New Hire Manager Checklist for Successful Onboarding

This guide provides manager checklists with new hire milestones that may be helpful to review and follow. You can jump to different sections below. Questions? Please email hr@cca.edu.

Jump to a section...

Before the Employee's Start Date

First Day

First Week

First Month

First Three Months

First Six Months

First Year (Between Six and Twelve Months)

Outcomes: This is a welcoming work environment with informed colleagues and a fully-equipped work space; new employees feel “settled in” on their first day.

Schedule and Job Duties

• Complete and submit any new hire tasks in Workday. This includes an onboarding set up task in your Workday inbox for you to complete. You have the option to add the following:
  • Welcome message to the new hire
  • People the new hire should meet (including an option to send an email to those colleagues alerting them that your new hire is starting and they’ve been listed as a person to meet)
  • Our expectation is that you will complete this task, so that your new hire receives the important, tailored information they need to be successful in their first few months at CCA. If you do not submit this task within 2 days of receiving it, the hire will automatically advance without your input and the task will disappear from your inbox. If you still wish to add information to this task after this occurs, please email hr@cca.edu.
• Monitor the status of your hire in Workday and follow-up as necessary (click here for How to Track the Status of an Employment Action). When completing the New Hire Technology Request Form in Workday, be sure to request access for any specialized systems used by your department (e.g., Salesforce, Symplicity, etc.).
• Contact employee:
  • Confirm start date, time, place, parking and transportation information, dress code, campus maps etc.
  • Identify computer needs and requirements.
  • Remind your employees that although they may have access to their CCA email prior to their start date, they should not be viewing their CCA email inbox or doing any work prior to their start date.
• Add regularly scheduled meetings (e.g. staff and department) to employee’s Google calendar.
• Prepare an employee's calendar for the first two weeks. Remember to block out enough time in the first 30 days for your new hire to complete their required HR trainings.
• Plan the employee’s first assignment.

Socialization

• Email department/team/division of the new hire. Include start date, employee’s role, and bio. Copy the new employee, if appropriate.
• Set up meetings with critical people for the employee’s first few weeks.
• Arrange for lunch with the appropriate person(s) for the first day and during the first week.
• Sign your employee up for a New Staff Campus Tours (click here for sign up) and add the tour to their calendar.

Work Environment

• Put together a welcome packet from the department and include: job description, welcome letter, campus maps, contact names and phone lists, mission and values of CCA, information on your department, etc. Templates to use that may be helpful:
  • CCA Onboarding Guide Template (Make A Copy)
  • CCA Onboarding Training Schedule Template (Make a Copy)
• Review CCA work modes with employee. Please note that your work mode and/or your employee’s work mode will impact the preparation you do for their onboarding.
• Add employee to relevant email lists.

Technology Access

• Work with the Helpdesk to coordinate the distribution of a laptop or desktop computer to the new employee.
• Arrange for access to common drives and other shared documents.
• Gather relevant training documents, such as Workday Help for CCA Employees and schedule regular training sessions on the new hire’s calendar for review.

Outcomes: The employee feels welcomed and prepared to start working; begins to understand the position and performance expectations.

Schedule, Job Duties, and Expectations

• Clarify the first week’s schedule, and confirm required and recommended training.
• Provide an overview of the functional area – its purpose, organizational structure, and goals.
• Review job description, outline of duties, and expectations.
• Describe how an employee's job fits in the department, and how the job and department/division contribute to CCA.
• Review hours of work. For hourly workers, review how to enter time in Workday, including that a 30 minute, unpaid, duty-free meal period should be taken after working 4.5 hours or penalty pay will be incurred and that they should take 15 minute paid rest periods in day and afternoon.
• Send any pertinent calendar invites for upcoming meetings your new hire will be joining
• If the new employee will be working on campus, review the Shared On Campus Workspaces information, including how to reserve hot desks and conference and collaboration spaces

Socialization

• Consider how different work modes will impact your onboarding plans.
• Be available to greet the employee on the first day. If you and your new hire are hybrid employees, plan to meet your new hire on campus.
• Introduce employee to others in the workplace.
• Take employee out to lunch.

Work Environment

• Ensure that employee has the information they need to get a CCA ID card (please refer to the New Hire Orientation email that you were copied on, which was emailed to your new hire prior to their start date).
  • Report to the San Francisco Public Safety Office located at 184 Hooper Street. Please click here to upload a picture for your CCA Badge (this should be done before you pick up your badge).
• Ensure the employee has an appointment with HR to complete their I-9 within three days of their start date.
• Provide department or building-specific safety and emergency information.

