Paperwork, while no one’s idea of a good time, is an inescapable aspect of new hire onboarding. There are some things a new employee just needs to know, and written documents are often the most effective way to impart that essential information. Then there are the various forms to be reviewed, completed, and signed, many of which are required by law.
Of course, these days, many, if not most, onboarding documents are digital, shared via email, web-based platforms, or mobile apps. So, at least the modern document burden is easier on the planet and your company’s printing budget.
Nevertheless, consuming a small mountain of documents remains a daunting hurdle between your newest employees and getting on with important onboarding steps such as learning their roles, meeting their teammates, and familiarizing themselves with company technology.
You shouldn’t have to scramble to assemble a document package for each new hire. To make the document dissemination process as mercifully quick as possible, it helps to maintain a centralized archive of all the documents a new hire needs to get started.
Related: What to Include In Your New Hire Onboarding Portal Get your Free Checklist Here →
Common Types of Onboarding Documents
To help you prepare your onboarding document collection, we’ll share a list of 13 of the most common and useful onboarding documents and provide real-world examples. These documents fall into four general categories:
- Legally required forms. These documents are mandated by federal and state employment and tax regulations.
- Company-specific guides. These documents outline company-wide policies and procedures and provide general need-to-know information for everyone within your organization.
- Role-specific documents. This group of documents will vary depending on the new hire’s position. They may apply to certain departments, worksites, seniority levels, or job descriptions.
- Pay and benefit forms and documents. Everything related to compensation and choosing and using benefits.
Legally Required Onboarding Forms
Many of the onboarding documents on this list are optional. The following forms, however, are not. It may be best to provide these documents as early as possible in the onboarding process — before the start day, even — before attending to company business. But don’t rush them; these forms are legal documents that must be completed accurately by both the employee and your organization.
1. Form I-9: Employment Eligibility Verification
All U.S. employees must complete a federal I-9 form documenting their identity and eligibility for work. Along with the form, they must also present a valid form of identification and work authorization such as a passport, driver’s license, permanent resident card, or Social Security card. (Form I-9’s instructions include a list of valid IDs.)
Form I-9 also includes a section for the employer to fill out. You don’t need to file form I-9 with the government, but you are required to keep it on hand for a designated period and make it available for inspection if requested.
Sample: Find the latest version of form I-9 with instructions and a Spanish version here.
2. Form W-4: Employee’s Withholding Certificate
All U.S. employees must also complete form W-4, which tells the employer how much to withhold from the employee’s pay for federal income tax. As with form I-9, you are not required to submit form W-4 to the IRS or any other federal agency, but you must keep it on file. Employees are entitled to update form W-4 whenever they wish.
3. State Withholding Forms
Some states provide separate tax withholding certificates (state W-4s) for state income taxes.
Samples: Here is a helpful list of which states do and do not have state income taxes, with links to each state’s W-4 form. We recommend checking with your state’s tax collection agency for the most up-to-date version of your state’s withholding form.
Company-Specific Guides
Your company is a unique community. The following onboarding documents cover everything a new hire needs to know to fit in and feel at home.
4. Employee Handbook
The employee handbook is an onboarding staple for good reason. A well-written employee handbook gets new hires quickly up-to-speed on company policies and procedures and answers employees’ most common questions about working for your organization. This can save your HR team an immense amount of time.
Typical employee handbook sections include (but are certainly not limited to):
- Your company’s mission statement
- A brief overview of company history
- Behavioral expectations
- Time-off policies
- A calendar of company holidays
- Emergency procedures
- An explanation of employee rights
- Your harassment policy
- The company dress code
- Policies regarding the use of company property and technology
Samples: Several examples of employee handbooks from well-known employers are available online. Here are a few. Job search site Indeed provides tips for writing an employee handbook and free downloadable templates here.
5. Organizational Chart
When getting acclimated to a new workplace, it always helps to know who’s who. Your company’s org chart shows employees at a glance who’s responsible for various decisions throughout your organization and who to contact with questions or concerns. (It can also prevent new hires from inadvertently going over someone’s head — always an awkward situation.)
Samples: Adobe provides 15 free organizational chart templates here.
6. Brand Guidelines
If the new employee will be dealing with the public in any way — including customers, prospective customers, contractors, and the media — you’ll want to make sure right from the start they know how to represent your company’s values and messaging accurately. Many companies arm each new hire with extensive brand guidelines delineating everything from the proper tone to use when greeting customers to the exact shade of yellow in the company logo.
