First impressions matter, like when the right candidate wows you during the interview process. Similarly, that candidate gets an impression of your organization within the first few days on the job. 

A good onboarding plan is shown to improve retention rates and overall employee satisfaction. Unfortunately, a recent poll shared that “only 12% of employees strongly agree their organization does a great job of onboarding new employees.” 

More can be done to nurture talent from the very beginning. 

Check In Early, Check In Often

A new colleague’s first 90 days are vital to their long-term engagement, sense of belonging and how they can contribute to the overall mission of the company. This should be an exciting time for learning their role, spending time with specified individuals who mentor and teach them. Check in with them often to ensure that they are on track. They shouldn’t be feeling too overwhelmed, but rather having fun and gaining knowledge. 

Through a 30-60-90 onboarding plan, you create open accountability and communication channels with your new colleague. Rather than pile a large amount of information on a new colleague at the very beginning, this plan helps you guide them through learning and development at an agreed-upon pace. 

The best time to prepare for your next employee onboarding is now. Our team of talent experts have developed a flexible 30-60-90-day outline to help take your first impressions from overwhelming to effective. 

What to Expect in the First 90 Days

Use these first few months to build relationships, promote learning, define goals and engage in two-way feedback. Here’s how this will look at a high level: 

• First 30 Days: The first 30 days are crucial for setting a new teammate up for success. Right away, be sure to show the employee where the bathroom and coffee pot are. Then, establish practices that will support the rest of the onboarding processes. 
• Next 30-90 Days: This is a period where the expectations for a new employee typically shift from initial orientation and learning to deeper integration and active contribution. 
• By 90 Days: At the 90-day mark, check-in with your new employee, with a focus on aspects of their performance, progress and integration into the team. At this stage, they should be moving from the learning phase into routine, proactive contributions, and laying the foundation for future success within the organization.   

30-60-90 Checklist

Relationship Building

30 Day 

Get to really know each other! At this point in your colleague’s tenure, you are both only a couple degrees above strangers. As a manager, you can break the ice and introduce yourself, then use an activity like Focus on You with the team. Use this time to discuss what you and your new colleague would like your relationship to be.  

Be sure to introduce them to other key team members, scheduling 1:1 time within the first few weeks. You may also schedule 1:1 time with stakeholders outside the department, or even a peer mentor to help the employee navigate company culture. 

60 Day 

Through conversations with team members and mentors, your new colleague will be building a greater understanding of their role and how what they do contributes to company objectives.  

Continue to help them with building strong relationships across departments. As the weeks go on, collaboration should start to feel more comfortable and effective. Discuss with them how to actively participate in meetings, share ideas and provide input that contributes to discussions and decision-making processes. 

90 Day 

Networking and building relationships are crucial for long-term results. Your colleague should now have good working relationships with key colleagues, both within their team and across departments.   

By consistently delivering quality work and showing a positive attitude, they will earn the trust and respect of their peers and those above them, thereby gaining credibility at your organization. 

Active Learning

30 Day 

There is a lot to know about an organization. Rather than overwhelm your new colleague with stacks of reading, use check-in time to walk them through essential points, including: 

• Their role, job description, key responsibilities and performance expectations. 
• The mission, vision, values, culture, and organizational goals. 
• Systems, training resources, and the right contacts for each. 

All along the way, encourage your colleague to ask questions for clarity. 

30 to 60 Days 

Invite your new colleague to start owning projects or tasks, demonstrating their ability to manage responsibilities independently. They will gain confidence as they help the team progress towards shared goals, complete projects, hit key performance indicators, or add value in other measurable ways. They should be mastering tools and becoming proficient with tools and systems required to do the job. 

A strong leader recognizes and amplifies their team’s individual strengths. Use what you both learned during the Focus on You activity to identify tasks where your new colleague can leverage their strengths towards shared goals. This will also give colleagues a chance to see their talents in action. 

90 Day 

At the end of 90 days, your new colleague can be expected to have a solid grasp of the job responsibilities, the company’s mission, vision and values and culture. They should also understand the team’s dynamic and how their role fits into the larger picture of the department and company. 

