An Onboarding Buddy Checklist for Small Teams
A practical checklist for the teammate assigned as a buddy — help a new hire find where approved resources live, who to ask, and how a routine activity runs. Concrete items across four adaptable stages, a blank buddy note, and a fictional worked example.
What a buddy does — and doesn't
An onboarding buddy is a teammate who helps a new hire find their feet day-to-day. That means showing them where approved instructions live, who to ask for operational or access help, and how a routine activity actually runs — so they can run it themselves next time.
A buddy doesn't set role priorities — that's the manager's job. They don't answer employment, payroll, or policy questions from memory — those go to the HR or named owner. And they don't fix locked-out accounts or missing permissions — those go to the IT or access owner. The role is about routing and showing, not owning every answer.
This is a static public resource, not an app feature. This worksheet has no data-entry or completion-tracking controls. You can select the checklist items and blank fields on screen and copy them into your own document. It doesn't assign buddies, track conversations, send reminders, or store notes.
- •Buddy helps find resources and routes.
- •Manager owns role priorities and expectations.
- •HR or named owner owns employment and policy.
- •IT or access owner owns systems and equipment.
Practical checklist items across four adaptable stages
The stages are a suggested order, not a mandatory schedule. Adapt them to the role and the team. Each item names an action, an owner by role, and a completion cue — not a day deadline.
1. Before the new hire starts
The manager confirms the buddy role, scope, and contact rhythm so the buddy is ready on day one.
Manager confirms the buddy role and scope with the buddy
Name what the buddy owns — helping the new hire find approved resources, key people, and ordinary day-to-day questions — and what they don't (role expectations, employment matters, access). Confirm the buddy has capacity for it.
Buddy agrees availability and a contact method
Agree roughly how often you'll check in and how the new hire should reach you — a team channel, a quick walk-up, or a short recurring slot. Keep it ordinary and realistic, not a formal schedule.
Buddy reviews the approved locations for instructions and resources
Before day one, check where the approved instructions, shared folders, and team calendars actually live. Don't rely on memory — confirm the current location so you point the new hire to the right place.
2. First day
Greet the new hire, show them where to ask and where approved instructions live, and introduce a few key roles.
Greet the new hire and walk to the workspace or virtual room
A welcome matters. Walk them to their desk or join the virtual room, and introduce yourself as the person to come to with ordinary questions about how things run day to day.
Show where to ask day-to-day questions and where approved instructions live
Point to the place routine questions go (a team channel, a person) and the approved location for instructions — a shared folder, a handbook section, a checklist. Show, don't just describe.
Introduce two or three key roles by name and what they own
Introduce the people the new hire will rely on early — for example, the office manager for operational questions and the IT or access owner for system access. Keep it to the few that matter first; you can add more later.
3. First week
Hold a short check-in, clarify what's unfamiliar, join a routine activity, and route questions to the right owner.
Hold a short check-in and ask what's unfamiliar so far
A brief, low-pressure check-in surfaces the things the new hire wouldn't otherwise ask. Ask what's still unclear and what they'd like to see run once. Don't wait for them to come to you.
Join one routine activity so the new hire sees how it runs
Sit alongside the new hire for a recurring task — a team meeting, a weekly update, a supply check — so they see the rhythm and where the instructions live for it. Then they can run it next time with the approved resource in hand.
Route policy or HR questions to the approved owner, not from memory
If a question is about an employment matter, a policy, payroll, or a complaint, point the new hire to the person or process that owns it. Don't answer from memory — a guessed policy is worse than a routed question. If your company doesn't have a dedicated HR person, route to the named owner.
Route access issues to the approved access owner
System access, accounts, and equipment go to whoever owns that — not the buddy. Walk the new hire to how to request access help so they can do it themselves next time.
4. Later and handoff
Check the new hire knows the resource and contact routes for their role, and close the buddy assignment when the manager agrees.
Check the new hire knows the resource and contact routes for their role
Ask the new hire to walk you through where they'd find the instructions for their recurring tasks and who they'd ask for operational, policy, and access help. Fill any gaps with the approved owner, not a guess.
Hand off any open item to its named owner
If an open question came up that you don't own, pass it to the person who does with a short note. Don't let it sit with the buddy when someone else is responsible for resolving it.
Close the buddy assignment when the manager agrees
Agree the buddy period and closing criteria with the manager, and confirm any applicable company requirements. When the manager agrees the new hire is connected to the resources and people they need, close the formal buddy assignment and stay available as a colleague. Confirm the close with the manager rather than drifting out of the role.
Build your own buddy note
Fill these fields as you go. The text below is selectable — copy it into your own document. This worksheet has no data-entry or completion-tracking controls. Keep notes about people in your approved company systems, not here.
