Workflow 5
Onboarding
Pre-boarding through 90 days
Illustrative current-practice design
This is one worked example of how the process is commonly run, not a standard and not advice. Timings, thresholds and percentages are illustrative. Verify anything legally sensitive against local law and your own counsel.
Use it as a complete starting point, then adjust it for your company's strategy, culture, workforce, jurisdiction, collective agreements, technology, risk appetite and future-of-work direction.
Content last reviewed 28 July 2026.
Philosophy
The manager owns the experience; HR provides the infrastructure.
Cadence
Per hire, from offer acceptance to day 90
The steps
- 01
Pre-boarding
Offer accepted to day -1
- HR Ops opens the checklist: IT laptop and access, payroll setup, benefits enrolment
- HRBP sends welcome email with the Day 1 agenda
- Hiring manager creates the onboarding plan and assigns a buddy
- Facilities: badge and workspace; system access confirmed 5 days before start
- Day before: 'Before You Start' email: agenda, what to bring, who to contact, practical details
- 02
Day 1
- Manager greets at 9am
- HR Ops runs a 30-minute welcome: benefits, ID setup, HRIS navigation
- Team intro; compliance training assigned in the LMS with a 30-day deadline
- Buddy takes them to lunch
- Manager holds a full 1-hour conversation: role expectations, 30-60-90 plan, communication style; informal end-of-day check-in
- 03
Week 1
- Daily 15-minute manager check-ins
- Pre-booked meetings with 5-8 key stakeholders
- Team norms and processes reviewed; system access confirmed
- New hire drafts 30-60-90 goals with the manager; compliance training underway
- 04
Weeks 2-4
- Weekly buddy check-ins; HRBP pulse call in Week 2
- All mandatory compliance training complete
- 30-day manager check-in; goals finalised in HRIS by Day 30
- Buddy relationship moves to monthly
- 05
Day 31-90
- Initial deliverables begin; regular 1:1s continue
- 60-day check-in on goal progress and feedback
- 90 days: formal performance check-in, probation decision if applicable, anonymous onboarding survey from HR Ops, optional team presentation
- HRBP reviews feedback trends across the cohort
Who does what (RACI)
| Step | Responsible | Accountable | Consulted | Informed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onboarding plan | Hiring Manager | BU Leader | HRBP | HR Ops |
| Provisioning checklist | HR Ops | HR Ops Lead | IT, Payroll, Facilities | Manager |
| Compliance training | New hire | Manager | L&D | HRBP |
By employee segment
Tech
Code repo access and architecture orientation in week 1
Frontline roles
Mandatory compliance training first, with shadowing
Regulated / licensed roles
Registration confirmation and a supervised period
Senior leadership
Executive assimilation process
Stress tests
Equipment not ready
Automated checklist fires 10 days before start; HRBP follow-up at Day -3; escalation to IT Director. The new hire never gets a vague 'we're working on it'.
No onboarding plan
HRBP checks a week before, sends the template and offers a coaching call.
Role misalignment
The Week 2 pulse call exists specifically to catch this early.
Compliance training incomplete
LMS alerts at 21 days, triggering HRBP follow-up.
Future-of-work considerations
- Onboarding designed for hybrid and distributed starts, not office presence
- Personalized ramp plans built on the skills the person already has
- AI-assisted answers to routine questions, with a named human for the rest
- Manager capacity as a constraint on the first ninety days