Checklists can be a great way to guide new employees through the onboarding process and make sure they don’t miss anything important. But traditional checklists have a few downsides, especially if you use a one-size-fits-all checklist template that doesn’t take into account an employee’s work experience or job description.
By digitizing the employee onboarding process, human resources teams can provide a more personalized onboarding experience for new employees. Here’s how to use HR automation to create a new hire onboarding checklist that really works.
A new hire onboarding checklist is a list of tasks that new team members are required to complete when starting a job at your organization. It may include tasks like attending an orientation, reading the employee handbook, and filling out new hire paperwork.
Although the HR team is usually responsible for overseeing your onboarding plan, other team members have a role to play too. The employee’s hiring manager, supervisor, and coworkers should all touch base with them before their first day on the job.
A successful onboarding checklist keeps everyone on the same page and helps your new team member navigate the onboarding program successfully.
Handing out a standardized checklist on your new hire’s first day may get the job done, but it may not provide the best employee experience. Here’s how to make a great first impression and streamline the process with a digital onboarding program.
Every employee journey is different, so your new employee onboarding checklist should account for that. With onboarding automation, you can create a personalized onboarding plan for each employee that takes into account their job description, work environment, and job training needs, instead of a one-size-fits-all program.
For example, remote employees have a different set of onboarding requirements than in-person employees, and may need a dedicated remote onboarding process.
It’s easy to put aside a physical checklist and overlook key steps in the new employee onboarding process. With a digital onboarding program, you can send out a welcome email automatically, as well as follow-up emails or SMS notifications when a key due date is coming up or a certification is about to expire.
Platforms like RapidBee even offer an AI-powered chatbot that can answer questions about company policies and guide new hires through the onboarding process.
A successful onboarding program is a multi-step process. Some tasks, such as an office tour or training program, may need to be completed before an employee can begin their new job. Others can continue into the first month or first year of their employment.
With a digital onboarding checklist, you can track employee progress, set milestones, and schedule check-ins to see how well they’re adapting to their new role.
To make it easier for new hires to move through your onboarding checklist, break it down into smaller sections such as orientation, training, and performance reviews. Or, use an onboarding schedule organized by the first day, first week, first month, and so on.
Here’s one way to group your onboarding tasks into a convenient checklist.
The pre-boarding process starts as soon as your new hire has accepted a job offer but before they’ve officially started work. It includes things like:
With RapidBee, you can create a seamless preboarding workflow so your new hires are ready to hit the ground running from Day One. Automatically turn traditional documents into digital forms that they can fill out and sign online without leaving their desk.
Plus, with our cloud-based HR Asset Library, important documents like your employee handbook, company policies, and FAQs are always available.
The bulk of the onboarding process happens during the first day or first week on the job. Here are some of the key tasks to include at this stage of the onboarding checklist:
RapidBee’s cloud-based platform allows you to customize this process, with automated reminders and progress tracking to make onboarding a collaborative process.
Some organizations combine onboarding training into a single part of the process, while others separate it into two distinct components. Either way, include these steps on your checklist to ensure your new hires have the resources they need to succeed:
RapidBee’s built-in learning management system supports initial training programs, and can even recommend or assign additional courses for professional development. Plus, you can embed videos, quizzes, and documents directly in your learning modules.
An onboarding checklist can streamline the process, but one-on-one mentorship goes a long way toward making your new hire feel like part of the team. Consider adding these three steps to your new hire onboarding checklist to increase employee retention:
RapidBee’s 360-degree feedback tools allow employees to give and receive feedback, and view it all from a single dashboard. You can also conduct anonymous surveys to assess employee satisfaction levels and take steps to increase engagement.
Traditional onboarding can feel dull, but integrating gamification and AI chatbots can boost engagement and retention.
🎯 Onboarding Quests – Employees complete onboarding tasks as levels in a game.
🏆 Badge & Rewards System – Offer digital badges for finishing key steps like paperwork submission, first training module, or meeting the team.
🧩 Onboarding Trivia & Challenges – Interactive quizzes about company values, policies, and culture.
🤖 Provide an AI-driven Employee Helpdesk to answer FAQs, guide employees through the onboarding steps, and offer instant support.
Why it Works:
✅ Keeps employees engaged & reduces information overload
✅ Encourages self-paced learning & retention
✅ Saves HR time by automating routine queries
If your company operates remotely or has multiple locations, VR and AR onboarding can create a hands-on, immersive experience for new hires.
🔹 Virtual Office Tours – Give remote employees a 360° tour of the workspace.
🔹 AR Training Simulations – Allow employees to interact with real-world scenarios in a digital format.
🔹 Role-Based VR Training – Teach complex tasks using VR environments (great for industries like manufacturing, healthcare, or tech).
Why it Works:
✅ Creates a stronger sense of connection & engagement
✅ Reduces the learning curve by offering practical experience
✅ Helps remote employees feel integrated into the company
Want to know how your new hires feel about the onboarding process? AI-powered sentiment analysis tools can track employee emotions and feedback in real-time.
📊 Analyze Employee Surveys & Emails – AI can detect positive or negative sentiment in responses.
🗣 Monitor Chat Interactions – If employees frequently ask for the same clarification, the system can flag potential pain points.
📈 Actionable Insights – HR can use this data to improve the onboarding experience.
Why it Works:
✅ Ensures a data-driven approach to onboarding improvement
✅ Helps HR identify & fix onboarding bottlenecks early
✅ Boosts retention by addressing employee concerns proactively
An onboarding checklist organizes all of the tasks a new hire needs to complete in order to begin a new job. Traditional checklists make the onboarding process a box-checking exercise, but new onboarding tools allow you to automate the onboarding process and personalize it for each employee. HR professionals can use it create custom training journeys, set up automatic notifications, track employee progress, and more
RapidBee’s AI-driven chat and ticket management system streamlines a wide range of employee processes — not just onboarding. Try it out for free to see how!