People & Leadership
A good hire can still fail in the first month
Small businesses often spend weeks finding the right person and then hand them a laptop and a pile of work on day one. Nobody has said what success looks like, nobody is responsible for them, and the paperwork arrives a month late. This session covers onboarding for a business without an HR department: what to prepare, the first day, week and month, the documents that should be in place, and the ninety-day review.
Explore this page6 sections
Most early exits are decided in the first few weeks.
A new hire forms a view of the job quickly: whether anybody expected them, whether the work is what was described, and whether they will be helped to do it. In a small business, a disorganised first week is common, because the owner is busy and nobody else has been given the job of welcoming the newcomer.
Good onboarding does not need a programme or a budget. It needs a page of preparation, one person responsible, early work that is real, and a few conversations at fixed points. This session builds that page.
Onboarding, step by step
35 topics across 7 areas. Seven stages from offer to review. 6 apply to almost any business; the rest only in a particular case.
Before Day OneMost of onboarding happens before they arrive.5
- A written appointment letter with role, pay and terms
- The documents you need from them, requested in advance
- Equipment, accounts and access ready
- One named person responsible for them in the first week
- A message telling them when to arrive and what to expect
The First DayMake them feel expected.5
- Somebody waiting for them when they arrive
- A short explanation of what the business does and for whom
- Introductions to the people they will work with
- How the day-to-day works: hours, leave requests, who to ask
- One small, real task to finish before they leave
The First WeekLearning the work, with somebody beside them.5
- Shadowing the person they will work most closely with
- The tools and systems they will use
- Doing a task together, then doing it with review
- A short check-in at the end of each day
- A conversation at the end of the week about how it is going
The First MonthReal work, with feedback early.5
- Clear responsibilities, written down
- What they should produce in the first month
- Weekly check-ins, short and regular
- Feedback given as it happens, not saved up
- Asking them what is confusing or missing
Paperwork and PoliciesWhat should be in place, and in writing.5
What applies depends on your size, sector and state. Confirm the details with an accountant, HR professional or lawyer rather than relying on a general list.
- The appointment letter, which the new labour codes make mandatory for workers
- Provident fund and ESI registration, where your business is covered
- Leave, attendance and working-hours policies
- A policy on sexual harassment, and who the complaints committee is
- Confidentiality and access to customer or company data
Probation and the Ninety-Day ReviewDecide against what you said success would be.5
- The success measures set before they joined
- A mid-point conversation at about six weeks
- A written review at ninety days
- Confirming, extending or ending probation, as the letter states
- Acting promptly if it is clearly not working
Interns and FreelancersIf it appliesA shorter version still matters.5
- A written letter or agreement stating terms
- A named person to go to
- A defined piece of work and an end date
- Access limited to what the work needs
- Feedback at the end, and a reference if deserved
Signs onboarding went wrong
- They were still asking basic questions in week four
- Nobody could say what they had produced in the first month
- Their appointment letter had not been issued
- They found out about a policy by breaking it
- The ninety-day review never happened
A one-page onboarding plan
- Who is responsible for them
- What is ready before day one
- What they do on day one and in week one
- What they produce in month one
- When the check-ins and reviews happen
How the session runs
An HR practitioner or an owner who has onboarded people well walks through each stage. Participants then build a one-page onboarding plan for their next hire, including the documents and policies they need to prepare. The details of what the labour codes require at your size and in your state are for your accountant, HR professional or lawyer to confirm; this session covers making the first months work.
What your students leave with
- A pre-joining checklist they can reuse for every hire
- A first-day plan that is more than introductions and a laptop
- A first-week and first-month plan with clear early work
- The paperwork and policies a new hire should receive
- A ninety-day review set against what success was defined to be
- A shorter version for interns and freelancers
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
The first week decides more than the interview did.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.