Employee Onboarding Checklist for UK Companies

Here is a question for you. Does your UK company currently have an employee onboarding checklist?

If the answer is a resounding no or a yes, with the caveat that your current one needs improving, then we recommend you read on!

Industry statistics show that providing new hires with a fantastic onboarding experience can increase levels of staff loyalty and retention by up to 82%.

Not only should this ensure high morale in your workforce, but it can also save you plenty of money in the long run in terms of recruiting, inducting, and potentially training new workers.

But what makes a good onboarding checklist for your employees?

In this post, we’ll provide a comprehensive overview of what yours should include.

What to Include on Your Employee Onboarding Checklist

When your UK company hires a new staff member, several steps need to be completed to ensure they are integrated into the organisation as quickly and seamlessly as possible.
For this reason, it is a good idea to draw up an employee onboarding checklist with three distinct categories. Namely, before your employee’s first day, on their first day and over the first three months of their employment, up to the end of their probation period.

Outlined below is a comprehensive overview of what should be included in each section.

Before their first day

Once your company has agreed to hire a new worker there is a ream of paperwork you will need to collect from them to verify their right to work and establish them on the payroll.

These documents include a passport, national insurance number, national identity card and, if applicable, evidence of their work visa. You can find out more information about what is required here.

To set the employee up in your payroll, you will need to obtain their P45 from them, which will outline how much tax they have paid from their salary in the financial year to date.

If your new employee will be responsible for security or working with vulnerable people, your human resources department will also need to run a DBS check (Disclosure and Barring Service, previously known as a CRB check). Additionally, you will have to get the recently hired person’s permission to run a background check on them, and if this raises no issues, prepare their official employment contract.

Another thing you should do at this stage is to register the new worker with HM Revenue and Customs. Additionally, enrol them in any benefit programmes you offer, such as statutory sick pay, workplace pension schemes and annual holiday leave, and get your IT department to set up their app accounts and configure their new devices.

Lastly, you should collate any documents and other resources they might need, including your employee handbook, contact lists and details about your company’s mission statement, culture, and values.

On Their First Day

Before they arrive for their first day, it is good practice to send the new employee a letter or email that extends a warm greeting. This will make them feel welcome and set them off on the right foot in the company. Outlining what they can expect in terms of the onboarding process on their first day (or week) may also be useful to them.

You should also make sure their workspace is fully set up, most notably that their desk is ready for them to use and furnished with relevant office supplies. If they are to be given a laptop, mobile phone or any other device, it is worth double-checking that these have been assigned to them, configured properly and are waiting for them on their desk.

If your new employee will be working fully remotely, organise a video call with them to determine if they need anything and that everything is operational from their end. You could also run them through a quick video tour to ensure they can start working immediately.

At some point on their first day, usually first thing in the morning, the new employee must be introduced to their direct team members. (In the days afterwards, you can extend this to other departments).

For office-based workers, this could take the form of a low-key meet-and-greet, perhaps over an organised morning tea. However, if your staff member will be working remotely, this can be done via a Zoom or Microsoft Teams meeting.

Most importantly, you will also need to ensure that the new hire has a meeting with their direct manager and, if possible, the director of their department. During this time, they should be given a brief of what they will be expected to achieve in general terms with regard to strategic goals and objectives without setting specific targets.

The new employee will also have to be given a full tour of the office so they can get their bearings. Additionally, you may even want to assign them an onboarding buddy or mentor and arrange for another team member or two to take them out for lunch on their first day (perhaps at company expense).

During their Three Months

For many new staff members, their first three months will be a huge learning curve. Subsequently, your employee onboarding checklist should include several steps that help them perform their role as effectively as possible.

First of all, they will need to be given work. To prevent them from being overwhelmed, it is important to drip feed it to them over the course of the first couple of weeks, rather than dump it on them in one go.

Along with the work, and in conjunction with the new employee, you will need to draw up the specific performance-related targets, goals and objectives you want them to achieve. This should include a detailed plan for how you will provide them with the training they might require to do their job better and identify other resources they might need.

Additionally, you should track how effective they have been in understanding what they have been taught and empower them to ask for more training if they deem it necessary.

While it will take your new employee a bit of time to get their feet under the desk, it is important to remember that you hired them for their expertise. Therefore, it is imperative that they are given ample opportunity to demonstrate the skills they possess and the difference they can make to the company by assigning them meaningful projects to work on.

During their first three months, it is a good idea to give them regular feedback about their performance. This can be done both informally and through a more formal review. However, try not to be too over-critical on the small things, as new starters will always make some mistakes. At the same time, make sure you celebrate their little, and especially, their big wins.

Lastly, at the end of the probationary period, you will have to schedule a meeting with them to discuss their overall performance and any concerns they have. You will also need to formally retain or let go of their services based on how well they did.

FAQs

Here are some common responses to questions that UK businesses frequently ask in relation to creating an employee onboarding checklist.

What is an Employee Onboarding Checklist?

An employee onboarding checklist provides hiring managers with a convenient way to organise what needs to be done to guide new starters through their first few days, weeks and months in the company. The checklist is designed to ensure that every stage of onboarding process for new hires has been completed.