It's a new employee's first day. The computer is ready, colleagues are friendly, and someone has already shown them where the coffee is.
Then comes the first task.
The order details need checking with Anna, the price list is in the shared folder — but only the “final_new_2” version should be used. The agreement with the client is in a chat, and Armen knows how deliveries work. Armen isn't in today.
You hired them for sales, but for the first week they work as a detective.
To bring a new person into the work, you need to make information accessible, explain the main steps and show who to turn to when something isn't clear. Here's how to organise that process.
1. Prepare before the first working day
A new employee's start gets harder when the access they need is only set up after they arrive.
“Just watch for now until we set up your login” can fill a day, but it doesn't always help them learn the job.
Prepare in advance:
- the accounts and tools needed for the work,
- the right access permissions,
- links to the current instructions and documents,
- a plan for the first days,
- the name of a colleague who will help with day-to-day questions.
Also check that the links open with the new employee's own permissions. A link that works on the manager's computer isn't yet a document everyone can access.
2. Explain how their work connects with everyone else's
An employee may know which button to press without understanding why a field is required.
For example, a salesperson leaves out the delivery address, thinking they'll check it later. The order moves to the next stage, and the person in charge of delivery has to call the client again.
In the first days, show the whole journey of the work, from request to completion. Then highlight the new employee's role.
They need to understand:
- who they receive work from,
- what data they need to check,
- what result is expected of them,
- who they hand the next step to, and how.
This picture also shows the impact of a mistake. A small skipped field can turn into half an hour of searching for the next person.
3. Write down the instructions you repeat out loud every day
If you answer the same question several times a week, the answer is probably worth writing down.
Start with frequent actions: taking an order, registering a client, marking a payment, a product return or handing over a task.
Include in each instruction:
- Purpose — why the action is done.
- Start — when to begin and with what data.
- Steps — what to do and in what order.
- Finish — how to know the work is done.
- Exceptions — who to ask when the case isn't the usual one.
For example, “Register the order” is too general. It's more useful to say which data is required, how to check for a duplicate client record and which status to give the new order.
Also note who owns the instruction and when it was last updated. An old instruction can very confidently lead someone down a path that no longer works.
4. Keep information somewhere obvious
A new employee shouldn't have to guess where to look for data.
Agree on simple rules for where information lives. For example:
- current order data — in the management system,
- the current price list — via an approved link,
- work instructions — in a shared knowledge section,
- tasks — with an owner and a deadline.
Summarise any important agreement reached with a client in a chat in the relevant order record too.
Then the next employee will find what they need without reading three chats and asking “who was on duty that day?”.
5. Build the first week around real tasks
A tour of the whole system can be impressive. But afterwards a new employee may still not know how to register their first order.
Break training into small steps: explain, show, try, give feedback.
A sample first week might look like this:
- Day 1. Meet the team, the workflow and the tools. Outcome: knows their role and where to get help.
- Day 2. Watch the main task being done, then try it on a training example. Outcome: can repeat the steps.
- Day 3. Do a routine task with a colleague checking. Outcome: also understands the checkpoints.
- Day 4. Go through examples of changes, cancellations or mistakes. Outcome: knows when to fix something and when to ask for help.
- Day 5. Do an agreed piece of work and discuss the result. Outcome: clear what they already do on their own and what they're still learning.
Adjust the schedule to how complex the job is. For some roles, a week is only enough for the first introduction.
6. Name someone they can ask
“Just ask if anything comes up” is friendly but vague. A new employee may not know who to ask, when to ask, or whether they're being a nuisance yet again.
Assign a buddy and make clear:
- which questions to bring to them,
- how to reach them urgently,
- when to go through accumulated questions,
- who covers for them when they're away.
Give the buddy time for this too. If their workload hasn't changed, help can easily stay at the level of “as soon as I'm free”.
A short, pre-agreed catch-up in the first days lets you resolve questions before they turn into a wrong order or a missed task.
7. Check skills with practical work
“Did you understand everything?” usually gets a “yes” — especially when the person hasn't yet worked out what their questions are.
Instead, ask them to do a routine task and explain the steps.
For example:
- find a client's current order,
- register a new request,
- change order details in the agreed way,
- hand a task over to the person responsible,
- show where the current price is checked.
Also see whether they notice missing information and know when to ask for help.
Working independently doesn't mean knowing every answer by heart. What matters is being able to find verified information and get your bearings in an unusual situation.
8. Use a new employee's questions to improve the process
A new person sees the unclear spots the existing team has long got used to.
If they ask “why do we enter the same data in two places?”, it's worth finding out why. Maybe the repetition is a necessary check. Or maybe it's a habit from years ago whose purpose nobody remembers.
During the first weeks, collect:
- documents that were hard to find,
- terms nobody explained,
- instructions that contradict each other,
- questions that keep coming up,
- steps that always need one particular person's help.
Use that list to update your instructions and settings. The next new employee's start will already be easier.
How to tell whether onboarding is working
Watch a few practical measures:
- how many days it takes the employee to do the main routine task,
- how many corrections their work needs,
- which questions keep coming back,
- which information is hard to find,
- how much time colleagues spend on the same explanations.
Use this data to improve training and the process. If several new hires struggle at the same point, check the instruction, the access and the working rule first.
Before the new employee arrives, check that
- The main accounts and access are ready.
- The plan for the first days is agreed.
- A buddy has been assigned and has time.
- The main instructions are accessible and up to date.
- It's clear where to find current data.
- Practice tasks are prepared.
- It's defined what the employee does alone and what with a check.
- Time is set aside to discuss questions and progress.
In their first weeks a new employee should learn the job, get to know the team and gradually take on responsibility. A clear process and accessible information help them spend their time on exactly that.
As for who created “final_new_2” — that may remain a mystery forever.
Where will a new employee find the order, the person responsible and the next step? Contact the TM Hub team — we'll help you automate and simplify that process.
