Game-changing New Hire Onboarding Templates To Start Using

An overview of various onboarding templates with in-depth insights into their benefits and how to create them

June 26, 2023
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How would you describe your job to a five year old?
What season would you be?
What is a weird food you have tried? Would you eat it again?
What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Would you go in the mother-ship with aliens if they landed on Earth tomorrow?
What is your favorite season?
Do prefer working from home or the office?
What is your earliest memory of this job?
What is the best thing you have bought so far this year?
What is the earliest book you remember?
If you had to move to another country, which one would you choose?
You are the best criminal mastermind in the world. What crime would you commit if you knew you would get away with it?
What is your favorite movie genre to watch?
What was the last thing you ate?
What person from history would you add to Mount Rushmore?
What is a weird fact you know?
What is your favorite part of working from home?
Were the Spice Girls a good team?
Imagine you can instantly learn any language. Which would you choose?
If you could live in any state, which state would you pick?
Which fictional team is the best team of all time?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
What do you usually eat for a quick lunch?
What simple food will you never eat?
Show us the weirdest thing you have in the room with you right now.
Would you rather stay at a hotel or an AirBNB?
What is your favorite movie genre to watch?
Are you more productive in the morning or at night?
Who is someone in your community that makes a difference?
Who was your most unique pet?
Choose one famous person from history you want on your team during a zombie apocalypse.
What is a good way to give back to the community?
Which song could you listen to over and over again?
Is Hugh Grant funny?
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
Would you want to have an imaginary friend today? Did you have one as a child?
What actor or actress would you want to play you in the movie about your life?
What is the best super power?
What is your New Years resolution?
You can only eat one food again for the rest of your life. What is it?
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Would you rather join Metallica or Backstreet Boys?
What is the best example of a community you have seen?
What is an easy way to do something nice for someone?
Show us your phone background and tell the story behind why you picked this image.
What was your first job?
Pick any band to play at your funeral.
If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
Which superpower would you give to your arch enemy?
What is the most obscure superpower you would want?
What emoji best describes how you are feeling right now?
If you could live in any country, which country would you pick?
Would you rather live in a city or a town?
What is your favorite holiday?
What is something you accomplished as part of a team?
What is your standard office lunch?
What is your most used phone app?
What is your favorite season?
Have you ever won something as a team?
Imagine you are a professional baseball player. What is your introduction song?
Beach holiday or ski trip?
Have you ever been to a funny comedy show?
Would you rather live at the North Pole or the South Pole?
What is your favorite song to sing?
If you could live in any state, which state would you pick?
Imagine you could teleport anywhere. Where would you go right now?
What is the most unusual job you have heard of?
What was the last thing you ate?
You can visit any fictional time or place. Which would you pick?
What do your family and friends think you do all day?
What movie do you wish you could watch again for the first time?
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What movie defined your generation?
You are stranded on a remote desert island. Are you alone or with your worst enemy?
What is your favorite knock-knock joke?
Have you ever told someone Santa is not real?
Do you know how to speak more than one language?
On a scale of 1 – 10, how much of a team player are you?
What is your #1 recommendation in this city?
What is your favorite holiday?
What bucket list item do you most want to check off in the next six months?
What is your favorite mythical creature?
What was the first way you made money?
If you could be great at any Olympic sport, which would it be?
Which song could you listen to over and over again?
When did you start liking/hating mushrooms?
Where is your favorite vacation spot?
Do you take your PTO all at one time, or another way?
Which show do you remember most from your childhood?
Which beverage goes best with pizza?
Would you want to have a personal assistant follow you around everywhere and do what you asked of them?
Have you ever met your idol?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Would you rather live 100 years in the past or 100 years in the future?
What is your hobby?
When you are alone in the car, what volume is the music at?
Imagine you no longer have to work. How would you spend a Tuesday?
What is your favorite type of sandwich?

More often than not, routine activities have minimal to no errors due to consistency and familiarity. However, they can become monotonous and boring after a while, leaving room for mistakes.

When it comes to onboarding, every new hire is different, and while the process is typically the same, HR managers get overwhelmed and are prone to missing out on key steps. 

And that’s where a new hire onboarding template comes in. 

An employee onboarding template provides an orderly sequence of essential tasks for integrating new hires. It ensures that new hires receive relevant information, reducing integration transition time. 

A successful onboarding process boosts the company’s workforce with highly resourceful and valuable employees, reducing turnover rates in the long run. It is a crucial process that shapes the experience of new hires and determines the continuing success of newly-hired employees.

In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of using an onboarding template and share the game-changing templates you need for a successful onboarding process.

