01
Pre-Joining Prep + Day 1 Essentials
What to do before the employee walks in: workstation setup, system access, welcome kit. Then Day 1 items like ID proof collection, team introductions, and equipment handover.
Attendo
Employee Onboarding Checklist for Indian Businesses (Free PDF)
Most Indian SMEs don't have a formal onboarding process. New hires show up, someone shows them around, and they figure things out on their own. The result? Missed PF/ESI deadlines, unsigned documents, and confused employees who leave within 3 months. This checklist covers everything from pre-joining prep to the 90-day review. Updated May 2026.
- Day 1 to Day 90 covered: documents, compliance, training, and review milestones
- PF/ESI/POSH compliance built in with exact deadlines and legal references
- Works for any industry: restaurant, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, office, salon
No spam. Instant download link to your email.
Petpooja presents
Employee Onboarding Checklist
For Indian Businesses
8
Sections · PDF checklist
FY 2025-26
What's Inside
Eight sections covering every step of employee onboarding.
02
Compliance Documentation
PF nomination (Form 2), ESI registration, POSH policy acknowledgment, TDS declaration (Form 12BB), and gratuity nomination. Each item includes the deadline and the relevant Act.
03
Role-Specific Training
Training plans that change by industry. FSSAI food safety for restaurants, Factories Act safety for manufacturing, biomedical waste protocols for healthcare, POS and billing training for retail.
04
Payroll and Benefits Setup
Salary structure verification, PF contribution basis, bank account details for salary credit, bonus eligibility under the Payment of Bonus Act, and gratuity provisioning from Day 1.
05
30-60-90 Day Review Checkpoints
Structured milestones for probation. What to review at 30 days (settling in), 60 days (performance baseline), and 90 days (confirmation or extension decision). No more guesswork on when to evaluate.
06
Document Checklist + Common Mistakes
A quick-reference table of every document you need to collect (Aadhaar, PAN, bank proof, photos, educational certificates). Plus 7 onboarding mistakes that cost Indian businesses time and people.
Why This Matters
Bad Onboarding Costs More Than You Think
Think about your last hire. Did they get a proper orientation? Or did they spend the first week figuring out who to ask for WiFi access?
Here's what usually happens at Indian SMEs. A new employee joins. Someone points them to a desk. HR collects a few documents, maybe. PF registration? That happens "later." POSH policy acknowledgment? Nobody remembers. Three months pass, and the employee still doesn't have a UAN.
The compliance risks alone are serious. EPFO requires UAN generation within 7 days of a new employee joining. ESIC registration must happen within 10 days for eligible employees. The POSH Act 2013, Section 4, makes an Internal Complaints Committee mandatory for any workplace with 10 or more employees. Miss any of these, and you're looking at penalties, back-dated contributions, and potential legal notices.
But compliance isn't even the biggest cost. Research consistently shows that employees who go through structured onboarding are far more likely to stay past the first year. For an Indian SME spending ₹15,000-25,000 to hire a single frontline employee (job posting, interviews, training time), losing that person in 3 months means burning that money and starting over.
This checklist gives you a repeatable process. Print it, hand it to your HR person or floor manager, and every new hire gets the same experience. Documents collected on time. PF and ESI compliance handled within the legal window. Training started on Day 1, not Day 15. And clear review checkpoints at 30, 60, and 90 days so nobody falls through the cracks.
Businesses using Attendo (formerly Petpooja Payroll) automate the compliance side entirely: PF/ESI registration, salary structure setup, and attendance tracking all happen from Day 1 without spreadsheets or manual follow-ups.
Sample Preview
A look at what's inside the checklist.
Here are a few items from different sections of the PDF:
Pre-Joining: Prepare workstation, system access credentials, and welcome kit before the employee's first day Before Day 1
Compliance: Generate UAN on the EPFO Unified Portal within 7 days of joining Critical
Compliance: Register employee on ESIC portal within 10 days if gross salary is ₹21,000/month or below Critical
Training: Complete industry-specific safety or compliance training (FSSAI for food, Factories Act for manufacturing) Day 1
Review: Conduct 30-day check-in: settling in, role clarity, any blockers 30 Days
... plus payroll setup, document checklist table, 90-day confirmation criteria, and 7 common mistakes to avoid across all 8 sections.
Key Stats
Onboarding compliance deadlines you can't miss.
7 days
Deadline to generate a Universal Account Number (UAN) for every new employee on the EPFO Unified Portal. Missing this delays PF contributions and creates back-dated liability.
Source: EPFO employer guidelines10 days
Deadline to register a new employee on the ESIC portal if their gross monthly wages are ₹21,000 or below. Late registration means the employer bears the full medical cost for that period.
Source: ESIC Regulation 10B10+ employees
If your workplace has 10 or more employees, you must constitute an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) under the POSH Act. Every new joiner needs to acknowledge the POSH policy in writing.
