Five Phases, 27 Tasks
The checklist divides the onboarding process into five distinct phases – before Day 1, the first day, the first week, the first month, and before the end of the probation period – assigning a designated person in charge and a clear deadline to every single task.
Mandatory Compliance Items That Are Most Frequently Overlooked
- Health and safety induction pursuant to the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. It must take place before work commences and must be formally documented.
- Data privacy briefing and formal written confidentiality undertaking in accordance with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.
- Section 1 Written Statement of Employment Particulars provided on or before Day 1 in compliance with Section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996).
- Right to Work Verification under Home Office guidelines completed prior to the employee's first working day.
- Training on Working Time Recording. Employers must provide clear instructions on logging working hours and rest breaks to ensure compliance with the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR 1998) and relevant record-keeping requirements (ECJ C-55/18 CCOO principles), preventing breaches of the 48-hour average weekly limit.
- Configuring working time patterns and statutory annual leave entitlement (minimum 5.6 weeks / 28 days pro rata under Regulations 13 & 13A WTR 1998) before the first working day, ensuring that contracted hours and holiday balances are accurate right from day one.
Keeping Track of the Probation Period
The final phase is the one most often neglected: contractual probation clauses – including any agreed shorter notice periods (subject to statutory minimums under Section 86 of the Employment Rights Act 1996) – apply only during the active probation period. Ensure the probationary review is scheduled with ample lead time to determine whether to confirm, extend, or terminate employment before the period expires.
Interactive In-Browser Checklist
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Vor dem ersten Arbeitstag
Erster Arbeitstag
Erste Woche
Erster Monat
Vor Ende der Probezeit
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