A first-week onboarding plan lays out day one through day five of a new hire's first week, naming what happens, who owns it, and what the new joiner should walk away with each day. Hiring managers use it to turn a new starter's first week from a vague settling-in period into a deliberate, owned schedule.
Build this plan before the new hire's start date, not on the morning itself. Naming an owner for each day's activities, not just the manager, means the plan survives even if that manager is in back-to-back meetings, and gives the new joiner a clear sense of what week one is meant to achieve.
Owner: [IT / HR]
Access and accounts ready: [EMAIL, LAPTOP AND SYSTEM LOGINS CONFIRMED WORKING BEFORE ARRIVAL]
Buddy assigned: [BUDDY NAME], briefed on their role for the week
Workspace or remote setup confirmed: [DESK / SHIPPING ADDRESS FOR EQUIPMENT]
Walk-away point: new hire arrives to a fully working setup, with no first-morning delays
Owner: [MANAGER]
What happens: welcome, team introductions, role overview, [FIRST TEAM MEETING] attendance
Buddy check-in: [BUDDY NAME] takes them to lunch or an informal chat
Walk-away point: new hire knows their manager, buddy and immediate team by name
Owner: [MANAGER / BUDDY]
What happens: walkthrough of current projects, team goals and how success is measured
Shadowing: [WHO THEY SHADOW] on a real piece of work
Walk-away point: new hire can describe what the team is working on and why
Owner: [BUDDY / RECRUITER]
What happens: introduction meetings with [KEY STAKEHOLDERS / CROSS-TEAM CONTACTS]
Continued shadowing: [SPECIFIC TASK OR MEETING]
Walk-away point: new hire has met the people they will work with most in month one
Owner: [MANAGER]
What happens: assign a small, well-scoped first task: [TASK DESCRIPTION]
Support available: [WHO TO ASK IF STUCK]
Walk-away point: new hire ships or completes their first small piece of work
Owner: [MANAGER]
What happens: end-of-week check-in covering how the week felt, open questions and what is next
Feedback captured: [ANY BLOCKERS OR CONCERNS RAISED]
Walk-away point: new hire and manager agree what week two looks like
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