The Onboarding Checklist (That Prevents Early Exits)

It's estimated that the price of replacing an employee is 50-200% of their salary.

If a new hire leaves before they've even settled in, this represents a huge expense, as well as a productivity drain. And too often, poor onboarding is the culprit.

Let's fix that.

A clear, phased onboarding checklist turns day one chaos into a confident ramp, aligning admin, tech, social, and performance milestones.

In this guide, you'll get a framework I use with L&D teams that front-loads paperwork before day one, prioritizes relationships, and uses modern tools to deliver consistent, engaging onboarding at scale.

Why onboarding determines employee success (or failure)

Poor onboarding frustrates new hires and costs organizations through turnover, delayed productivity, and compliance risks.

The hidden costs show up quickly: rework from unclear processes, time-to-productivity delays, and exposure from missed compliance trainings. And yes, PowerPoints with voiceovers rarely land. New hires need interactive, role-relevant experiences, not static slideware.

Effective onboarding improves engagement, retention, and performance because new hires know what matters, who to go to, and how to succeed. Many companies now treat onboarding as a strategic capability rather than a one-time orientation. An onboarding checklist sets the foundation to achieve this.

An onboarding checklist is a phased, role-tailored list of tasks and milestones that covers administrative, technical, social, and performance elements to integrate a new hire into the organization.

In my work with product and sales teams, the shift to a clear, phased checklist with milestone reviews led to faster ramp and fewer early exits. I've seen companies drastically improve onboarding by replacing slide decks with short, interactive videos and knowledge checks.

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The full onboarding checklist

Pre-boarding: Set the stage before day one

The best onboarding experiences start when the offer is accepted, not on day one.

Handle the administrative heavy lifting early: offer letters, background checks, tax forms, benefits pre-enrollment, salary setup, equipment ordering, and system access creation. Align with compliance needs and required trainings early.

Create anticipation. Send a welcome package and a short video message from the CEO or team lead. With Synthesia you can do this much more efficiently by recording once, personalizing at scale, and keeping quality consistent for every new hire. If you operate globally, create localized versions so teammates can learn in their preferred language.

Stand up a self-serve onboarding hub in your LMS, Intranet or tools like Notion with day-one details, FAQs, and short "how we work" videos.

Track these pre-boarding tasks in your new hire checklist so nothing slips. Use a simple RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) so owners are clear.

Use this window to complete admin so day one can focus on people and context. Here, HR, IT, and the hiring manager act as SMEs, sharing their know-how so L&D can convert it into repeatable resources, like short AI videos, that save time and ensure quality.

First day: Make memorable first impressions

Day one should feel like joining a community, not standing in a line.

Prioritize a warm welcome, working equipment, and essential introductions. Complete required compliance items (such as tax forms, ID verification, and policy acknowledgments — e.g., I-9 and W-4 in the U.S.), but space them between human moments.

Use orientation to set cultural norms and company context. Explain the mission and how the role connects to outcomes. Replace slide decks with concise video modules for the company overview, leadership messages, and virtual tours. With Synthesia, you can standardize these assets and update them quickly when policies or org charts change, so every location hears the same message.

Use this as the core of your new employee checklist for day one.

First-day checklist by stakeholder

First week: Build foundations and connections

Week one turns overwhelm into understanding through paced learning and deliberate relationship building.

Deepen orientation with department overviews, tool training, and the first small project. Layer information to avoid overload. For example, cover communication tools and project management on day two, key processes on day three, and role-specific training on day four.

Alongside this, set expectations with a 30-60-90 day plan. Define what the hire should achieve in each stage and align on outcomes with the manager. This provides structure while still leaving space for learning.

A buddy system can work really well when you pick the right people. Buddies translate unwritten rules, explain team dynamics, and provide safety for questions. Choose people who enjoy coaching and give them time to do it.

Schedule short meetings with key stakeholders and cross-functional partners. Keep them to 30 minutes and focus on context and collaboration norms.

Make social integration intentional. Try "coffee roulette," cohort channels (at Synthesia we use Donut for Slack), or if you're onboarding a new cohort, you could even try a new-hire bingo card with prompts like "Find someone who has been here five or more years."

Fold these milestones into your new hire onboarding checklist so progress is visible.

Assign ownership: HR handles compliance, managers set goals and schedule touchpoints, IT ensures technical readiness, and buddies own social integration.

First month: Accelerate competency and confidence

Month one shifts from learning to doing, with clear goals and regular support.

