Onboarding helps a new colleague understand the work, people and working agreements. A 30/60/90 plan is an organising tool, not a universal duration standard. Some roles need less support; complex roles may need much longer.
Prepare before day one
Arrange equipment, access, the first-day schedule and a person for questions. The manager clarifies work expectations, HR helps organise the process and a buddy can support daily orientation. There is no universal percentage split of responsibility.
For distributed teams, check access across locations, time zones and language needs before the start date.
Example stages
| Stage | Purpose | Evidence of progress |
|---|---|---|
| By day 30 | Understand tasks, tools and contacts | Complete an initial task with support |
| By day 60 | Work independently within an agreed scope | Discuss an example of completed work |
| By day 90 | Agree ongoing expectations | Review strengths and support needs |
Use role-specific criteria. Time elapsed does not establish readiness. In a small company, one person may hold several support roles, but the newcomer should still know where to ask for help.
Example questions after the first weeks
These original questions are a starting point, not a validated scale. Use a labelled 1–5 agreement scale for these example statements and a separate N/A for insufficient observation. Optional questions may be skipped; mandatory ones need an answer. The ready-made onboarding preset also uses separate satisfaction scales: match labels to each question.
- I know what is expected of me over the next month.
- I can access the tools needed for my current tasks.
- I know whom to ask for help with work questions.
- What helped you get started? (optional open question)
- What should we change for the next new colleague? (optional open question)
Do not promise anonymity when a hire date and small cohort make the author identifiable. See confidentiality rules.
What should you revisit later?
Ask about task clarity, support and whether experience matches recruitment information. If you add eNPS, use the standard question and 0–10 scale. Report new-hire responses separately from the whole workforce.
Also consider time to agreed independence and cohort retention. Do not attribute every departure to onboarding: the role, working conditions and personal circumstances matter too.
Improve the process
Choose a change, such as preparing access before arrival, and verify it for the next newcomer. One-on-ones help address obstacles before the programme ends.
Create an account and prepare an onboarding survey. Match the schedule and invitation to the actual onboarding process.
New-hire segmentation: a particular identification risk
An exact start date, department and role may identify the only newcomer. Do not promise anonymity to that cohort. Where the purpose allows, combine responses over a broader period and label it clearly. If pooling would undermine interpretation, omit the breakdown or arrange an explicitly confidential conversation.
Ask about work support and organisation rather than routinely collecting diagnoses, medication or family circumstances. Handle needs requiring health information through the appropriate separate process. See question boundaries and participant rights.
Sources and scope
These sources support the principles discussed here. Examples and schedules are starting points to adapt, not standards or evidence that our templates have been validated.
