What it's for

Agencies and studios taking on a new employee.
Managers and buddies who share the onboarding work.
Getting a new starter logging time and working on client projects in their first week.

What's inside

Checklist: Every step with its stage, owner, days from the first day, due date and status, plus progress for each stage.
Printable version: The same list below, to print or save as a PDF.

Preview

How due dates work, with a first day of Monday 1 March 2027
Step	Days from the first day	Due
Send a welcome email	−5	Wed 24 Feb 2027
Laptop, logins and two-factor authentication set up	0	Mon 1 Mar 2027
End-of-week check-in	4	Fri 5 Mar 2027
30-day check-in with their manager	30	Wed 31 Mar 2027

Days are calendar days, so a step 5 days before a Monday start falls on the Wednesday before. "Done so far" counts Done steps out of all the steps that aren't marked Not needed.

The checklist

New employee onboarding checklist

New starter

First day

Before day one

Send a welcome email: start time, where to go or how to log in, and who they will meet 5 days before · Owner Manager
Choose a buddy who isn't their manager 5 days before · Owner Manager
Order or set up their laptop and anything else they need 5 days before · Owner IT or office
Employment paperwork: contract, tax and pay details, and any checks the law requires where you are (see the official guides) 3 days before · Owner Manager
Create their accounts: email, chat, calendar, time tracking and project tools 3 days before · Owner IT or office
Add them to the right teams, channels and client projects 2 days before · Owner Manager
Book their first-week meetings: one-to-ones, a team intro and buddy catch-ups 2 days before · Owner Manager

Day one

Welcome and introductions to the team First day · Owner Manager
Laptop, logins and two-factor authentication set up First day · Owner IT or office
Password manager set up, and how we share client passwords (never by email or chat) First day · Owner IT or office
Walk through the handbook or intranet: policies, leave, expenses and who to ask First day · Owner Manager
Workplace safety basics: emergency procedures, or a home-office check for remote staff First day · Owner Manager
Lunch or a coffee with their buddy First day · Owner Buddy

First week

How we track time: clients, projects, billable or not, and when timesheets are due 1 day after · Owner Manager
Log a full day of time and check it together 1 day after · Owner New starter
How we work with clients: who talks to them, how requests come in and how approvals work 1 day after · Owner Manager
Client access by invite: request their own logins to client tools, never shared ones 2 days after · Owner New starter
Sit in on a client call or a project meeting 2 days after · Owner Buddy
Meet the people they will work with most 2 days after · Owner Buddy
Start the training courses assigned to new starters 2 days after · Owner New starter
A small first piece of real work 3 days after · Owner Manager
End-of-week check-in: questions, what to change, and goals for the first month 4 days after · Owner Manager

First month

Agree goals for the first 30, 60 and 90 days 7 days after · Owner Manager
30-day check-in with their manager 30 days after · Owner Manager
Ask for feedback on onboarding and update this checklist 30 days after · Owner Manager

Template by Jasper — heyjasper.ai

How to use it

Type the new starter's name and first day at the top of the Checklist sheet.
Check the suggested owner against each step and change it to suit your team. Change the days from the first day too.
Delete steps you never do, or mark them Not needed for this person. Add your own in the 20 spare rows at the bottom.
Update the status as you go. Late steps that aren't done turn red.
For the paperwork step, follow the official guide for where the person works (linked below).

The formulas, explained

Due date: =IF(OR($B$3="",D7=""),"",$B$3+D7)

The first day plus the step's days from the first day. Negative numbers are days before it.
Done so far: =IFERROR(COUNTIF(F7:F51,"Done")/(COUNTA(B7:B51)-COUNTIF(F7:F51,"Not needed")),0)

Done steps ÷ all steps, leaving out the ones marked Not needed.
Done by stage: =COUNTIFS($A$7:$A$51,I7,$F$7:$F$51,"Done")

Counts the Done steps in each stage. There are 20 spare rows at the bottom for your own steps.

Every formula uses functions that Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice all have. There are no macros or scripts.

Questions

What should a new employee do in their first week?

Get set up (laptop, accounts, two-factor authentication and a password manager), meet the team and a buddy, learn how work and time are tracked, sit in on client work, and finish the week with a small piece of real work and a check-in.

Who does what?

The manager owns the plan and the check-ins, whoever runs your systems sets up accounts and equipment, the buddy answers everyday questions, and the new starter works through their own steps. Change the owners to suit your team.

What paperwork does a new employee need?

It depends on the country and state: usually a contract, tax and pay details, and checks such as the right to work. The checklist has one step for it, and the official guides linked below say what applies where you are.

How should new staff get into client accounts?

With their own logins, added by the client or your account owner, never a shared password. Where a password can't be avoided, share it through a password manager, not by email or chat, and record who has access so it can be removed when they leave.

Does it work in Google Sheets?

Yes. Upload it with File > Import. It only uses functions both programs have (IF, OR, AND, ISNUMBER, COUNTIF, COUNTIFS, COUNTA, IFERROR and TODAY).

Sources

Last reviewed 4 October 2026. We link to the regulator, the law or the platform's own help pages.

Changes: 4 October 2026: first published.

Free to use and change in your own business. Please don't resell the files or publish them as your own. More free templates.