New employee training checklist: A guide to effective onboarding

What is a new employee training checklist?Copied

A new employee training checklist is a structured, step-by-step guide that outlines essential tasks and topics that need to be covered, addressed, or completed during onboarding. It helps ensure that new hires receive consistent, relevant training on company policies, job-specific skills, and workplace culture for a smooth integration into regular, day-to-day activities.

How a new employee training checklist helps onboardingCopied

Creating a structured onboarding process can significantly impact new employees’ productivity, engagement, and retention.  For example, an SHRM study found that it can improve new hires’ knowledge retention by 82% and productivity by more than 70% within the first few months of starting their new role. ^[2]

By supplementing your onboarding process with a new employee training checklist, you can help both managers and new employees ensure that all necessary steps are completed, in turn providing a clear, organized path to integration into the company culture and job role.

A new employee training checklist:

• Ensures consistency across teams and departments
• Reduces the chances of critical onboarding steps being missed
• Helps manage new employees’ initial expectations

How to make a new employee training checklistCopied

Creating a new employee checklist can be deceptively complex. While there are relatively few steps involved, each requires a deep understanding of exactly how and why your teams, departments, and organization operate. ^[3] You’ll need to involve quite a few stakeholders here to do your due diligence.

• Define clear goals. Specify what the new employee should be able to do by the end of each phase of your onboarding process. This may vary depending on the role, team, or department, so be sure to be specific
• Break it down. Organize your new employee training checklist by the first day, week, and month, to create a manageable sequence of tasks
• Include stakeholder input. Involve team members, mentors, and supervisors who will work closely with the new hire. We referenced this above, but be sure to be thorough here – and involve them in every step of your checklist’s creation and development
• Adjust for role-specific requirements. Tailor parts of the new employee training checklist to specific roles, as different positions may require unique tools, knowledge, trainings, or certifications

What to include in an employee training checklistCopied

To make a comprehensive new employee training checklist, be sure to include the following elements.

• Pre-arrival preparation. Tips or directions for preparing a workspace, setting up IT access, and sending a welcome email to colleagues or other team members
• Orientation. Cover or outline relevant company policies, mission, and culture, as well as an introduction to the employee’s team and workspace
• Job-specific training. Detail the tools, processes, and skills necessary for the role. Be sure to include all necessary certifications or training that the employee will need to attend, as well as information regarding registration
• Performance expectations. Outline initial goals and provide a clear understanding of performance metrics for the role. This should include concrete achievements (earning specific certifications by certain dates), as well as those that focus on soft skills like teamwork or communication
• Checkpoints for feedback. Be sure to leave room to schedule regular check-ins for feedback and support throughout the onboarding process

Effective employee training checklists and AG5Copied

Before you start developing a new employee training checklist, you must fully understand the essential skills, tools, and knowledge each new employee needs. This process requires input from HR, department heads, team leaders – and potentially even feedback from previous new hires.

That’s where AG5’s skills management software comes in, providing you with a full, clear overview of the skills, trainings, and certifications present in your organization – as well as those it needs.

AG5 also works on an individual level, which is exactly what you’ll need for to create effective new employee training checklists. With it, you’ll be able to track and monitor them in real time, as well as plan for the future.

With AG5, you will also get:

• Clear oversight of the trainings, skills and qualifications that are present within your organization
• Clear oversight of the skills your employees organization needs, helping you identify and close skills gaps by planning training or targeted recruitment initiatives
• An easy-to-read overview of certifications and qualifications that will soon need renewing or refreshing, helping you avoid skills gaps altogether
• Insight into employees who need upskilling or reskilling – preparing you for the future by better enabling succession planning

Author Copied

Rick van Echtelt

Rick van Echtelt is the Co-Founder and CEO of AG5, where he leverages over two decades of experience in entrepreneurship and developing skills management software.

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