How to Onboard New Managers [Checklist]

Becoming a manager is one of the most challenging transitions an employee can make. As a People Operations leader, you help new people managers get up to speed with confidence in their first 30 days post-promotion (among many other things on your plate).

While it’s common to have robust onboarding programs for new hires, only 17% of organizations have a remote manager onboarding program according to Harvard Business Review.

To help you help your new managers, we created this new manager onboarding checklist and editable template. In the template, we provide options to accommodate three types of new managers: new to people management, new to your organization, and taking on a new team.

The checklist covers several months—from the moment a promotion is announced to the time of their first career conversation with a direct report - so managers are supported at each milestone.

Promotion accepted

Transitioning from an individual contributor to a manager is an exciting moment in an employee’s career. This transition also affects others in the organization, like their new direct reports and stakeholders. Be sure to communicate this change in responsibilities and reporting status.

Inform relevant stakeholders

Choose the mode of communication that works best for your company culture to announce an employee’s new status as a manager. If you foresee this will be a sensitive discussion consider sharing the news in person or a video call instead of an email or slack.

What HR is doing

• Inform the new manager of promotion
• Inform the new manager of any change in compensation

What the manager’s manager is expected to do

• Inform direct reports of change in manager
• Inform relevant stakeholders

Preboarding

There will likely be a brief time before a promotion is announced and the new manager begins their new role. This is a good time to deal with paperwork and documentation, and getting your new manager up to speed on their team or direct reports.

Complete paperwork and documentation

Use this time to complete any paperwork and answer initial questions.

What HR is doing

• Prepare and send paperwork to the new manager
• Address any questions from the new manager

What the manager is expected to do

• Complete promotion documentation

Inform new manager of team history

What has happened with this team and its employees before the new manager begins? The new manager’s manager should take time to share context about their new team so the new manager doesn’t begin a new relationship without useful context.

What the manager’s manager is expected to do

• Inform new manager of team history (promotions, milestones, conflicts, hires, separations).

Access your new manager onboarding checklist

Week One as a New Manager

It’s your new manager’s first week! This phase of onboarding aims to welcome your new manager into their new role, share key responsibilities and expectations, and tips for meeting with their team.

Send a Day One congratulatory note

Becoming a people manager is a big step in an employee’s journey and a reason to celebrate. Before diving into key responsibilities, be sure to congratulate the new manager on their promotion to mark this milestone moment.

In addition to a congratulatory note from HR, share a welcome message from company leadership (ex: CEO). These messages can boost excitement and also signify the responsibility this new role carries.

What HR is doing

• Send a congratulatory note and schedule the first meeting with Human Resources Business Partner
• Share Welcome to People Management message from company leadership, highlight management culture must-knows.

Share basic management expectations

The new manager’s manager plays an important role in onboarding. In addition to modeling important management behaviors, they are a resource the new manager should lean on to share lessons learned, provide context on their new team, and set basic expectations to increase clarity.

What the manager’s manager is expected to do

• Inform new manager of basic management expectations and company goals
• Schedule recurring 1:1s with the new manager
• Share relevant slack channels, email lists, and meetings

Get to know your new team and new responsibilities

You also want the new manager to start the process of familiarizing themselves with their direct reports and basic manager responsibilities. Managers should know in Week One what is expected of them, such as having regular 1:1s and doing performance reviews. They should also have a basic understanding of the difference between being an independent contributor and a people manager. Try creating a User Manual to help your team get to know you better (grab the template here).

What the manager is expected to do

• Send a welcome note to the new team
• Schedule recurring 1:1s with direct reports
• Have kickoff/get-to-know-you 1:1s with each direct report
• Enroll in applicable training (manager development and/or compliance training)
• Schedule meetings with 2-4 other people managers
• Join relevant slack channels, email lists, or meetings.

Provide system access and overview of important policies and programs

Ensure the new manager has access to the tools and systems they will need as part of their key responsibilities. This includes your HRIS, ATS, Performance Management Software, and others. Be sure to also share an overview of how to use these tools and the processes that go along with them, including the basics of your performance review process, leave approval, security practices, and more. A new manager may also approve their first-time card for an hourly employee in their first week.

