Onboarding policy, Stackfern

Onboarding policy template with a 90 day schedule and an owner for each step

An onboarding policy has to make a new starter productive and connected quickly, which means saying what happens when, who is responsible, and which training cannot be skipped. This three page policy for an 85 person software company does that with a six row schedule from before day one to day 90, seven training modules with deadlines and a buddy program with set hours.

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Stackfern

Onboarding policy

What every new starter can expect in their first 90 days, and who makes it happen.

Prepared by
People team
Date
6 September 2027
Onboarding policy, StackfernPage 2 of 3
Onboarding policy, StackfernPage 3 of 3
1
Purpose and scope
Stackfern builds scheduling software for clinics and has 85 staff in engineering, product, customer success and operations, about half of them remote. A new starter should have working equipment on day one, know who to ask, and ship something real within their first month. This policy sets out the steps, who owns each one, and the training every starter completes. It applies to every permanent and fixed term employee, and the training list applies to contractors with system access.
2
First day to 90 days
Each step has one owner, who is accountable for it happening on time:
When
What happens
Owner
Before day 1
Contract signed, laptop shipped or set up, accounts created, buddy assigned, welcome email with the first week plan
People team and IT
Day 1
Welcome call, laptop and security setup, meet the team, lunch with the buddy
Manager
Week 1
Product demo, customer call shadowing, first small task, all week 1 training complete
Manager and buddy
Day 30
First real piece of work shipped or delivered; 30 day check in and survey
Manager and People team
Day 60
Owns a small area of work; feedback from two colleagues gathered
Manager
Day 90
90 day review against the goals set in week 1; survey
Manager and People team
3
Mandatory training
Every starter completes the modules below in paid time, through the learning platform. Access to customer data is switched on only when the week 1 modules are complete.
1.
Security awareness: phishing, passwords and device security, by the end of week 1.
2.
Privacy and handling patient data, by the end of week 1.
3.
Code of conduct and respectful workplace, by the end of week 1.
4.
Safe home or office workstation setup, by the end of week 1.
5.
Incident reporting, for security and service incidents, by day 30.
6.
Secure coding, for engineers only, by day 30.
7.
Customer support basics and escalation paths, for customer facing roles, by day 30.
4
The buddy program
Every starter is paired with a buddy from a different team, chosen by the People team from volunteers who have been at Stackfern for at least six months. The buddy is not the manager and plays no part in assessing the starter. They meet for 30 minutes each week for the first six weeks, answer the questions people feel awkward asking their manager, and introduce the starter to at least five people outside their team. Buddies may count up to 2 hours a week of buddy time as work time, and the role is recognised in their own review.
5
Check ins
The manager holds a 30 minute one to one every week for the first 12 weeks, using the week 1 goals as the agenda. The People team sends a short survey at day 30 and day 90 and follows up any score below 3 out of 5 within a week. The day 90 review is an honest conversation about progress against the goals; it does not end probation, which runs for six months.
6
Remote starters
Remote starters receive their laptop at least three working days before they begin, and IT confirms it works on a call the day before. Their first week includes a daily video check in with the buddy, and they are invited to the next quarterly team gathering, with travel paid.
When something is missing
If a laptop, account or access is not ready, the starter tells the buddy or messages the People team channel. The People team fixes it, or provides a working alternative, within 1 working day, and records the gap so the pre start checklist can be improved.
7
Internal moves
An employee who moves to a new team follows a shortened version of this plan: a new buddy for four weeks, the role specific training on the list, and weekly one to ones with the new manager for the first six weeks.
8
Review
The People team reviews the 30 and 90 day survey results every quarter and updates this policy each year, with input from the last four starters.

Section by section

What each section is for, so you can keep the ones you need and drop the rest.

Cover
Panel cover with the company, title and purpose line.
1. Purpose and scope
85 staff, half remote, and three goals for a new starter.
2. First day to 90 days
Six milestones, each with what happens and an owner.
3. Mandatory training
Seven modules with week 1 and day 30 deadlines tied to data access.
4. The buddy program
Who buddies, how often they meet and how the time is recognised.
5. Check ins
Weekly one to ones for 12 weeks and day 30 and day 90 surveys.
6 to 8. Remote starters, internal moves and review
Early equipment, a one day fix rule, a shorter plan for movers and yearly review.

How to adapt this document

First, replace the training list with what your own risks require; a warehouse would put manual handling and forklift awareness in week 1, a clinic infection control. Second, adjust the milestones to how long your roles take to learn, and keep an owner on every row. Third, if your starters work on site, swap the remote clause for a site tour, safety induction and introductions to the people they will rely on every day.

What makes this document work

One owner per step

Every row of the 90 day table names who is accountable: the People team and IT before day 1, the manager on day 1, manager and buddy in week 1. Onboarding usually fails in the gaps between teams, and a named owner closes them before the starter notices.

Training is tied to access

Security awareness, privacy, code of conduct and workstation setup are due by the end of week 1, and clause 3 switches on access to customer data only when they are complete. A deadline with a consequence attached is the one people meet.

The buddy has a real job

Clause 4 picks buddies from another team with at least six months' service, sets a 30 minute weekly meeting for six weeks and an introduction to five people outside the team, and counts up to 2 hours a week as work time recognised in the buddy's own review.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between onboarding and induction?

Induction is usually the first day or week: paperwork, equipment, safety and introductions. Onboarding is the longer process of making someone productive and settled, often 90 days. This policy covers both, with induction tasks in the before day 1, day 1 and week 1 rows and onboarding through to the day 90 review.

Should a buddy be the new starter's manager?

No. The point of a buddy is someone safe to ask the questions a starter feels awkward raising with the person who assesses them. Choosing a buddy from another team also widens the starter's network. Clause 4 states that the buddy plays no part in assessing the starter.

What training should every new employee complete first?

Whatever protects people and data from day one: security awareness, privacy and data handling, the code of conduct and a safe workstation setup. Role training can follow by day 30. Security awareness guidance such as NIST's training publication treats initial training before system access as a baseline.

Does the day 90 review end probation?

Not in this policy. Probation runs for six months, and the day 90 review is an honest check on progress against the goals set in week 1. Keeping them separate lets the 90 day conversation be candid without sounding like a pass or fail decision on the job.

How do you onboard someone who is fully remote?

Ship equipment early and test it before day one, add daily video check ins with the buddy in the first week, and bring the person together with the team in person when you can. Clause 6 sends laptops three working days ahead and pays travel to the next quarterly team gathering.

What should happen before a new starter's first day?

Everything that would otherwise waste their first morning: the contract signed, equipment set up or shipped and tested, accounts created, a buddy assigned and a welcome email with the first week's plan. In this policy the People team and IT own that row together, and a missing item is fixed within one working day.

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