How long should onboarding last?

90 days minimum with the 30-60-90 framework. New hires are still ramping at 6 months, but the first 90 days are most critical for retention and productivity.

What if new hire is senior? Do we still do 30-60-90?

Yes, but accelerated. Senior hires should contribute to decisions by month 1 and lead initiatives by month 2. Structure still matters for all levels.

How do we handle remote onboarding?

Use video calls for day 1 welcome, mail welcome kit before arrival, assign remote buddy, host virtual team lunches, and consider office visit at month 1-2.

What if new hire is struggling at 30 days?

Intervene early. Identify what's wrong through honest conversation, then decide if you can fix it with support plan or should part ways. Better to know at 30 days than 90.

Employee Onboarding: Complete 30-60-90 Day Checklist

The Onboarding Problem: Great Hire Turns Into Early Exit

A fintech company hires a Senior Engineer. On paper: perfect fit. RM 180K salary, 8 years experience, excited on day 1.

Day 1: Shows up, no laptop ready. Spends 2 hours setting up email. Meets manager, but no clear role defined.

Week 1: Confused about priorities. No clear onboarding plan. Sits in meetings but doesn’t know what’s happening. “What am I supposed to be working on?”

Week 2: Reaches out to old company. They offer RM 190K + better role clarity. Says yes.

Month 1: Engineer leaves. Total cost: RM 50K (recruiting) + RM 20K (onboarding costs) + RM 180K (salary for incomplete month) + productivity loss = RM 300K+ wasted.

What went wrong? Not the hiring. The onboarding.

Why Onboarding Matters: The Data

Early Turnover is Expensive

Typical pattern:

Hire day 1: RM 50K-70K recruiting cost
Day 1-30: RM 180K salary cost (incomplete month)
Day 1-30: Lost productivity (takes time to ramp)
Day 30: Employee resigns

Total cost: RM 300K-400K for 1 month retention failure

The Business Case: Onboarding ROI

Study: Companies with strong onboarding have 25% higher retention in first year

Example (50 hires/year):

Without onboarding:

12.5 people leave in first year (25% attrition)
Cost per early exit: RM 300K
Total cost: RM 3.75M/year

With onboarding:

7.5 people leave in first year (15% attrition)
Cost per early exit: RM 300K
Total cost: RM 2.25M/year

Savings from good onboarding: RM 1.5M/year

The Onboarding Timeline: What Happens When

Before Day 1: Pre-Onboarding (Week -1 to Day 1)

What’s happening for the new hire:

Nervous (new company, new people, new role)
Uncertain (will I fit? will they like me?)
Excited (new opportunity)

Pre-onboarding checklist:

Week -1 (before start date):

Welcome email from manager (personal, warm, excited)
Welcome email from CEO/founder (shows importance)
Logistics email (start time, location, what to bring)
Buddy email (peer connection)

Day before:

Laptop & setup ready (test it works)
Desk/workspace setup (not empty when they arrive)
Welcome kit ready (mug, notebook, company swag)
Team notified (so they know new person arriving)

Impact: 30% of employees decide in first day if they made right choice. Pre-onboarding removes anxiety.

Day 1: First Day (Set Tone)

Morning (First 2 hours):

Arrival & welcome (15 min):

Buddy greets at door (warm, friendly)
Show to desk, give laptop, help login

Manager 1:1 (30 min):

Warm welcome, personal connection
Overview of role (what will you be doing?)
Overview of team (who will you work with?)
Overview of week (what’s happening?)
Don’t dump 100 things on them

Buddy tour (30 min):

Office tour (bathroom, kitchen, exits)
Tool overview (how to slack, where meetings are)
Team introductions (casual, not formal)

Afternoon (2-3 hours):

Account & IT setup (1 hour):

Email, Slack, tools working
VPN, access to systems

Role clarity session (1 hour):

Walk through your first week
What will you work on?
What are success metrics?

