Worked example · HR
Have you ever had a new hire turn up to no login and no forms?
Everyone owned one piece of the checklist. Nobody owned all of it. Week one was gone.
Who this suits
- You start people every week, or every season.
- Onboarding is split between HR, payroll, IT and a manager.
- New hires chase forms, and HR chases new hires.
When we'd say leave it alone
A few hires a year? A shared checklist is enough. If your HR system already runs onboarding well, use it fully first.
Where it falls apart
- Offer signed
- Forms out
- Forms back
- Checks run
- Accounts made
- Kit ready
- Training booked
- First day
- Doing the job
Forms come back half done. A background check waits on a missing birth date.
IT learns the start date on the start date. Training is booked after the person arrives. Week one turns into week four.
Staffing firms see it with tax forms, I-9s and drug screens. Home health agencies see it with orientation and skills checks. Accounting practices see it with software access for seasonal staff. Manufacturers see it with safety training before a first shift.
What we'd build: a first-day readiness list
It runs every onboarding step, across everyone who owns one.
What's different afterwards
- Every step starts the moment the offer is signed.
- Each owner gets their task, with the start date on it.
- Missing forms get a friendly reminder, drafted for HR to send.
- You see who's ready, and who isn't, a week ahead.
What it's worth to you
Count last year's starters. Estimate the days each spent waiting on setup.
Multiply by their daily cost. Then add the HR hours spent chasing forms.
14 people start next week
| Ready | 9 with forms, checks, accounts and training done |
|---|---|
| Forms | 3 missing one form, reminders drafted |
| Checks | 1 background check still pending |
| Kit | 1 laptop not yet assigned, IT told |
How it works, step by step
Open the full method
What it reads
Your HR or staffing system, your e-signature tool, and the IT request inbox.
The steps
- Builds the starter's checklist from role and location.
- Sends each owner their task and the date.
- Tracks forms and checks as they return.
- Names what's missing and drafts the reminder.
- Flags any step that will miss the start date.
- Sends HR a ready-or-not list a week out.
Who signs off
HR approves every message to a new hire.
What it won't do
It never treats a background check as a decision. It never changes pay or job details.
What we'd ask you for
Your checklist by role. Access to your HR system. One person who owns onboarding.
Often paired with
- Shortlisting, so good applicants are read the day they apply.
- Credential tracking, so licenses stay current after week one.
- Scheduling that puts ready people on shifts straight away.
You become the employer new people recommend to friends.
New hires do real work on day one, with everything in place.
Your version will differ from this one. Working out how is what a first conversation is for.
Want to talk it through?
A first conversation with one of our co-founders is free. It takes about an hour and needs no access.
A person writes back, normally within a working day.