Source: Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013, Section 4
Common Mistakes
6 Onboarding Mistakes Indian Businesses Keep Making
01
Not collecting documents on Day 1
Aadhaar, PAN, bank details, passport photos, educational certificates. If you don't collect these on the first day, you'll be chasing the employee for weeks. PF and ESI registration can't start without them.
02
Delaying PF registration beyond 7 days
EPFO expects UAN generation within 7 days of joining. Delay it by a month, and you owe back-dated contributions. Delay it longer, and you risk an EPFO inspection notice.
03
Skipping POSH policy acknowledgment
The POSH Act 2013 requires every employee to be aware of the workplace sexual harassment policy. No signed acknowledgment? That's a compliance gap an inspector will flag.
04
No structured training plan for the first week
Telling someone to "shadow a senior" isn't training. Restaurant staff need FSSAI food handling training. Factory workers need safety orientation under the Factories Act. Retail employees need billing system training. Generic "figuring it out" wastes everyone's time.
05
Not verifying salary structure before the first payroll
The employee accepted ₹25,000 in-hand. But you set up the CTC with a different Basic split, and they get ₹22,000 on the first salary slip. That conversation never goes well.
06
Skipping the 30-60-90 day reviews entirely
Probation periods exist for a reason. Without structured checkpoints, you'll only notice problems when it's too late to course-correct. Set review dates on Day 1. It takes 15 minutes per review and saves months of frustration.
Comparison
Paper/Verbal Onboarding vs This Checklist.
| Aspect | Paper/Verbal Onboarding | With This Checklist |
|---|---|---|
| Document collection | Incomplete, chased over weeks | Full list with checkboxes, done on Day 1 |
| PF/ESI registration | Often delayed by 2-4 weeks | Deadline reminders: 7 days (PF), 10 days (ESI) |
| POSH compliance | Frequently skipped | Acknowledgment form included in Day 1 tasks |
| Training | "Shadow someone and learn" | Industry-specific training checklist (6 variants) |
| Salary setup verification | Discovered at first payslip | Verified before first payroll run |
| Probation reviews | Happens informally, if at all | 30-60-90 day checkpoints with criteria |
| Consistency | Varies by who does the onboarding | Same process for every new hire, every time |
Stop onboarding employees on instinct.
Download the free checklist and give every new hire a structured first 90 days.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
What documents should I collect from a new employee on Day 1?
At a minimum: Aadhaar card copy, PAN card copy, two passport-size photos, bank account details (for salary credit), educational qualification certificates, and previous employer's relieving letter (if applicable). During Week 1, you'll also collect PF nomination (Form 2), gratuity nomination (Form F), and TDS declaration (Form 12BB). For ESI-covered employees, collect family member details for the ESIC card. The checklist includes a 16-item document table you can print and hand to new joiners on Day 1.
Is PF registration mandatory for new employees?
Yes. If your establishment is covered under the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 (20+ employees, or if you've voluntarily registered), every new employee earning Basic + DA up to ₹15,000/month must be enrolled in PF. You need to generate their UAN on the EPFO Unified Portal within 7 days of joining. Employees earning above ₹15,000 can also be enrolled voluntarily. Use our shift schedule template to plan the new hire's roster from Week 1.
What is the POSH Act and does my business need to comply?
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 applies to every workplace in India with 10 or more employees. You must form an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), display the POSH policy visibly, and ensure every employee, including new joiners, acknowledges it in writing. Non-compliance can result in a fine of up to ₹50,000. For repeat offences, the penalty doubles and the establishment's licence can be cancelled.
How long should the probation period be?
Indian labour law doesn't prescribe a fixed probation period. It's defined in the appointment letter. Most Indian businesses set it at 3 to 6 months. The key is to use this time for structured evaluation, not just "waiting." This checklist includes review checkpoints at 30, 60, and 90 days so you can assess performance, flag issues early, and make a clear confirmation or extension decision before the probation ends.
Can I use this checklist for contract workers?
Yes, with adjustments. Contract workers don't need PF/ESI registration through your company (the contractor handles that under the Contract Labour Act, 1970). But they still need Day 1 orientation, safety training, ID card issuance, and POSH policy acknowledgment. The checklist's training section and document checklist are useful for contract workers. Skip the payroll setup and PF/ESI sections, and use the rest as-is. If you're unsure about the difference between contract workers and employees, check our salary structure guide for clarity on employment types.
About Petpooja
Petpooja is India's leading SME business software suite, trusted by 1,50,000+ businesses across restaurants, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and more. From billing and payroll to task management and procurement, Petpooja helps Indian businesses run better, every day.
Automate onboarding compliance for every new hire
Attendo handles PF/ESI registration from Day 1, sets up salary structures automatically, and puts every payslip in the employee's app. Petpooja Tasks assigns onboarding checklists to managers with deadlines and photo-proof verification.
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