Buddy scope
[What the buddy helps with — finding approved resources, introductions, ordinary questions — and what they don't]
One sentence the buddy and manager agree on.
Buddy availability
[Roughly how often and when the buddy is available]
Ordinary and realistic, not a formal schedule.
Contact method
[How the new hire reaches the buddy — channel, walk-up, short slot]
Pick one the new hire will actually use.
Approved resource locations
[Where the approved instructions, shared folders, and team calendars live — by location, not by guess]
Confirm the current location before listing it.
Key role introductions
[Two or three roles by name and what they own — e.g. office manager for operational, IT/access owner for access]
Only the few the new hire needs first.
Questions raised and owner routed to
[Each open question and the role or process it was routed to — not the buddy's answer]
A routed question, not a guessed policy.
Next check-in
[When the buddy and new hire will check in next]
A date that fits the work and your rhythm.
Open item handoff
[Any open item handed to its named owner, with the owner and how it was passed]
An open item without an owner quietly disappears.
A buddy note for a new office-operations coordinator
A made-up example to show how the fields fit together — not a real employee, customer, or rating. Unknowns stay unknown rather than guessed, and open items are handed to their named owner.
Buddy scope
Help the new office-operations coordinator find where approved instructions live, who to ask for operational and access help, and how a routine activity runs — for the first few weeks.
Buddy availability
Most weekday mornings; available for a quick question most days.
Contact method
Team channel for ordinary questions, or a walk-up at the desk.
Approved resource locations
Operations shared folder for task instructions; team calendar for the weekly meeting agenda and timing.
Key role introductions
Office manager — owns operational and policy questions. IT or access owner — owns system access and equipment.
Questions raised and owner routed to
'How do I request more supplies?' — routed to the office manager. 'I can't reach the supply ordering system' — routed to the IT or access owner.
Next check-in
A short check-in on the agreed day, with the new hire choosing the time.
Open item handoff
A question about a vendor escalation the new hire doesn't own — passed to the office manager with a short note. The outcome stays with the office manager, not the buddy.
In this fictional note, the buddy showed where approved instructions live, routed a policy question to the office manager and an access issue to the IT or access owner, and handed an open vendor escalation to its owner rather than answering it. No sensitive records were collected, and unknowns stayed unknown.
Who owns what — with examples
Not every company has a dedicated HR person. Where it doesn't, a named owner fills that role. The point is that the question gets an owner, not that it goes to a particular job title.
Buddy
Helps find approved resources, key introductions, and ordinary day-to-day questions.
Example: Walks the new hire to where the supply-order instructions live, and to who to ask when they're stuck.
Manager
Role priorities, expectations, and performance conversations.
Example: Sets what the new hire is accountable for and how progress is reviewed — not the buddy.
HR or named owner
Employment, policy, payroll, and complaints.
Example: Owns a policy question or a complaint the new hire raises — the buddy routes it there rather than answering from memory.
IT or approved access owner
System access, accounts, and equipment.
Example: Owns a locked-out account or a missing permission — the buddy shows how to raise it, not fix it.
Six neutral questions a new hire can ask
Each points to a resource or a route rather than asking the new hire to disclose anything personal.
“Where do I find the instructions for a recurring task?”
Points to the approved location rather than re-explaining it each time.
“Who do I ask if I'm stuck on a process?”
Names the owner so the new hire knows the route before they're blocked.
“What's the normal rhythm for a routine activity?”
Shows how the work actually runs, not just the documented steps.
“If you're out, where do routine questions go?”
Builds a fallback so the new hire isn't stranded when the buddy is away.
“Who owns the access or tool I'll use, so I know before it breaks?”
Routes access issues to the approved owner early, before they become urgent.
“What did you wish someone had told you in the first weeks?”
Surfaces practical tips without overloading the new hire all at once.
Buddy mistakes to avoid
Each comes with a practical alternative.
Overloading the buddy with policy or employment questions they don't own.
Instead: Route those to the approved HR or named-owner process. The buddy points to the route; they don't answer it.
Answering an unknown policy from memory.
Instead: Say 'I'm not sure — let's ask [owner].' A routed question beats a guess the new hire then relies on.
Doing the task for the new hire instead of showing where it lives.
Instead: Walk them to the approved instruction once, so they can run it next time without you.
Leaving an open question without an owner.
Instead: Name an owner and a check-in. An open item with no owner quietly disappears.
Onboarding buddy FAQ
The AI HR assistant can help you talk through how to explain a routine process using your company context, and the document generator can help draft related onboarding materials. You still run the buddy role and decide what to say. This public checklist is a worksheet — it isn't an app workflow, and it doesn't assign buddies, track conversations, or store notes.
Related resources
Pair the buddy role with the full onboarding checklist, a welcome email, and a first-90-day plan.
Also useful
When the buddy assignment closes, the handover template helps pass open items to their owner.
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