What Does A Good Onboarding Plan Look Like?

A good onboarding plan is structured and designed to give new hires a memorable experience. The key elements of a good onboarding plan include the following:

  1. Compliance
  2. Clarification
  3. Confidence
  4. Connection
  5. Culture
  6. Checkback

  1. Compliance

Compliance fosters a safe and ethical workplace. It ensures that new hires understand the existing company’s legal requirements and policies. It involves orienting new hires by setting up workstations and making important employment paperwork available. 

It also entails introducing new hires to top management staff, managers and team members to improve company-wide collaborations. These introductions can occur during one-on-one meetings. 

Assembly’s one-on-one meeting templates are a great way to begin. Check it out.

  1. Clarification

Clarification makes new employees more efficient and productive. This means creating sufficient opportunities for new hires to seek clarity on unclear aspects of workflow. It ensures new hires have a comprehensive understanding of their responsibilities and have enough information to succeed.

Clarification helps align new employees' duties with the company's objectives, providing a clear basis for performance evaluation.

  1. Confidence

In addition to having the correct information, new employees are more confident on the job when they are provided with the right tools. 

A good onboarding plan builds new hires’ confidence by providing an engaging, interactive and role-specific training program. 

  1. Connection

Employees who feel connected to the company are more motivated to do their best and offer new insights. Building connection is crucial to remote onboarding. It facilitates easy integration of new hires into the company by helping them feel closer to its culture.

Connection encompasses all activities that foster social interactions in the workplace, including social events, mentor sessions, and team-building exercises. These activities improve positive relationships between new hires and the company.

  1. Culture

A company’s culture describes its beliefs, norms, values and practices and provides guidelines for interactions within the company. 

A good onboarding plan walks new hires through intricate company culture details, such as arrival time, standards of practice, workflow, dress codes and penalties. 

Employees who understand the company culture can fit in more seamlessly, improving productivity. 

  1. Check-in

An onboarding plan is not complete without a provision for routine check-ins. It’s the central piece that holds all other elements together. 

A good onboarding plan incorporates routine check-ins to monitor the progress of new hires, resolve issues and provide continuing support. Also, new hire feedback during these check-ins can improve the effectiveness of the onboarding process.

What are the benefits of using an onboarding template?

The major benefit of using an onboarding template is that it streamlines the onboarding process, making it seamless and practical. 

Using onboarding templates positively affects new employees, making them more committed and enthusiastic about getting started. Other advantages of using an onboarding template include:

  • Time-saving
  • Consistency
  • Compliance
  • Customization
  • Scalability

  • Time-saving

Onboarding templates help to save time by providing HR with pre-designed frameworks which can easily be modified to suit the company’s peculiar needs. 

This also removes the need to create onboarding documents for each new hire from scratch. 

  • Consistency

In addition to ensuring all relevant information is in the onboarding plan, an onboarding template guarantees consistency of information for every new hire. 

It also ensures every employee is equally and adequately equipped.

  • Compliance

Employee onboarding templates contain important legal information that helps companies avoid non-compliance issues. 

It also ensures completeness of the process by providing new hires with details about the existing company’s regulations.

  • Customization

Though an onboarding template ensures consistency, HR can tailor it to suit the employees’ specific onboarding needs. 

Also, the flexibility enables HR managers to customize the onboarding process to reflect the company's unique values and identity. 

  • Scalability

Onboarding templates are a top priority for companies with remote teams and fast-growing companies. 

Templates help companies onboard quickly and easily because they can be easily reproduced and adapted for different positions and departments. 

How Do You Write An Onboarding Plan?

An onboarding plan is a recipe for a structured and comprehensive onboarding process. Creating one and following through makes a significant difference. 

The steps to creating an effective onboard plan include:

  1. Define onboarding goals.
  2. Identify key stakeholders.
  3. Outline the onboarding journey.
  4. Incorporate resources.

  1. Define Onboarding Goals

What are the goals and objectives of your onboarding process? 

Effectively setting goals guides the rest of the plan. These goals can range from providing new hires with sufficient training for their positions to ensuring a smooth transition of new hires to facilitating integration into the company’s culture. 

  1. Identify Key Stakeholders

The HR manager identifies and assigns specific responsibilities to relevant stakeholders. These stakeholders include HR personnel, top management staff, team managers, team members and buddies. 

  1. Outline The Onboarding Journey

This is the most critical step in writing an onboard plan. It requires detailing activities and tasks for each stage of the onboarding process. 

