New employee onboarding checklist template
Induction is the first day. Onboarding is the fortnight either side of it, and it is where the paperwork, the payroll setup and the training either happen on time or turn up in week six as a problem.
| Stage | Task | Who does it | Due | Done |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before the offer | Confirm the award and the classification against the duties | Owner | 2 weeks before | Yes |
| Before the offer | Check references and any ticket or certificate the role needs | Manager | 2 weeks before | Yes |
| Before the offer | Confirm the right to work in Australia | Owner | 2 weeks before | Yes |
| The offer | Send the letter of offer, the contract and the job description | Owner | 10 days before | Yes |
| The offer | Give the Fair Work Information Statement | Owner | 10 days before | Yes |
| The offer | Receive the signed contract and file it | Owner | 5 days before | Yes |
What is in the file
- Template, blank, with 22 rows under stage, task, who does it and the rest.
- Example, the same sheet filled in for Harbourside Coffee.
- How to use, with the steps and the mistakes below.
How to fill it in
- Work backwards from the start date, because most of the list is before day one rather than after it.
- Put a name in the who column rather than a job title where two people could do it.
- Keep the payroll setup and the rostering setup as separate lines, because they are separate systems and both get forgotten.
- Check the first timesheet and the first payslip with the person, which is where setup errors show up.
Common mistakes
- Payroll set up on the first pay run rather than before the first shift
- Availability collected after the roster has already been published
- The probation conversation never booked, so the period passes without a decision
Sources
The official pages this wording was read against, on 21 October 2026.
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Hiring employees
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Information Statement
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Record-keeping
- Fair Work Ombudsman, National Employment Standards
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
Two lines of this list are one step in Roster Flow: invite the person by email, and their availability, their shifts and their clock ins are in the same place as everybody else’s from day one.
Questions
What is on the new employee onboarding checklist template?
5 columns: stage, task, who does it, due, and 1 more. The blank sheet gives you 22 rows, and the example is the same grid filled in for Harbourside Coffee: before the offer, before day one, the first week and the first month, with who owns each task.
Does the new employee onboarding checklist template calculate anything?
No. Its 5 columns are there to fill in, by hand or on screen, and none of them is a formula. It is a planning sheet for before the offer, before day one, the first week and the first month, with who owns each task
Can I use the new employee onboarding checklist template in Google Sheets?
Yes. Open new-employee-onboarding-checklist.xlsx from Google Drive, or use File, then Import, then Upload with new-employee-onboarding-checklist.csv. The grid and its example come across either way.
Is the wording in the new employee onboarding checklist template ready to use as it is?
The new employee onboarding checklist template is a starting point for Harbourside Coffee or any business like it, to adapt rather than sign. The wording was checked against the official sources on 21 October 2026, it is not legal advice, and it has not been through a workplace relations professional.