Onboarding new managers checklist

The following checklist will help you properly onboard new managers, whether they’re new hires or current employees. Combine this template with our first-day onboarding checklist and new employee training checklist to design a complete onboarding process.

How to onboard new managers

• Highlight your company’s management culture. Do this by sharing:
  • A video that showcases your values and ways of working
  • A book that echoes your management style
  • A message from your leadership that conveys your company’s mission

• Explain what’s expected of managers at the end of each month, quarter and year. This will help new leaders understand short-term and long-term goals and focus on results. Include company-wide, department and individual goals and make sure to cover how you keep track of progress (for example, using reports or a task management tool.)

• Brief managers on individual team members. Describe the department’s structure (for example, their direct reports and who their supervisor reports to) and where their department fits within the entire organization. Also, mention any recent:
  • Promotions
  • Conflicts
  • Hires
  • Separations
  • Schedule one-on-one meetings with relevant coworkers.
• Make sure new managers meet with people they’ll work closely with, including:
  • Their direct supervisor
  • Their team members
  • Other managers
• Enroll managers in regular management trainings. Leadership abilities are difficult to cultivate, particularly for those who are new to senior positions. Schedule trainings on:
  • Motivation: Managers need to inspire team members to remain productive, despite difficulties.
  • Conflict management: Disagreements could arise within a team and a good manager should not let issues escalate.
  • Time management: Team leaders manage deadlines and delegate tasks, so they need to know how to prioritize work and complete tasks on time.
  • Team management: Managers should learn how to coach team members on-the-job, track performance and plan career paths.
• Give an overview of your employee performance review process. Describe:
  • The review process you follow (for example, 360° evaluation, 1:1 meetings)
  • The software you use
  • The frequency of performance reviews (for example, quarterly or annual)
  • The criteria you use to evaluate performances
• Describe your most important company policies and how to monitor whether team members follow them. Note that managers should have an in-depth understanding of how your company operates to set a good example for their team. Policies you should highlight are:
  • Leave policies (including paid time off and sick days)
  • Security policy
  • Remote work policy
  • Confidentiality policy
• Describe how your company recognizes and rewards employees. Cover:
  • Monetary bonuses (e.g. based on performance)
  • Non-monetary rewards (e.g. additional paid days off after a big project)
  • Ways to acknowledge success (e.g. a “thank you” on your company messaging app)
• Explain your company’s recruiting process. Mention:
  • Your hiring plan review process
  • Your internal mobility policy
  • Your recruitment policy
  • Any recruiting software you’re using
• Explain what their team budget includes. Team leaders are usually responsible for budgets that can be used on:
  • Trainings
  • Resources (e.g. books)
  • Subscriptions (e.g. online courses)
  • Software and hardware
  • Team-building activities
• Schedule periodical meetings between new managers and your HR department. Make sure they are fully settled into their new role and allow them to address any questions they may have during their first 30, 60 and 90 days.