Employees are your company’s ambassadors to the world. Detailed brand guidelines ensure your organization is never portrayed in anything but the best light.
Samples: Marketing technology firm HubSpot provides an exhaustive guide to crafting brand guidelines here, drawing examples from iconic organizations such as Starbucks, Netflix, and NASA.
7. Non-Disclosure and Non-Compete Policies and Agreements
Though some states have restricted their use, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and non-compete agreements are fairly standard features of the onboarding process, designed to safeguard your company’s intellectual property and preserve your competitiveness.
If you expect your employees to sign NDAs or non-compete agreements, it’s best to have them do it at the beginning of onboarding before delving too deeply into company secrets.
Samples: Several free NDA and non-compete agreement templates are available online — although crafting legally enforceable documents specific to your company’s activities and intellectual property may be a job best left to your legal team.
Role-Specific Documents
The following documents pertain to a new hire’s specific role. Rather than coming from HR, some of these onboarding documents will be shared by supervisors or department heads.
8. Offer Letter
Job applicants typically receive an official offer letter when selected for a position. The offer letter outlines the job responsibilities, employment type, pay, benefits, start date, and other factors needed to establish a shared understanding of the role. Signing an offer letter signifies the official acceptance of a position.
9. Procedures and Processes Guide
A procedures and processes guide is basically a “how-to” manual for the various tasks a new hire will be expected to perform. Often, this will include step-by-step documentation covering your organization’s way of doing things — which may differ significantly from anywhere else a new employee has worked.
Many companies centralize their processes and procedures using an online portal. This way, rather than being set in stone, processes and procedures can be treated as easily updated “living documents.”
Sample: This article offers a nine-step guide to writing a procedures and processes manual.
10. 30/60/90 Plan
A 30/60/90 plan is an onboarding document that sets milestones for new employees to achieve within the first 30 days of their employment, the first 60 days, and the first 90 days. New hires and their supervisors collaborate to formulate a 30/60/90 plan and meet regularly to review the employee’s progress.
Samples: Our article “How to Make SMART Goals for Employee Onboarding Plans” explains how to set 30/60/90 plan goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. The article also includes examples of the objectives that might be included in a 30/60/90 plan.
Pay and Benefit Forms and Documents
This final group of onboarding documents falls squarely within the purview of HR.
11. Benefits Guide
A benefits guide walks new hires (and current employees during open enrollment) through your company’s benefits, including healthcare plans, retirement savings accounts, life insurance plans, employee wellness programs, and EAPs. Benefits guides also explain the enrollment process and deadlines and are typically paired with the relevant enrollment forms.
Benefits guides have a reputation for dense, impenetrable language. But as we noted in a previous article, you can transform your benefits guide into an engaging and enlightening information source with the right design and writing approach.
The article highlights five key strategies derived from modern design and communications best practices:
- Reinforcing important points with callouts, tables, and graphics
- Creating an online (and mobile) version
- Using storytelling techniques to bring benefits to life
- Using clear language to demystify benefits and healthcare jargon
- Choosing a professionally designed benefits guide template
Samples: Find design and writing inspiration from these beautiful professionally designed benefits guides.
12. Benefits Enrollment Forms
Enrollment forms tell you which benefits employees have chosen. There may be a single form for all your benefits or multiple forms, each covering a separate benefit.
While you should encourage your new hires to choose their benefits promptly, do not pressure them to complete their enrollment forms on the first day. Give them time to read through the benefits guide and discuss their options with their families.
Sample: This benefits enrollment form for Boston University employees covers the entire benefits package, including health and dental, life insurance, and flexible spending accounts (FSAs).
13. Direct Deposit Form
Few employees receive printed paychecks anymore. Direct deposit is, by far, the most common payment form in the U.S., which means you’ll have to collect bank account information from every new employee. Many companies use online payment platforms to handle payment tracking and direct deposits.
Samples: This basic direct deposit form provides a helpful visual aid for locating account and routing numbers. Other forms include the option to designate multiple bank accounts.
Centralize Your Company’s Onboarding Documents With an Onboarding Portal
The typical new hire comes home from the first day of work with a huge pile of onboarding documents — or an email inbox full of them. Inevitably, some of these documents get overlooked or misplaced.
A centralized onboarding portal can help employees stay organized amid the chaos of starting a new role. For you and your HR team, that means fewer missed deadlines, fewer repetitive questions, and a smoother, quicker onboarding process.
Click here for a free checklist covering what to include in your employee onboarding portal.