Onboarding new employees can feel intimidating, especially if you have to start the process from scratch for each hire.

But with onboarding templates and checklists, you can put yourself at ease. Onboarding templates give you a simple way to provide a consistent experience for every new hire at your company.

Check out the most essential onboarding resources you need for your new hire onboarding process.

✅ 1. (Remote) Employee Onboarding Checklist

What the onboarding template includes: This onboarding checklist template breaks down everything you need to do from the moment the new joiner signs an offer letter all the way to their first annual review. It is specifically designed for remote and hybrid settings - but also works for office-only scenarios.

The onboarding template will guide you through what to do: 

• Before your new hire’s first day
• During their first day or week
• After 30, 60, and 90 days
• When onboarding is over
  

When to use it: Use this template as a guide throughout the entire onboarding process for every new hire. 

Why it matters: The onboarding checklist gives you a complete overview of your new hire’s first six months. You’ll be able to visualize their entire onboarding journey so you can customize it to meet your company’s needs. The checklist also shows you when to use the other onboarding templates included in this article. 

➡️ Get the ultimate onboarding checklist template.

You prefer Excel?

➡️ Click here to access our freely customizable onboarding checklist template for Excel and Spreadsheets

📄 2. New Employee Paperwork Checklist Template

What the onboarding template includes: This guide covers four major categories of new employee paperwork to consider, as well as tips for complying with your local laws and making paperwork easier for new hires. 

When to use it: Track new employee paperwork from preboarding until all the requirements are met. 

Why it matters: Every new hire comes with what seems like a mountain of paperwork. Tax forms, employment eligibility, and paycheck information all need to be completed so the employee is compliant and paid properly. 

You can turn the onboarding paperwork template into a customized checklist for your organization, listing or linking to every piece of paper a new joiner needs. If you have employee onboarding software or another centralized platform for new hires, consider adding your paperwork checklist to the tool for easier access. 

➡️ Read the onboarding paperwork checklist guide. 

💌 3. New Employee Welcome Message Examples

What the onboarding template includes: This guide includes templates, tips, and examples for writing that perfect first message. It helps you consider: 

• How many emails to send a new hire
• What information to include
• When to send the emails
  

When to use it: Send welcome emails in between when the new joiner signs their offer letter and the end of their first day at the company. 

Why it matters: Your welcome message is your chance to make a great first impression. You want to give each new joiner the same experience, so work from a planned template to craft a welcome email or two, laying the groundwork for what they can expect as they join your company. 

➡️ Read: New employee welcome email guide. 

4. 📊 Onboarding Presentation Template

‍What the onboarding template includes: This onboarding template covers everything you may want to include in new employee orientation, from company history and values to what a new joiner can expect in their first week. 

When to use it: Conduct your new employee orientation within the new hire’s first week, ideally on day one.  

Why it matters: Orientation helps lay the groundwork for a new hire’s entire time with your company. You’ll get them up to speed on the basics of your company and the onboarding process before handing them off to their team or manager for role-based onboarding. 

➡️ Get the onboarding presentation template. 

5. 💬 Team Introductions Examples 

What the onboarding template includes: You’ll find samples of all kinds of team introduction messages, such as: 

• Formal and informal introductions
• Welcoming multiple hires
• Introducing a hire to their home department or other departments
• Self-introductions for the new hire
  

You’ll also get tips for combining these tactics to make your new employee feel fully integrated into the workplace.

When to use it: Space out team introductions throughout the new hire’s first week. Depending on your company structure or new hire’s role, you may want to send out some introductions during preboarding. 

Why it matters: A strong welcome is critical to integrating the new employee into their team and the organization overall. These examples will help you fully bring your new hire into the fold. 

➡️ Get the team introduction templates. 

6. 👥 Onboarding Buddy Selection Survey Template

What the onboarding template includes: To match your new hire to the right onboarding buddy, we’ve included surveys to understand the strengths and preferences of everyone in your program. 

When to use it: Introduce new hires to their onboarding buddies on day one. Have new hires fill out their onboarding buddy survey during preboarding, and invite current employees to join the buddy program by filling out their survey. 

Why it matters: Onboarding buddies offer a friendly face and informal knowledge about office norms, making new employees feel more at ease. Even better? Establishing an onboarding buddy program creates a better experience for new employees, improving both retention and time-to-productivity. 

➡️ Get the onboarding buddy survey templates.

7. 📝 30-60-90-Day Plan Template

What the onboarding template includes: A 30-60-90-day plan gives you and your new hire action items for their first three months on the job. It takes them from general learning to role-based training to taking responsibility for their work. You’ll also get tips on setting goals for this time frame. 

When to use it: Create the new hire’s 30-60-90-day plan during their first week. Check in and revise the plan at the 30, 60, and 90-day marks. 

Why it matters: Having a strong plan in place gives your new employee a sense of direction and purpose in their first weeks on the job. It also lays the foundation for a collaborative feedback culture between the employee and their manager. 

➡️ Get the 30-60-90-day plan template. 

8. 👤 Role-Based Onboarding Checklists 

What the onboarding templates include: These onboarding templates give you a complete look at the first three months and beyond for any new hire. You’ll get: 

• Task lists for each phase of onboarding
• Tips and best practices for training
• Role-specific 30-60-90-day plans
• Examples of effective onboarding
  

The sales and software developer onboarding checklists dive deeper into the specifics of onboarding and training for these teams. 

When to use them: Use these checklists in conjunction with the ultimate onboarding checklist to build both general and role-based onboarding processes to meet the needs of every team in your organization. 

Why they matter: Efficient onboarding is all about improving time-to-productivity while integrating the new hire into their team. Role-based training and onboarding helps accomplish both of those goals at the same time. 

Get the new hire training checklist templates: ‍

💸 Sales onboarding checklist‍

🖥️ Developer onboarding checklist

❓ 9. Onboarding Feedback Survey Template

What the onboarding template includes: You’ll get questions and forms to measure the efficacy of your onboarding process. You can customize the questions to measure exactly what you want to. 

When to use it: Customize the frequency of employee feedback surveys to your onboarding process and company needs. 

Why it matters: Asking for regular feedback is essential to building an employee feedback system. Start establishing that pattern with new hires early by asking for and acting on feedback for their onboarding experience. 

➡️ Get the onboarding feedback survey template. 

🚀Connect And Automate Your Onboarding Templates With Zavvy

With an employee enablement platform like Zavvy, you can host all your onboarding templates in one place. Better yet? Connect and automate these templates to develop the smoothest and most effective onboarding process you’ve ever seen. 

Curious? Learn how it works here.