Before a new employee starts:
an IT onboarding checklist.

1. Agree on the role before creating access

Confirm the person’s start date, manager, department, work location, and the systems needed for their actual role. Separate what is required on day one from access that can wait.

Write down who can approve access to shared files, business applications, and administrative functions. A colleague with a similar job can be a useful reference, but copying all of their access is not a substitute for approval.

2. Prepare an individual account and the right licenses

Use the organization’s approved naming and account-creation process. Google recommends individual user accounts rather than sharing an account between people; adding accounts can also affect license availability and billing. Confirm the subscription impact with the person responsible before adding paid access.

For Google Workspace, the appropriate administrator should create the account and place it in the intended organizational unit. Test the services needed for the job rather than assuming that account creation completes every part of onboarding. Google’s new-user guidance explains the platform-specific requirements.

3. Plan sign-in protection and recovery

Explain how the person should sign in, enroll in the organization’s approved second-step verification, and obtain help if they get locked out. Coordinate enrollment with the administrator’s policy and timing; do not change enforcement across the business simply to onboard one person.

Google’s 2-Step Verification deployment guidance covers planning and enrollment. Keep passwords, recovery codes, and authentication secrets out of ordinary onboarding worksheets.

4. Check the complete workday

A working mailbox is only part of readiness. Confirm the agreed device, business applications, necessary shared files, Wi-Fi or approved remote connection, and any printer or phone requirements. Record an owner for anything not yet ready.

Use a short first-login session to confirm access with the new employee. Show where business files belong and how to request support. Avoid using sensitive customer or employee records as test material.

5. Hand over a useful record

The handoff should identify the assigned equipment, approved systems, access owner, outstanding items, and the support route. Record that access was approved and tested, not the secret used to log in.

Arrange a brief follow-up after the person has started using the tools. Remove any temporary setup access that is no longer needed and update the record when responsibilities change.

Adapt the checklist to your business. This is a planning aid, not authorization to create accounts or change access. Your organization’s policies and the approved scope control the work.