The toolkit · First week onboarding
Build a first week plan for a new employee.
Create a practical onboarding plan for a small business: first-day agenda, first-week schedule, welcome email, team intro, checklists, and first Friday questions.
Free · no signup · copy-ready plan
What you'll get
A tailored first-week plan you can copy, download, or print. Every section is built from your answers.
- First-day agenda
- First-week schedule
- Who handles what — manager vs buddy
- Welcome email and team intro
- Manager, buddy, and admin checklists
- First Friday check-in questions
Sample output
A practical first-week onboarding template.
First-day agenda
- 1Welcome them and walk through the day before paperwork.
- 2Confirm email, payroll, equipment, and system access.
- 3Introduce the people they will work with most often.
- 4Explain the first-week goal in plain language.
- 5End with a short check-in on what is clear or confusing.
First Friday questions
- 1What feels clearest after this week?
- 2What still feels confusing?
- 3Who have you met that you expect to work with often?
- 4What should we explain better for the next new person?
- 5What would make next week easier?
Small business onboarding
A first week plan beats a first day scramble.
Small companies often onboard new employees with good intentions and loose notes. That can work until the manager gets pulled into the day. A written first-week plan gives the new employee a clear path, gives the manager fewer repeat questions, and helps the team know how to welcome someone without needing HR software.
What should a new employee do in their first week?
The first week should cover setup, introductions, basic role expectations, shadowing, one small real task, and a Friday check-in. Do not try to teach everything on day one.
What should be in a first-day agenda?
Include arrival or login details, a manager welcome, workspace or systems setup, essential paperwork, team introductions, lunch or break details, and a short end-of-day check-in.
How can small businesses onboard without HR software?
Use a simple written plan, a welcome email, a manager checklist, a buddy checklist, and scheduled check-ins. The important part is clarity before the new employee arrives.