A new employee should not spend their first week wondering where to find documents, which tools to use, who they should meet, or what they are expected to accomplish. A clear onboarding process gives new hires structure from the moment they accept an offer through their first 90 days.
Yet onboarding is still a weak point for many organizations. Gallup found that only 12% of employees strongly agree that their organization does a great job onboarding new employees.
This free onboarding process template gives you a practical framework for preboarding, Day 1, Week 1, and the first 30, 60, and 90 days. You can adapt the checklist, owners, deadlines, and goals to fit different departments and roles.
Free Employee Onboarding Process Template
Use this employee onboarding process template as a starting point for every new hire. The goal is not simply to complete paperwork. Each task should have an owner, deadline, and clear outcome.
Fields to include in your downloadable template
For a more useful employee onboarding template, include these columns:
Employee Name | Job Title | Department | Manager | Start Date | Buddy | Task | Owner | Due Date | Status | Notes | Success Metric
This makes the template easier to manage than a simple checklist because everyone can see what needs to happen, who owns it, and when it should be completed.
Free download: Use this template as a reusable onboarding plan and customize the tasks for each role.
What Should Be Included in the Free Onboarding Template?
The downloadable employee onboarding template should give HR teams and managers enough structure to manage the complete process without starting from a blank spreadsheet.
The template includes:
- Employee details
- Job title
- Department
- Manager
- Start date
- Onboarding buddy
- Onboarding tasks
- Task owners
- Due dates
- Status tracking
- Notes
- Success metrics
You can add or remove tasks based on the employee's role.
For example, a company hiring a sales representative could add CRM training, product certification, call shadowing, prospecting training, and pipeline management.
A company hiring a developer could replace those tasks with development environment setup, repository access, code review training, security training, and the first pull request.
The goal is to give you a repeatable framework that can be customized rather than a rigid checklist that works only for one type of employee.
How to Use This Employee Onboarding Template
Downloading a template is only useful if the team knows how to use it. The easiest approach is to complete it in six steps.
Step 1: Add the employee details
Start with the basic information:
- Employee name
- Job title
- Department
- Manager
- Start date
- Onboarding buddy
This gives everyone context before tasks are assigned.
Step 2: Add the required onboarding tasks
Start with the standard tasks in the template, then remove anything that does not apply.
For example, every employee may need an email account, but a developer may need additional access to a code repository while a salesperson needs CRM and sales tools.
Step 3: Assign one owner to each task
Avoid assigning tasks to an entire department.
Instead of:
IT — set up access
Use:
James from IT — create email and CRM access
One clear owner makes it easier to identify delays.
Step 4: Add realistic deadlines
Some tasks should be completed before the employee arrives. Others can happen during the first few weeks.
For example:
Before
Day 1: laptop, email, documents and access
Day 1: introductions and orientation
Week 1: training and shadowing
By Day 30: first independent assignment
By Day 60: increased responsibility
By Day 90: core role ownership
Step 5: Update the status
Use the status field to track progress:
- Not Started
- In Progress
- Completed
- Blocked
This makes the spreadsheet useful as an ongoing tracker rather than a document that is created and forgotten.
Step 6: Review progress with the employee
The manager should use the template during regular check-ins.
A simple question such as “Which tasks are complete, and what is blocking the remaining ones?” can reveal issues before the next milestone.
Which Employee Onboarding Template Should You Use?
“Employee onboarding template” can mean different things depending on what the organization needs to manage.
You do not necessarily need a separate document for every situation. Understanding the main types helps you choose the right structure.
For most organizations, the employee onboarding plan should be the main document. Smaller checklists or role-specific plans can sit underneath it.
For example, the main onboarding plan may contain 20–30 tasks, while a developer could have an additional technical setup checklist and a salesperson could have a separate CRM training checklist.
This keeps the overall process standardized without making every employee follow exactly the same schedule.
Suggested Reading:
9 Best HR Onboarding Software Tools to Streamline HiringHow to Tell Whether Your Onboarding Template Is Working
A completed checklist does not necessarily mean successful onboarding.
You should also track whether employees are reaching expected milestones.
These are example internal targets, not universal industry benchmarks. Companies should adjust them based on role complexity, seniority, and their own historical data.
For example, if every onboarding task is completed on time but employees still take 90 days to become productive, the problem may not be task completion.
The template may need better:
- Role-specific training
- First assignments
- Performance milestones
- Manager coaching
- Tool documentation
This distinction is important. An efficient onboarding process is not simply one where every checkbox is marked complete. It is one that helps employees become confident and productive.
5-Step Employee Onboarding Process
A good onboarding program should move through clear stages instead of giving a new hire everything at once. The following five-step process covers the period from preboarding through the first 90 days.
1. Preboarding: Prepare Before Day 1
Onboarding starts before the employee arrives.
A new hire should ideally have the basic information and access they need before their first morning. Otherwise, Day 1 can quickly turn into several hours of waiting for accounts, equipment, or instructions.
Use the preboarding stage to complete:
- Employment and compliance documents
- Payroll and benefits information
- Laptop and equipment setup
- Email and software accounts
- Security and system permissions
- Welcome message
- First-day schedule
- Manager and buddy assignment
- Office or remote-work instructions
- Links to important company resources
For example, imagine a sales representative starts on Monday.
By Friday, the employee should already have their laptop, company email, CRM access, sales tools, calendar invitation, manager information, and first-week schedule.
That means Monday can focus on people, products, processes, and expectations instead of technical problems.