What HR is doing

• Provide access to systems (HRIS, performance reviews, ATS, etc)
• Share an overview of the performance management process (software, cadence, criteria, etc)
• Share an overview of company policies & processes (leave approval, security, remote work, etc)

Week Two as a New Manager

There is a lot of new information to absorb as a new manager. That’s why we recommend not sharing it all at once, or in their first week. Once they’ve had time to meet their new team members and have a basic understanding of expectations, it’s time to provide more information on how a new manager can set their team up for success.

Start Pyn resources and company overviews

At Pyn we recommend matching the message we want to share with the moment of need. A new manager's second week is likely when they will be having their first 1:1s with their new team. This is the perfect time to send them a Pyn on how to have a great 1:1. They likely will also be preparing for their first team meeting.

In addition to these timely resources, ensure you have information available on other management responsibilities such as compensation practices, hiring, budgeting, and more. Point a new manager to these resources so they can reference them when they need it.

What HR is doing

• Send [Pyn] resources on how to have a great 1:1
• Share overview of rewards and recognition (compensation, monetary and non-monetary rewards, acknowledgments)
• Share overview of recruiting (hiring plan, internal mobility, policies)
• Share budget overview (training, resources, software, team building)
• Share overview of DE&I practices
• Send [Pyn] resources on how to have a great kick-off team-meeting
• Provide reminder of company culture, including the mission, vision, and values and how managers can reinforce it

Month One as a New Manager

At this point, your manager should feel fairly comfortable with their role and team, and be taking a longer view into managing a team instead of several team members.

Set goals and practice feedback with their manager

A new manager should continue to lean on their manager for support with this transition and practicing key management behaviors such as goal setting, and giving feedback.

What the manager’s manager is expected to do

• Set goals for the new manager and their team
• Practice giving feedback with the new manager

Have a 30-day check-in

Both HR and the new manager’s manager should schedule a check-in to see how the first month went. These check-ins also help develop a relationship between a new manager and their HRBP and provide an opportunity for the manager to ask questions and share feedback.

What HR is doing

• Have a 30-day check-in with the new manager

What the manager’s manager is expected to do

• Have a 30-day check-in with the new manager

Coordinate Team Building activities

Whether the new manager's team is remote, in-person, or hybrid they should periodically coordinate opportunities for their team to connect and socialize. This can be a Zoom cooking class, a coffee chat, demo day, or more.

What the manager is expected to do

• Coordinate team building activities

Share overview of how to escalate challenging situations

It’s possible that by Month One, a new manager has experienced a challenging situation such as a performance or employee relations issue. Be sure to make them aware of company practices on what to do, where to go, what to say, etc when these issues arise.

What HR is doing

• Share overview of how to escalate challenging situations (ex: performance issues, harassment, discrimination, employee relations, etc)

Month Two as a New Manager

Schedule a Month Two check-in

Both HR and the new manager’s manager should schedule a check-in to see how the second month went.

What HR is doing

• Have a 60-day check-in with the new manager

What the manager’s manager is expected to do

• Have a 60-day check-in with the new manager

Provide a template for establishing company goals

Whether it’s OKR’s, KPI’s or a different goal-setting structure, be sure to share resources in time for your new manager to set new quarterly goals with their team.

What HR is doing

• Provide a quarterly-goal setting template

Month Three as a New Manager

Congratulations! You’ve successfully guided the new manager through the onboarding process. Before you wrap up, there are still a few things for you to do that will set the new manager up for continued success.

Have a career conversation

The 3-month mark is when we recommend managers have a career conversation with their direct report. Send a career conversation guide and template to the new manager so they have time to prepare.

What HR is doing

• Send [Pyn] information on how to have a career conversation

What a new manager is doing

• Have first career conversation with direct reports

Solicit feedback from direct reports

While a manager should be giving and receiving feedback weekly, the 3-month mark is also a good opportunity for the manager to explicitly solicit feedback from their direct reports. 3 months provides time to build up a relationship and enough working history to solicit meaningful feedback. No matter the method for soliciting feedback, be sure to share back themes of what you heard with those who took the time to share.

What a new manager is doing

• Solicit feedback from direct reports

Schedule a Month Three check-in

Both HR and the new manager’s manager should schedule a check-in to see how the 3rd month went.

What HR is doing

• Have a 90-day check-in with the new manager

What the manager’s manager is expected to do

• Have a 90-day check-in with the new manager