Execute against the 30-day goals defined in week one. Aim for visible proof points of contribution, not big-bang wins. Deliver role-specific and compliance training in engaging formats. To make this more engaging, you can use Synthesia to build scenario-based videos and branching practice for customer calls, feedback conversations, or safety decisions.

Schedule frequent manager check-ins. Personally I like the START framework:

• Situation: How are things going overall?
• Tasks: What are you working on?
• Actions: What support do you need?
• Results: What wins can we celebrate?
• Timing: What's coming next?

Measure early indicators of success beyond task completion: participation in discussions, quality of questions, and initiative. Address concerns quickly to prevent bad habits.

Build feedback into this rhythm too — short monthly check-ins during probation surface issues early and keep onboarding responsive.

Keep content evergreen with rapid updates. When product or policy changes, update your script and regenerate the video rather than rebooking studio time.

Month-end review checklist:

30-60-90 day framework: Structure long-term success

The 30-60-90 framework provides clear milestones that guide new hires from learning to contributing to leading.

Create and align on the plan during week one, then calibrate at 30 days. If month one focused on learning systems and processes, month two emphasizes applying that knowledge independently.

At 60 days, increase autonomy and deepen integration. Expect ownership of routine tasks, meaningful project contributions, and an expanding internal network.

At 90 days, focus on full productivity and continuous improvement. New hires should be identifying process improvements and influencing outcomes. Reaching 90 days often means completing probation. Use this moment to open career path discussions, so employees see growth beyond onboarding.

Conduct milestone reviews to celebrate progress and identify development needs:

If you need to scale rapidly (new sales cohorts or channel partners), reuse your core 30-60-90 templates, then swap in role-specific playlists and localized content inside your new employee onboarding checklist.

Six months and beyond: Sustain engagement and growth

Onboarding does not end at 90 days. Longer-term checkpoints maintain engagement and surface future leaders.

At six months, shift to development: conduct a formal review, discuss career paths, and identify stretch assignments. Invite the employee to mentor or buddy a future new hire when ready.

At one year, celebrate contributions, plan advancement where appropriate, and treat this milestone as another opportunity to gather feedback on their experience at the organization to date.

Long-term checklist items:

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Remote and hybrid onboarding

Remote onboarding requires intentional connection and clear communication to replace natural office interactions.

Create virtual equivalents for in-person moments: video walkthroughs instead of office tours, scheduled coffee chats instead of hallway hellos, and Slack check-ins instead of desk drop-bys. Maintain frequency and informality.

Plan technology setup and logistics: ship equipment early, include setup guides and return labels, and offer dedicated IT support hours. Provide short video tutorials for your tool stack.

Create presence through video. Use Synthesia to produce consistent welcome messages and a "day in the life" series that demystifies how teams work, using the same avatar and template to maintain continuity across modules. Schedule virtual co-working sessions and cohort channels to reduce isolation.

Remote-specific checklist additions:

Measure and optimize your onboarding process

The best onboarding programs evolve based on data, feedback, and changing business needs.

Track key metrics tied to your goals: time-to-productivity benchmarks, 30/90/365-day retention, engagement survey results, and training completion and assessment data. Use multiple feedback channels: brief surveys after day one and week one, monthly pulses, and manager observations.

Leverage analytics from video-based training platforms like Synthesia to identify drop-off points and rewatch patterns, and from your LMS to track completion and quiz scores. Update confusing sections and improve pacing where learners struggle.

Create tight feedback loops. Share insights with stakeholders monthly, pilot improvements with a small cohort, then roll out what works.

Integrate systems to automate and track ownership. Connect HRIS, LMS, and IT ticketing to trigger tasks, log completions, and centralize reporting. If you publish SCORM/xAPI packages, keep your assessments within the LMS and link your videos for a single source of truth.

Iterate the checklist by role, department, and seniority:

• If sales reps struggle with CRM basics, redesign that module with scenarios and a short quiz.
• If engineers need more technical onboarding time, extend that phase and add peer shadowing.
• If managers report weak social integration, increase buddy touchpoints and cohort rituals.
• If remote workers feel isolated, add scheduled co-working and cross-time-zone pairing.
• If you're onboarding partners, spin up a lightweight partner path with role-specific compliance and product enablement.

Final thoughts

A clear, phased onboarding checklist turns day one chaos into faster ramp, better retention, and a stronger culture. Treat it as a system, not a stack of forms.

Great onboarding is an investment. This week, pick one improvement: assign buddies, front-load admin, or record a short onboarding video with AI.

Next, iterate with data and move toward AI-personalized, employee-driven journeys that adapt over time. Start small, learn fast, scale what works.