Manager onboarding checklist
HR can run logistics, but the manager decides whether a new hire ramps fast. This checklist covers what the hiring manager owns, kept short enough to actually do.
Key takeaways
- Review and personalise the plan before day one.
- Hold short weekly check-ins for the first month.
- React to signals, don't monitor dashboards.
Before the start date
Prepare.
- Review the onboarding plan and adjust it for this hire's experience
- List the people they must meet and why
- Prepare the first real task
- Block time on your calendar for week one
Day one
Be present.
- Welcome them yourself
- Explain what success looks like at 30, 60 and 90 days
- Introduce the buddy
Weeks 1–4
Short and regular.
- Weekly 30-minute check-in
- Ask what was unclear this week
- Review the first piece of real work
When to step in
Intervene when the hire is stuck on a step, fails a knowledge check twice, misses key meetings or keeps asking the same question. These are signals that the plan or the context is missing something.
Day 90
Review outcomes, agree next goals, and note what to change in the plan for the next hire.