Technology Access and Related

• Provide information on setting up voicemail and computer.

Outcomes: New employee builds knowledge of internal processes and performance expectations; feels settled into the new work environment.

Schedule, Job Duties, and Expectations

• Give employee their initial assignments/projects (make it something small and doable).
• Debrief with employee after they attend initial meetings, attends training, and begins work on initial assignment. Also touch base quickly each day.
• Provide additional contextual information about the department and organization to increase understanding of the purpose, goals, and initiatives.
• Review the process related to the 6 month introductory period.
• Schedule and conduct regularly occurring one-on-one meetings.

Work Environment

• Discuss with employee what office supplies to order, if needed.

Socialization

• Arrange for a personal welcome from your division leader.

Technology Access and Related

• Ensure employee has fully functioning computer and systems access and understands how to use them.
• Remind employee to complete any onboarding tasks in Workday.

Schedule, Job Duties, and Expectations

• Continue to provide timely, on-going, meaningful everyday feedback.
• Elicit feedback from the employee and be available to answer questions.
• Review the career paths/job levels at CCA and where your employee fits into this rubric.
• Discuss performance and professional development goals. Explain the 6 month introductory period review process as well as the annual performance review and goal-setting process. Work with your employee to enter introductory period goals in Workday. A task will automatically be sent to the new employee 30 days after they have started, in order to add goals for themselves in Workday.
• Give employee an additional assignment.

Socialization

• Continue introducing employee to key people and bring them to relevant events.
• If employee is participating in the New Hire Ambassador Program, meet with employee and the ambassador to review the first weeks and answer questions.
• Arrange for employee to take CCA tour (if not already completed).

Training and Development

• Ensure employee has completed the 6 required CCA trainings within 30 days of their hire.
• Ensure employee is signed up for necessary training.

Outcomes: Employee is becoming fully aware of their role and responsibilities, beginning to work independently and produce meaningful work. They continue to feel acclimated to the environment, both functionally and socially.

Schedule, Job Duties, and Expectations

• Continue having regularly occurring one-on-one meetings.
• Meet for informal three-month performance check-in.
• Continue giving employee assignments that are challenging yet doable.
• Create written performance goals and professional development goals.
• Discuss appropriate flexible work options.

Socialization

• Have employee “shadow” you at meetings to get exposure to others and learn more about the department and CCA.
• Have a check-in with the employee and ambassador (if applicable).
• Take employee out to lunch, and have informal conversation about how things are going.

Training and Development

• Confirm required training is completed.
• Provide information about continued learning opportunities including tuition remission, CCA Skillstudio and Linkedin Learning.

Outcomes: Employee has gained momentum in producing deliverables, has begun to take the lead on some initiatives, and has built some relationships with peers as go-to partners. Employee feels confident and is engaged in new role while continuing to learn.

Schedule, Job Duties, and Expectations

• Conduct six-month performance review.
• Review progress on performance goals and professional development goals.

Socialization

• Create an opportunity for employee to attend or be involved in an activity outside of their work area.
• Invite employee to CCA events (as appropriate)
• Meet with employee and buddy at the end of their structured ambassador relationship (if applicable). Discuss how things went and what else would be helpful for the employee.

Outcomes: Employee is fully engaged in new role – applies skills and knowledge, makes sound decisions, contributes to team goals, understands how their assignments affect others at the

College, and develops effective working relationships. They have a strong understanding of CCA’s mission and culture. Employee continues to be engaged in their role and has gained greater confidence in position; begins to take on additional assignments and works with some level of autonomy.

Schedule, Job Duties, and Expectations

• Celebrate successes and recognition of employee’s contributions.
• Continue providing regular informal feedback; provide formal feedback during the annual review process.
  • Have a conversation with employee about their experience at CCA to date:
    • Extent to which employee’s expectations of role and CCA align with reality.
    • Extent employee’s skills and knowledge are being utilized and ways to better utilize them; what’s working, what they need more of, etc.
    • Begin discussing the year ahead.

Socialization

• Support and encourage employee participating on a cross-functional team.

Training and Development

• Discuss employee’s professional development goals and identify relevant learning opportunities.

This guide was adapted from MIT Human Resource's onboarding section.