Onboarding is a team sport. HR and L&D can design the system, but managers, buddies, IT, and SMEs bring it to life.
Stakeholder roles
| Stakeholder | Role in onboarding | What they need |
|---|---|---|
| HR | Owns employee experience, compliance, and process consistency | Master checklist, communication templates, feedback surveys |
| L&D | Designs learning paths, courses, playbooks, and measurement | Curriculum map, LMS reporting, content standards |
| Manager | Connects learning to role expectations and performance | Manager checklist, 30-60-90 guide, check-in prompts |
| Buddy | Provides social support and informal context | Buddy guide, expectations, conversation prompts |
| IT | Ensures access, hardware, and security readiness | Access checklist, escalation path |
| SMEs | Provide accurate role and process knowledge | Content template, review cadence |
| Executive sponsor | Reinforces culture and business priority | Welcome touchpoint, strategic message |
Manager onboarding checklist
Managers should complete these actions before and after the new hire starts.
Before day one
- Confirm role expectations and first 30-day goals
- Review the onboarding path assigned to the employee
- Schedule day-one manager meeting
- Assign buddy
- Confirm equipment and system access with IT
- Prepare first-week tasks
- Notify team and key collaborators
- Record or prepare a role welcome message
Week one
- Explain the role in the context of team goals
- Review first-week schedule
- Discuss communication preferences
- Introduce key stakeholders
- Confirm learning path expectations
- Hold at least two check-ins
- Ask: “What is still unclear?”
Days 30, 60, and 90
- Review progress against goals
- Discuss confidence and blockers
- Connect learning to real work
- Give specific feedback
- Update development plan
- Identify next learning path or advanced training
Buddy guide
A buddy is not a second manager. The buddy helps the new hire understand how work really gets done.
Buddy responsibilities
- Welcome the new hire before or on day one
- Explain informal team norms
- Answer “small” questions without judgment
- Invite the new hire into relevant conversations
- Check in at least weekly during the first month
- Escalate blockers to the manager when needed
Buddy conversation prompts
- What has surprised you so far?
- Which tools or processes feel unclear?
- Who have you met, and who would be useful to meet next?
- What acronyms, terms, or team habits should I explain?
- What do you wish someone had told you before day one?
SME contribution template
Use this to gather content from subject matter experts without asking them to “build a course” from scratch.
| Prompt | SME response |
|---|---|
| What does a new hire need to understand about this topic? | |
| What are the top 3 mistakes new hires make? | |
| What examples or scenarios should they see? | |
| What task proves they understand it? | |
| What resource should they revisit later? | |
| How often should this content be reviewed? |
For organizations building manager-led feedback into onboarding, TechClass’s 5 Benefits of a Continuous Feedback Culture in the Workplace can support the broader feedback strategy.