This includes pre-boarding tasks, new employees’ first-day tasks, first-week responsibilities and training milestones tailored to the company and the role. An onboarding checklist template simplifies this phase and prevents omitting important activities.

  1. Incorporate Resources

Every plan needs resources to implement. This step allows the company to identify the tools and materials required to facilitate each phase of the onboarding process. 

These include welcome packages, onboarding software, training content, workforce and relevant templates.

What Are The Different Types Of Onboarding Templates?

A new hire onboarding template is the foundation for a strong onboarding process. It provides structure and is necessary for any onboarding process’s success. The different types of onboarding templates include:

  1. Onboarding plan template.
  2. Onboarding process template.
  3. Onboarding checklist template.
  4. Onboarding schedule template.
  5. Onboarding email template.
  6. Onboarding guide template.
  7. Onboarding training template.
  8. Onboarding packet template.
  9. Onboarding presentation template. 

  1. Onboarding plan template

This comprehensive document details the specific tasks, activities, goals and timelines of an onboard process. 

It assists HR in evaluating the progress of new hires and the onboarding process in general. Timelines could be 30, 60 or 90 days. A 90-day onboarding plan template typically contains details about:

  • Orientation sessions.
  • Formal workplace introductions
  • Training modules.

  1. Onboarding process template

It is a structured guideline for welcoming and integrating newly hired employees into the company. It provides an overview of the steps involved in the onboarding process, assisting HR in adding new hires to the existing company workflow. It also includes specifics about:

  • Paperwork completion
  • Orientation sessions
  • Introduction to key staff members
  • Training programs

  1. Onboarding checklist template

This template guarantees a smooth and comprehensive onboarding experience for new hires. It functions as a guide for HR managers and typically contains the following:

  • Pre-arrival tasks
  • Paperwork and documentation
  • New employee welcoming
  • Workstation setup
  • Facility tour

  1. Onboarding schedule template

This template provides a structured timeline for all activities new hires will participate in during their initial weeks in the company. This template contains information about:

  • Routine check-ins
  • Paperwork completion deadlines
  • Training landmarks

  1. Onboarding email template

This is a pre-designed email sent to new hires before their first day in office. It helps HR establish a cordial relationship with new employees and maintain constant communication throughout onboarding. Contents of the email include:

  • Welcome message
  • Important information about the first day, including logistics
  • Instructions about required paperwork

  1. Onboarding guide template

It functions as a reference document for new hires. It helps new employees easily navigate the different steps of onboarding. This template contains the:

  • Company’s history and culture
  • Company’s values
  • Company’s policies

  1. Onboarding training template

It provides an overview of the different training modules earmarked for new hires to complete during their onboarding training. A training template equips new hires with the required expertise and unifies the training delivery process. Contents of an onboarding training template include:

  • General training modules
  • Compliance training modules
  • Role-specific training modules

  1. Onboarding packet template

These are documents and materials provided to new employees as a centralized resource hub. It ensures new hires fully understand the company’s policies and roles. Contents of an onboarding packet checklist include:

  • Welcome letter
  • Company information 
  • Employee handbook
  • Job description
  • Contact information
  • Training materials
  • Benefits and perks information
  • Cybersecurity guidelines
  • Company culture
  • Onboarding schedule

  1. Onboarding presentation template

The presentation template is a predetermined slide deck used during onboarding orientation sessions. It enables HR managers to deliver consistent and engaging presentations to new hires. Contents of this template include:

  • Key company information.
  • Company’s mission and vision statement.
  • An overview of the different company teams.

What Are Onboarding Examples?

Let’s explore examples of onboarding exercises that make new hires feel welcome. They are creative activities to make new employees more committed to the company’s objectives.

Onboarding examples include:

  1. Introductions and icebreakers.
  2. Company tours.
  3. Pairing new hires with buddies.
  4. Sending new hires company swag.
  5. Employee handbook

  1. Introductions and icebreakers

Traditionally, the first day at work for new hires is for formal introductions to the team, but it can often get awkward. HR teams can spice up these introductions using icebreakers, trivia and games.

An onboarding software makes it more seamless, especially in virtual teams. 

  1. Company tours

Guided tours help familiarize new employees with their new workplace, office layout, amenities, important office areas and teammates. 

Additionally, it helps give new hires a sense of connection to their work environment.

  1. Buddy system

For HR managers, the buddy system is a gift that keeps giving. Pairing new hires with onboarding buddies helps the new employee assimilate into the company’s culture by providing them with an insider understanding of the company’s structure. 

  1. Company swag

Company swags ensure new employees feel a sense of belonging to the new company. An excellent way to incorporate this is by sending new hires company-branded items as part of their onboarding packet.