Pay attention to where your new colleague has demonstrated competence and reliability. Make note of projects they are working on, or any meaningful ongoing work related to their talent strengths. 

Goal Setting

30 Day 

During the first 30 days, no one should be expected to set goals for the full year. Rather, consider goals for that first month. Who is your new colleague expected to meet? What are they expected to learn? Be clear on the onboarding training they need to complete and the greater purpose of each training. 

This is also a good time to establish accountability. Host quick, weekly connects with the employee to ensure they are on track and identify areas where they may need additional support. 

30 to 60 Day 

Leading up to the 90-day mark, encourage your new colleague to keep track of their achievements, both in their personal development and in service to team projects. Use their reflections and your observations to guide this next check-in. This isn’t like a formal annual review. Rather, this is a relaxed, honest conversation of how far the employee has come and what exciting opportunities lie ahead. 

During the review, take time to set medium-term goals, focusing on what they should be able to achieve by the 6-month mark. Balance your discussion with both praise for their accomplishments and constructive feedback for how they can continue to grow into their role. Offer actionable next steps to keep them on a clear track. 

 90 Day 

Now is the time for your new colleague’s 90-day performance review. Start by briefly summarizing their role and the primary goals they were expected to achieve in their first 90 days. Highlight major accomplishments and milestones they have reached, noting specific projects and tasks they’ve completed successfully, as well as feedback others have shared about their new colleague. 

Ask your colleague about any challenges associated with their role and ideas they may have to address them. Follow their lead on a plan to implement change, offering your perspective as constructive feedback. 

End this review by setting clear goals for the next set number of months. Provide actionable direction on what they can focus on, additional training opportunities or other areas of talent development. 

An Effective Approach for Meaningful Feedback

30 Day 

Check-ins, at the most basic level, are opportunities to understand how someone else is doing. Before the new employee even hits the 30-day mark, be sure to ask a lot of questions to understand their experience and how to make the most out of the next 30 days. 

Questions like: 

• How has your experience been so far? 
• What has surprised you either positively or negatively, about the role or the company? 
• How comfortable do you feel with our company culture and your team? What aspects of the team do you really enjoy here? 
• How well do you understand how your role contributes to the larger goals of the company? 
• What else do you need to help you continue to progress in your learning? Who do you feel like you want to spend more time with from a learning perspective? 
• What feedback have you been given on your work so far? (To support a culture of trust and value, also offer your feedback to the new individual on what you’ve seen and heard from others.) 

Use these answers to develop goals for the next 30 days.  

30 to 60 Day 

Meaningful feedback requires emotional intelligence and is timely, relevant and actionable. Offer an open-door policy during the first 60 days to strengthen the employee’s confidence in asking for help or clarity. When providing feedback, continue to identify development areas together, following the lead of what they need for successful growth. 

You can also encourage the employee to ask for feedback, whether with you or others on the team. Offer questions they can ask to get the most out of feedback conversations. Be sure to review with team members what the new colleague has been training, what they’ve accomplished, what they are doing well and what they may need continued education and support with. The more context team members have, the better feedback they can provide. 

90 Day 

As you reflect on their first 90 days, offer your colleague positive and constructive feedback with specific examples. Ask them about feedback they received from their peers and others inside or outside the organization. If they seem uncomfortable asking for feedback, offer guidance. 

Feeback conversations shouldn’t stop after the 30-60-90 onboarding plan is complete. Ask questions like these to invite further reflection and opportunities for future conversations: 

• In what areas do you feel you are excelling in? 
• What obstacles are you encountering that I can help with? What talents might you be able to lean into to help you with this? 
• What colleagues would you like to work closer with? Partner with? Learn from? 
• What additional skills do you feel you need to do your work with excellence? 
• What ideas do you have to continue learning and growing in your knowledge? 
• How do you think you can continue to utilize your strengths in your role and continue building relationships? 

Get Ready With Our Focus on You Activity

Our free Focus on You activity can help you and your new employee uncover their goals and interests from the very beginning. Using questions designed for relationship-building, you will establish a rapport that will act as a foundation for a strong, engaged team member. And have some fun conversations along the way.