2. Day 1: Give the Employee a Clear Starting Point
The first day should answer four basic questions:
- What does the company do?
- What does my team do?
- What is my role?
- What should I focus on first?
A simple Day 1 schedule could look like this:
You do not need to fill every minute of the first day. Leave space for questions, informal conversations, and unexpected setup issues.
The important part is that the employee finishes Day 1 knowing what happens next.
3. Week 1: Move From Setup to Learning
During the first week, the focus should shift from administrative tasks to understanding the actual job.
The employee onboarding plan can include:
- Role and responsibility training
- Product or service training
- Team processes
- Company policies
- Software training
- Shadowing experienced employees
- Department introductions
- Documentation review
- First small assignment
- End-of-week manager check-in
For example, a new content marketer does not need to spend the entire first week reading company documents.
A better Week 1 plan could be:
Monday: Learn the company, audience, products, and brand guidelines.
Tuesday: Understand the content workflow and SEO process.
Wednesday: Review five existing articles and identify patterns.
Thursday: Shadow the content review process.
Friday: Complete a small content audit and discuss it with the manager.
The employee is still learning, but they are also starting to produce useful work.
4. Days 8–30: Start Measuring Progress
The second stage is where a checklist should become an actual onboarding plan.
Avoid vague milestones such as:
Learn the CRM.
Instead, make the target measurable:
Create 10 practice records, complete one workflow, and independently update five live records.
The same principle can be applied to different roles.
These numbers are example targets, not universal benchmarks. Managers should adjust them according to the role and level of the employee.
At the end of Day 30, the manager should be able to answer:
- What can the employee do independently?
- Where do they still need support?
- Which training is incomplete?
- Are the original goals realistic?
- What should they own during the next 30 days?
5. Days 31–90: Use a 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plan
The final stage should gradually move the employee from learning to independent ownership.
A simple 30-60-90 day onboarding plan can look like this:
The targets should change depending on the job.
For a salesperson, Day 30 could focus on product knowledge and call shadowing. By Day 60, they may begin managing opportunities independently. By Day 90, they may be expected to manage a defined pipeline.
For an engineer, the first 30 days might involve understanding the codebase and development process. By Day 60, they could own a feature. By Day 90, they may independently manage a component or project.
This structure gives employees a clearer path than simply telling them to “settle into the role.”
How to Make an Onboarding Program More Effective
Having an onboarding program template is useful, but simply checking boxes does not guarantee a good new-hire experience.
Gallup found that only 12% of employees strongly agree that their organization does a great job onboarding new employees. That suggests many organizations have an onboarding process without necessarily making it effective.
Five practical improvements can make a difference.
1. Start Before Day 1
Do not make employees wait for access, equipment, schedules, or basic information.
Complete as much administrative setup as possible before they start.
2. Give Every Task an Owner
“HR will handle it” is not a useful assignment.
Name the person responsible:
Laptop → ITRole training → ManagerBenefits → HRTeam introduction → ManagerBuddy check-ins → Onboarding buddy
This makes delays easier to identify.
3. Turn Activities Into Outcomes
Instead of:
Attend product training.
Use:
Complete product training and pass the knowledge assessment.
Instead of:
Learn the CRM.
Use:
Complete 20 practice records and independently update five live records.
The second version gives both the employee and manager something they can measure.
4. Schedule Check-Ins
Do not wait until the 90-day review to ask whether onboarding is working.
Useful checkpoints include:
Day 1 → Day 5/7 → Day 30 → Day 60 → Day 90
Early check-ins can identify access problems, unclear expectations, missing training, or workload issues before they become larger problems.
5. Ask New Hires What Was Missing
At the end of the first 30 or 90 days, ask:
- What information did you need but could not find?
- Which part of onboarding was unclear?
- Which training was most useful?
- What should we have explained earlier?
- What would you change for the next new hire?
The answers can be used to improve the next version of the onboarding plan.
Conclusion
A strong employee onboarding process does not need to be complicated. It needs to make the next step clear.
Start with preboarding, make Day 1 organized, use the first week for learning, and gradually move the employee toward measurable responsibilities over 30, 60, and 90 days. Give every task an owner and deadline, and use regular check-ins to catch problems early.
The onboarding process template above gives you a reusable starting point. Customize the tasks and goals for each role, track completion and progress, and improve the process using feedback from new hires and managers.
Download the free onboarding process template and use it to create a more consistent onboarding experience for your next new hire.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should an employee onboarding process last?
Employee onboarding should extend beyond the first day or first week. A 30-60-90 day structure gives organizations a practical framework for moving employees from initial setup and training toward independent work.
Who should be responsible for employee onboarding?
Responsibility is usually shared. HR can manage documentation and benefits, IT can handle equipment and access, the manager can handle role-specific training and goals, and an onboarding buddy can help the employee understand day-to-day team processes.
What is the difference between an onboarding checklist and an onboarding plan?
An onboarding checklist focuses on tasks that need to be completed. An onboarding plan goes further by adding owners, deadlines, milestones, goals, and measures of success.
Should remote employees use a different onboarding template?
The basic structure can remain the same, but remote employees may need additional instructions for communication tools, virtual meetings, documentation, equipment delivery, and introductions to distributed teams.
Can one employee onboarding template work for every department?
Yes. The overall process can be standardized, but the tasks and success measures should be customized. A salesperson, developer, recruiter, and marketer can follow the same onboarding stages while working toward very different outcomes.
