Template · Onboarding
New hire check-in form
In short
A new hire check in template is a short structured form a manager or HR uses to talk with a new employee at set points, usually day 7, 30, 60 and 90. This form covers role clarity, training, tools, team fit, schedule, early retention risk and agreed actions, so problems that drive early quits surface while you can still fix them.
New Hire Check-In Form template
New Hire Check-In Form
Use this form for a 15 to 30 minute one-to-one conversation. Ask the questions in your own words and listen more than you talk. Record what the employee says, agree actions with owners and dates, and review open actions at the next check-in.
Check-in details
- Employee name
- Job title and team
- Start date
- Check-in conducted by
- Conducted by role
- Direct managerHR / HR business partnerOnboarding specialistSkip-level manager
- Check-in point
- Week 1Day 30Day 60Day 90Other
- Date of check-in
Overall
- On a scale of 1 to 5, how is the job going so far?
- 1 - Very poorly2345 - Very well
- What has gone better than you expected? What has been harder?
- How does the job compare with what you were told during hiring?
- Better than expectedAbout what I expectedSomewhat differentVery different
- If different, what surprised you?
Role and training
- Do you know what is expected of you and how your performance is measured?
- Yes, clearlyMostlyNot really
- Which parts of the job do you feel confident in, and which not yet?
- Was your training enough to do the job? What was missing?
- Do you have the tools, system access and equipment you need?
- YesMostlyNo: see notes
- Tools or access still missing
Team, manager and support
- Who has been most helpful so far?
- Do you feel comfortable asking your manager and teammates for help?
- YesSometimesNo
- How often would you like to check in with your manager, and in what format?
- Was your onboarding buddy helpful? (if assigned)
- Very helpfulSomewhatNot reallyNo buddy assigned
Schedule and practical issues
- Is your schedule working for you?
- YesMostlyNo: see notes
- Any issues with commute, childcare, pay accuracy or benefits enrollment?
Looking ahead
- What would make the next 30 days better for you?
- How likely are you to still be working here in six months?
- Very likelyLikelyUnsureUnlikely
- Is there anything that might make you think about leaving?
- Day 90 only: what skills or goals would you like to work toward next?
Manager assessment (not shared as a score with the employee)
- Progress against 30-60-90 day plan or training milestones
- AheadOn trackSlightly behindSignificantly behind
- Early retention risk
- LowMediumHigh
- Reason for risk rating
Actions agreed
- Action 1, owner and due date
- Action 2, owner and due date
- Action 3, owner and due date
- Escalated to HR
- Next check-in date
- Manager signature
- Employee signature (optional)
How to use this template
- Schedule check-ins at fixed points, typically week one, day 30, day 60 and day 90, and put them on both calendars before the start date.
- Hold the conversation one to one in a private space or video call, and tell the employee it is about how things are going, not a performance review.
- Work through the sections in order, asking follow-up questions and writing down what the employee actually says.
- Complete the manager assessment after the conversation, and rate early retention risk honestly.
- Agree no more than three actions, each with an owner and due date, and follow up on them before the next check-in.
- Escalate high-risk ratings, harassment or safety concerns to HR the same day, and file the form with onboarding records.
Why check-ins catch early attrition
A large share of turnover in hourly and entry-level roles happens in the first 90 days, and much of it in the first few weeks. The reasons are usually fixable: a schedule that does not work with childcare, a missing system login, a trainer who moved too fast, a job that differs from what the recruiter described. New hires rarely raise these on their own. They just stop showing up.
A structured check-in creates a regular moment to ask. The question about whether the job matches what they were told during hiring is the most useful one on the form. If several people from the same requisition say "very different," the issue is in your job posting or interview, not with the new hire.
30, 60 and 90 day check-in questions
The same form works at each point, with a different emphasis. In week one, focus on practical blockers: access, equipment, schedule, knowing who to ask. At day 30, focus on training and role clarity. At day 60, ask about confidence, workload and relationships. At day 90, look ahead to goals and development, and compare progress against the 30-60-90 day plan.
For a longer bank of questions to rotate in, including prompts for remote employees and frontline staff, see our new hire check-in questions. Several of these overlap with stay interview questions; for tenured employees, a dedicated stay interview template is a better fit.
Check-in versus probation review
Keep these separate. A check-in is a supportive conversation where the employee should feel safe saying "I'm thinking about leaving" or "I still don't understand the system." A probation review form is an evaluation that decides whether employment continues. If the employee thinks the check-in is a disguised assessment, they will tell you everything is fine.
That is why the manager's retention risk rating sits in a separate block and is not presented to the employee as a score. Some teams have HR or an onboarding specialist run the day 30 check-in rather than the direct manager, so the employee can raise concerns about the manager too.
Running check-ins at volume
When a site starts 40 new hires a month, managers will skip check-ins unless the process does it for them. Practical setup:
- Trigger a short pulse survey automatically at day 7 and day 30, using the 1 to 5 rating and the intent-to-stay question from this form. A new hire check-in email or text with a two-minute mobile survey gets far higher response than a long form.
- Flag anyone who answers 1 or 2, or "unsure" or "unlikely" on staying, for a live conversation within 48 hours.
- Use the full form for those flagged conversations and for every day 90 check-in.
Track the results by site, manager and recruiter source. Patterns tell you whether early quits come from the job, the manager or the hiring process, and the onboarding feedback survey can then dig into the onboarding program itself.
Common mistakes
- Running the check-in as a status update on tasks instead of asking how the person is doing.
- Rescheduling check-ins repeatedly. A new hire reads that as a signal they do not matter.
- Agreeing actions and never following up. One broken promise ends the honesty.
- Asking about health, pregnancy or family plans when discussing schedule problems. Ask what would help, not why.
- Filing forms nobody reads. Review retention risk ratings in a weekly onboarding huddle.
Frequently asked questions
What should be on a new employee check-in form?
Overall rating of the job so far, whether it matches what they were told, role clarity, training and tool gaps, support from manager and team, schedule and practical issues, intent to stay, a manager risk assessment and agreed actions with owners and dates.
What are good 30 60 90 day check in questions?
At 30 days ask about training, role clarity and whether the job matches expectations. At 60 days ask about confidence, workload and relationships. At 90 days ask about goals, development and what would keep them for the next year.
Who should conduct new hire check-ins?
Usually the direct manager, with HR or an onboarding specialist running at least one check-in, often day 30, so the employee can raise concerns about the manager safely.
How is a new hire check-in different from a stay interview?
A new hire check-in focuses on the first 90 days: settling in, training and early blockers. A stay interview is for established employees and explores what keeps them and what might make them leave.
How long should a new hire check-in take?
Fifteen to 30 minutes is typical. Week-one check-ins can be shorter; day-90 conversations that cover goals often take the full 30 minutes.