  1. Employee Handbook

A handbook is an all-inclusive resource and reference to ease new hires into the company culture. It makes the process of learning new company information fun, humanized and easily accessible.

Change Your Onboarding Game with Assembly

Onboarding templates guarantee the efficiency of the onboarding process, improve employee experience and ensure legal compliance amongst new hires. 

They provide a standardized onboarding process for new employees, and companies can quickly generate them using onboarding software. 

Assembly is a tried and trusted onboarding software that provides HR managers with pre-designed templates. It seamlessly integrates workflows with the onboard process, offers real-time progress monitoring and enables personalized feedback. 

Assembly is an indispensable tool in every HR manager’s toolbox. Book a free demo today. 

Browse our Free Employee Recognition Guide

Get the foundational knowledge on creating an employee recognition program that boosts employee engagement and helps them feel valued.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Assembly SOC 2 compliant?

Yes, at Assembly, security is a top priority. Each quarter, we have ongoing security work that is everyone’s responsibility. While we maintain a strong security posture, it was important for us to prove to our customers that we do everything we claim to do. This led us to pursue a SOC 2 Type II report that would provide evidence of our compliance with industry gold-standard security practice.

What's the ROI for employee recognition?

There is study after study showing that employee recognition leads to increased engagement. This in return creates an environment where employees are happier and more motivated which increase productivity and reduces voluntary turnover significantly. In order to filled critical roles, companies tend to spend nearly twice the value of an annual salary. Assembly is an investment in your employees that supports your bottom line.

Does Assembly offer longer-term contracts?

Yes, we will offer contracts for companies with longer-term agreements to help larger customers have more certainty around future costs.

The minimum agreement term is a 12-month subscription.

Does Assembly offer onboarding support?

We do and for FREE! Any new customer needing further support to get started with Assembly to ensure you're set up for success can request custom onboarding support. Improving your employee experience is about much more than just using our amazing software; it’s about transforming your business to create a workplace that people love. That’s much easier to do with the personal support and advice from our passionate people experts.

How much do rewards cost?

At the time of redemption (when your employees exchange their points for a paid reward) you'll pay face value. If a reward is a $10 Amazon gift card, your cost will be $10. All paid rewards are billed for on a monthly basis.

The good news is that you don't have to pay for rewards upfront because we only charge you when points are redeemed, not when they're earned.

Does Assembly offer discounts?

We offer discounts or educational or charitable organizations. In order to secure a discount, you'll first need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.

For all other organizations, we are willing to consider longer-term agreements in exchange for discounts. To set up annual plans or longer, you will need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.

How do I cancel my plan if needed?

If you're on a month to month plan, you can go here and cancel anytime. If you're having concerns or need help setting up your account for success, you can always book a demo with a customer support specialist.

If you're on a longer-term custom plan, you'll need to reach out to your customer support specialist to cancel your account or email us at support@joinassembly.com.

What customizations are available?

Great question! You can customize your core values to match your organization's to boost and track alignment. You can change your currency from the 🏆 emoji (our default) to any emoji of your choice. You can swap our logo for your own. You can also set up company culture rewards such as, "Lunch with the CEO," "Buy a book on us," and so much more!

Who can give or receive recognition?

While we recommend a peer to peer set up where anyone in your organization can give or receive recognition, you can set up Assembly however you want. If you need to limit the people who can give or receive recognition, that's perfectly fine and can be done from your Admin, here.

What integrations are available?

Assembly connects to the tools your employees use every day to offer an easy, seamless experience with minimal change management.  

Assembly has integrations with HCM/HRIS systems like ADP, Google, Office 365, and Slack. We also integrate with communication tools like Slack and Teams so you and your employees can access Assembly wherever they work now.

What's your average adoption rate?

That depends on the company's permissions set up. That said, over 90% of the employees on Assembly's platform are recognized on a monthly basis. That means nearly every employee across all of our customers are receiving regular recognition from their peers, managers, or leadership. We're extremely proud of this.

Must rewards be set up to use Assembly?

They are not required. You can use Assembly without having rewards set up. However, we don't recommend it if you intend to have a high adoption and usage rate. You can always keep the costs down by offering internal culture rewards that are fulfilled by you internally.

Are points required to use Assembly?

No, you can remove allowances from anyone or everyone. It's up to you but we do recommend using points whether they're worth a real dollar value or not. Companies that use points have a much higher engagement rate even if those points don't exchange for real dollars.

Could find the answer you are looking for?

Please schedule time with an expert and we will help you to get all your questions answered