback on the onboarding process.

Onboarding Templates for Remote Employees

According to Forbes' research, 20% of employees work remotely. This means that enterprises and companies need to provide new and unique onboarding for remote employees. Here is a concise and customizable onboarding template for remote employees:

Week 1: Getting Started

Day 1: Introduction and Setup

  • Welcome Email: Essential info, schedules, and contacts.
  • IT Setup: Receive and set up company hardware.
  • Meet Your Manager: Introductory video call.

Day 2: Company Orientation

  • HR Orientation: Overview of mission, values, and policies.
  • Administrative Setup: Complete payroll and set up communication tools.

Day 3: Team Introductions

  • Virtual Meet-and-Greet: Meet immediate team members.
  • Department Overview: Understand key functions and goals.

Day 4: Training & Resources

  • Role-Specific Training: Access training materials.
  • Company Resources: Introduction to knowledge base and FAQs.

Day 5: First Tasks

  • Start Small: Begin with initial tasks/projects.
  • Check-In: End-of-week meeting with manager for feedback.

Week 2: Integration

Days 6-7: Skill Development

  • Advanced Training: Participate in training sessions.
  • Shadowing: Observe experienced colleagues.

Days 8-9: Hands-On Experience

  • Team Collaboration: Participate in team projects and meetings.

Day 10: Feedback & Reflection

  • Weekly Reflection: Reflect on learnings and identify support needs.
  • Feedback Session: Receive and provide feedback about the onboarding process.

Month 1: Building Foundations

Weeks 3-4: Ongoing Integration

  • Regular Check-Ins: Bi-weekly meetings with your manager.
  • Further Training: Continue role-specific training.
  • Engagement: Participate in company activities and virtual events.
  • Performance Goals: Set initial goals with your manager.

Continuous Improvement

  • Monthly Reviews: Discuss progress and career development.
  • Professional Development: Access learning opportunities.
  • Networking: Join virtual events and projects across departments.

Resources

  • Employee Handbook
  • Company Wiki/Knowledge Base
  • Contact List: HR, IT, and key team members.
  • Emergency Protocols

Support

  • Open Door Policy: Virtual office hours for concerns.
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Mental and emotional well-being resources.

How to Create Onboarding Checklist with ZenoChat

If you need to create customised onboarding checklists for different departments and new hires, ZenoChat by TextCortex is designed for you. With its multiple LLMs, sophisticated RAG (Retrieval-augmented generation), web search, knowledge bases and customizable personas, ZenoChat can reduce your workload and create high-quality and concise onboarding templates. Moreover, ZenoChat can accompany you anywhere and anytime thanks to its 30,000+ integrations!

ZenoChat – Knowledge Bases

ZenoChat comes with knowledge bases that allow enterprise users to integrate their internal data. 

Using this feature, you can upload your internal data to ZenoChat, and have it use the data you upload when generating output. Leveraging this feature allows you to create custom onboarding checklists for different departments and roles or analyse large amounts of your data.

Moreover, using this feature of ZenoChat, you can increase the performance of your employees and boost your company's productivity by accessing actionable insights faster. See the results from one of our case studies:

  • TextCortex was implemented for Kemény Boehme Consultants as a solution to tackle these challenges and today employees report increased efficiency and productivity (saving 3 work days per month per employee on average).
  • AICX, an ecosystem partner of TextCortex, was integral to the onboarding and helped achieve a 70% activation rate of the team within the first weeks.
  • Employee confidence in using and working with AI increased by 60%.‍
  • The implementation results in a 28x return on investment (ROI).

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