What this plan is for
A new joiner at a small remote startup usually meets a messy first week: accounts that arrive on Day 3, nobody sure who explains what and a founder answering setup questions instead of building. This plan moves every setup step to the week before Day 1, so the joiner spends their first week on the work.
- Ops: the person running operations (in this sample, me)
- Founder: the founder or CEO
- Manager: the joiner's direct manager (often the founder at this size)
- Joiner: the new team member
The week before Day 1
| When | Step | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Offer accepted | Send the signed offer or contractor agreement (from the template your lawyer approved) and store it in the employee file | Ops |
| Same day | Create the joiner in your HR and payroll platform (Gusto, Rippling, Deel, Remote, Justworks or similar) and send their invite | Ops |
| Same day | Collect the joiner's documents through the platform: ID, tax forms and bank details for their country. The platform lists what each country needs and the deadlines | Ops, Joiner |
| Day minus 7 | Order and ship the laptop, with a delivery date at least 2 days before Day 1 | Ops |
| Day minus 7 | Request every account the role needs (see the account list below) | Ops |
| Day minus 5 | Pick an onboarding buddy who is not the manager, and brief them | Manager |
| Day minus 5 | Write the joiner's first-week goal: one small, real piece of work they can finish by Friday | Manager |
| Day minus 3 | Send the Day 1 calendar: welcome call, setup check, meetings with each teammate, buddy call | Ops |
| Day minus 2 | Confirm the laptop arrived and every account invite was sent | Ops |
| Day minus 1 | Draft the welcome post for the team channel, for the founder to send on Day 1 | Ops |
Account list for a typical role
| Account | Who grants it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Company email and calendar (Google Workspace or Microsoft 365) | Admin | First, because every other invite goes to this address |
| Team chat (Slack or Teams) | Admin | Add to the right channels, not every channel |
| Password manager | Admin | Shared vaults only for what the role needs |
| Code and project tools (GitHub, Linear, Jira, Notion, Figma) | Admin | Role-dependent; least access that does the job |
| HR and payroll platform | Ops | Joiner's own login for pay stubs and time off |
| Expense tool | Ops | If the company uses one |
Day 1
| Time | Step | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| First hour | Welcome call: what the company does, who is who, what this week looks like | Founder |
| First hour | Setup check: every account works, two-step verification is on, password manager is set up | Ops, Joiner |
| Morning | Read and acknowledge the handbook and the policies for the role inside the HR platform | Joiner |
| Afternoon | Buddy call: how work actually gets done here, where to ask questions | Buddy |
| End of day | Five-minute check: anything missing? | Ops |
Days 2 to 5
| Day | Step | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | Product walkthrough | Manager |
| Days 2 and 3 | 15-minute calls with each teammate | Joiner |
| Day 3 | Start the first-week goal | Joiner, Manager |
| Day 5 | Finish the first-week goal and show it | Joiner |
| Day 5 | End-of-week check-in: what went well, what was confusing, what is missing | Manager, Ops |
Day 30
| Step | Owner |
|---|---|
| 30-day check-in with a short written note: settled in, any gaps, goals for days 31 to 90 | Manager |
| Ask the joiner what to change in this plan for the next person, and update it | Ops |
How Ops keeps it running
- One onboarding checklist per joiner, created automatically from their start date (a Zapier or Make automation creates the tasks and reminders)
- Every step has an owner and a date; nothing waits for someone to remember
- The founder gets one line in the Friday report: "Joiner X: all accounts live, laptop delivered, first-week goal set"
Want this written for your company? Ask for a free tailored onboarding plan.