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Free template · People

New Hire Checklist

A new hire checklist is the short setup list a manager works through so a new employee arrives to a working desk, van or account on day one. It covers equipment, system access, day one logistics and the first week of supervised work.

Updated August 2026

What to include in your New Hire Checklist

  • Name, role, start date, manager and buddy
  • Equipment list with order date and delivery confirmation
  • System access list with the person who grants each one
  • Physical access: keys, fobs, alarm codes, site inductions
  • Day one logistics: arrival time, location, parking, who greets them, lunch plan
  • Documents to read and where they live
  • First-week supervised tasks with the supervising person named
  • Uniform, safety equipment and vehicle assignment where relevant
  • Completion sign-off with date

Practical guidance

Stage permissions deliberately

Give read access first and add write or financial permissions once the person has been trained on the process behind them. Staging is not distrust; it prevents avoidable mistakes in systems the hire has not been shown yet.

Track what was issued

Every issued item should have a row with a date and a signature. When someone leaves, you retrieve equipment from a list rather than from memory, and you avoid the awkward conversation about a missing laptop nobody logged.

How to use this template

  1. 1Run the equipment and access columns as soon as the offer is accepted.
  2. 2Confirm every access item works by logging in yourself before the start date.
  3. 3Send the day one logistics to the hire two days before they start.
  4. 4Hand the checklist to the buddy on day one so nothing depends on one manager being available.
  5. 5Close the checklist at the end of week one and note anything that arrived late.

Filled-in example

Example

Filled-in example: administrator, small consultancy

  • Equipment — laptop ordered 12 Feb, arrived 19 Feb, imaged 20 Feb.
  • Access — email, shared drive, time tracking, invoicing tool (read-only for month one).
  • Physical — office fob issued, alarm code briefed, parking bay 4 assigned.
  • Day one — arrive 9:30, greeted by office manager, team lunch at 12:30.
  • Reading — client intake process, expenses process, communication norms one-pager.
  • Week one supervised tasks — process three intake forms with review, draft two client recaps.

Common mistakes

  • Ordering equipment after the start date and losing the first week.
  • Granting access without checking the login actually works.
  • No named greeter on day one, so the hire waits in reception.
  • Giving full system permissions on day one instead of staging them.
  • Not recording what was issued, which makes offboarding messy later.

Frequently asked questions

When should I start the new hire checklist?
The day the offer is accepted. Equipment lead times and account provisioning are the two items that most often push into the first week.
Can I use this for contractors?
Yes, with a reduced access list. Keep the equipment, access and site induction sections and drop the internal training items that do not apply.
Should the new hire see this checklist?
Share the logistics and reading sections. Keep internal provisioning notes on the manager's copy.
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