End of day (15 min):

Manager check-in: “How was first day?”
Tomorrow overview: “Tomorrow you’ll meet…”

Day 1 impact:

50% of first-week impression set on day 1
New hires who feel welcomed on day 1 are 30% more likely to stay

Week 1: Integration (Learn the Basics)

Goal: Learn how company works, meet team, understand role

Daily standup (30 min):

Attend team standup
Say name, role, background

1:1s with key people (30 min each):

Manager
Team lead
2-3 team members
Product/design lead

System training (4-5 hours total):

Company tools (Slack, email, wiki)
Development environment (if engineer)
Product tour

Week 1 success metrics:

✅ Can access all tools
✅ Knows 20+ people
✅ Understands company vision
✅ Understands role expectations
✅ Feels welcomed

Month 1 (Days 1-30): Ramp Up & Role Clarity

Week 1: Learn basics (see above)

Week 2-3: Start real work

Assigned to small projects
Pair with mentor on 1-2 tasks
Get feedback daily
Build confidence

Week 4: Independence ramp

Solo on 1-2 tasks
Manager reviews (is quality good?)
Feedback on performance

30-day checkpoint (End of month 1):

Manager 1:1: “How’s month 1?”
Review: Is role what you expected?
Feedback: Performance + feedback on company
Commitment: Are you staying?

Month 1 success metrics:

✅ Shipped 1-2 small projects
✅ Quality meets standards
✅ Team likes working with them
✅ Feels confident in role

Month 2 (Days 31-60): Build Competence

Focus: Build skills, ownership, relationships

Primary task ownership:

Assigned to 1 main project
Clear success criteria
Manager check-in weekly

60-day review (Mid-point check):

Manager 1:1: 30-min structured review
- “What’s going well?”
- “What’s challenging?”
- “Do you feel supported?”
Peer feedback: Ask 2-3 teammates
Performance check: Quality? Speed? Culture fit?

Month 2 success metrics:

✅ Completed major project
✅ Code/work quality good
✅ Building relationships
✅ Getting better faster

Month 3 (Days 61-90): Independence & Mastery

Focus: Independent work, mentoring, strategic thinking

Independent work:

Lead own project
Minimal oversight
Self-directed

90-day review (End of onboarding):

Manager review:

Rate on 5-point scale:
- Technical skills: ___/5
- Communication: ___/5
- Teamwork: ___/5
- Culture fit: ___/5
- Overall performance: ___/5
Target: 4+/5 on all dimensions

Outcome:

✅ Keep (90%+ of good hires should still be here)
⚠️ Manage (if 3/5 or lower, address issues)
❌ Separate (if not working, better to know at 90 days than 12 months)

Complete 30-60-90 Day Template

Role: [Title]

DAYS 1-30: FOUNDATION (Learning)

Week 1:

Day 1: Workspace ready, tools working, welcomed
Meet manager, team, buddy
Read company handbook
1:1s with 5 key people
Attend all team meetings

Week 2-3:

Complete system training
Learn product deeply
Assigned to first small project (mentor support)

Week 4:

Complete first small project independently
Performance feedback
30-day check-in with manager

DAYS 31-60: COMPETENCE (Building)

Project assignment:

Lead 1 main project
Clear success criteria
Weekly manager reviews

60-Day Review:

Manager 1:1 (structured feedback)
Ask 2-3 teammates for feedback
Performance check: Quality? Speed? Culture fit?

DAYS 61-90: MASTERY (Independent)

Independent work:

Lead own project, minimal oversight
Set own priorities (with guidance)
Solve problems independently

90-Day Review:

Manager structured review (5-point ratings)
Self-reflection on progress
Team feedback (3-5 people)
Career conversation

Common Onboarding Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: No Welcome Before Day 1

Problem: New hire shows up, manager not expecting them. No laptop. Desk not set up.

Fix:

Welcome email from manager 1 week before
Welcome email from CEO/founder
Logistics email with details
Buddy email with contact info

Mistake 2: “Figure It Out Yourself” Culture

Problem: New hire has no clear plan. Manager assumes they’ll learn by osmosis.

Fix: Create 30-60-90 day plan. Map week 1 explicitly. No ambiguity.

Mistake 3: Information Overload Day 1

Problem: HR dumps employee handbook, 50-page onboarding packet, 10 meetings scheduled

Fix: Spread info over 3 weeks. Day 1 = basics only.

Mistake 4: No Buddy System

Problem: New hire has no go-to person. Afraid to ask manager “dumb questions.”

Fix: Assign buddy (peer, same level, warm person). Buddy greets day 1, checks in daily week 1.

Mistake 5: No Feedback Until Month 3

Problem: New hire works 90 days. Manager gives feedback at 90-day review. “You’re not doing X well.”

Fix: Weekly 1:1s. Daily feedback first month. Coaching, not criticism.

Mistake 6: No Role Clarity

Problem: Job description says “Product Manager” but really means “Project coordinator.”

Fix: Clear conversation week 1: “Here’s what success looks like. Here’s what you’ll do first 30/60/90 days.”

Role-Specific Onboarding

Engineer Onboarding (30-60-90 Days)

Days 1-30:

Dev environment set up (by day 2)
Understand codebase (architecture, tech stack)
Run tests, build locally
Ship first small PR (pair with senior)

Days 31-60:

Ship 2-3 medium features independently
Join on-call rotation (with support)
Lead code review for junior engineer

Days 61-90:

Lead feature independently
Mentor junior engineer on 1 feature
Identify 1 technical improvement

Product Manager Onboarding

Days 1-30:

Understand product vision & roadmap
Meet 3-5 customers (user research)
Understand current metrics
Shadow PM on 2-3 meetings

Days 31-60:

Own 1 small feature (roadmap to launch)
Write 3-5 requirements docs
Gather customer feedback

Days 61-90:

Own 1 medium feature independently
Present feature at company meeting
Contribute to next quarter roadmap

5 Quick Wins to Improve Onboarding

Quick Win 1: Create Pre-Day-1 Welcome Sequence (RM 0, 30 min)

Send 3 emails: Manager, CEO, logistics
Include buddy contact
Takes 30 minutes to set up

Quick Win 2: Assign Buddy System (RM 0, zero cost)

Pick 1 peer per new hire (someone warm, patient)
Brief them: “Greet day 1, check in daily week 1”

Quick Win 3: Create 30-60-90 Day Template (RM 0, 2 hours)

Use template provided above
Customize for role
Send to new hire before day 1

Quick Win 4: Commit to 2x/week 1:1s First Month

Calendar 1:1s weeks 1-4 (Monday + Friday)
Stick to them (don’t cancel)
30 minutes each, focused on support

Quick Win 5: Day 1 Checklist

Key Takeaways

First day sets the tone for retention. Get it right.
Structure matters. 30-60-90 day plan removes confusion.
Buddy system accelerates onboarding by 25%.
Weekly 1:1s first month are critical (don’t skip them).
Give meaningful work from day 1 (even if small project).
Role clarity prevents 50% of early exits.
Feedback early & often beats surprise feedback at 90 days.
Pre-day-1 welcome removes anxiety, improves day 1.
Good onboarding saves RM 1.5M/year (for 50 hires).
90-day review is gate: Keep, manage, or separate. Make the call.

About Weizhen Recruiters

Weizhen Recruiters helps companies improve onboarding to reduce early turnover.

What we do:

Onboarding strategy & design
30-60-90 day plan customization
Manager training on onboarding best practices
Onboarding metrics tracking

Our results:

Average retention improvement: +15-20% (first year)
Time-to-productivity: -25% faster
New hire satisfaction: 4.5+/5

Learn more about onboarding services →

Or book a free consultation to audit your current onboarding.