How new hires experience their first ninety days

The answer

New hires start real work in week three, not week one: access arrives in pieces and nobody owns the first week's plan.

IT asks for ten working days' notice and receives about three. The HR checklist has a line for the first week's plan, and it is the only line with no owner.

What people said

6/10 Accounts and equipment arrive in pieces over the first two weeks 6 of 10 people Strong signal

A laptop is ready on day one, but role access has to be approved by system owners who do not know the person is coming. IT receives the start date about three working days ahead and asks for ten.

“The last login came on day nine.”Marketing executive, joined 5 weeks ago

Show all 4 quotes and their conversations

1. “The last login came on day nine.”

   Marketing executive, joined 5 weeks ago

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Marketing executive, joined 5 weeks ago · New joiner, brand team

   Lontra

   Take me through your first week, starting from the night before.

   Marketing executive

   I got an email on the Friday with the address and the time. Monday, reception, big welcome, my laptop was on the desk. That was great. Then I sat there. The shared drive came on day four. The last login came on day nine.

   Lontra

   What did you do between Monday and day four?

   Marketing executive

   Read things. The brand guidelines, the intranet. I asked my manager if there was something I could draft and she said oh, let me think. She had a lot on.

   Lontra

   Who was your buddy?

   Marketing executive

   Someone from the next team. Lovely. She had her own deadlines, so we had lunch on day one and then a coffee in week three.

   Lontra

   Was there anything you had to find out by asking?

   Marketing executive

   Loads. How to book leave, which meetings I'm meant to be in. It's all on the intranet somewhere, or it's in someone's head. I find out by getting it wrong.

   Lontra

   What would you have wanted on the Monday?

   Marketing executive

   A list. Even a bad one. Three things for the week, who to ask.

   Lontra

   What helped most in the first weeks?

   Marketing executive

   The thirty-day catch-up with HR. It was the first time anyone asked how it was going.

2. “I had a laptop and nothing to log into for the first three days”

   Finance analyst, joined 3 months ago

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Finance analyst, joined 3 months ago · New joiner, finance team

   Lontra

   How did your first few weeks go?

   Finance analyst

   Honestly, well. My manager gave me a one-page plan on day one. First week, who to meet, one small task by Friday. I had a laptop and nothing to log into for the first three days, though, so the task waited.

   Lontra

   Which systems were missing?

   Finance analyst

   The finance system and the expenses tool. Two separate requests, I found out. I got them on day four and day seven.

   Lontra

   What was hardest to find out?

   Finance analyst

   The unwritten things. I found out in week five that you can skip the Friday call in your first month, and nobody says so. I'd been sitting in it for nothing.

   Lontra

   How did you find out?

   Finance analyst

   Asked the person next to me.

   Lontra

   What would you tell the next joiner?

   Finance analyst

   Ask for the plan. I got one because my manager does one for everyone. I don't think every manager does.

3. “I couldn't push anything until the second Friday.”

   Software engineer, joined 7 weeks ago

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Software engineer, joined 7 weeks ago · New joiner, product team

   Lontra

   What do you remember of your first week?

   Software engineer

   Monday was good. Reception, pass, laptop. Then the timetable, which I've shared. Tuesday to Friday, own time. I did the compliance modules, which wanted a login I didn't have yet, and I read the wiki.

   Lontra

   On the timetable, Tuesday to Friday says own time, with access pending. What was pending?

   Software engineer

   The repository and the build pipeline. Two requests and nobody had put them in. I couldn't push anything until the second Friday.

   Lontra

   How did you find out they were missing?

   Software engineer

   I noticed on the Wednesday. I asked my manager, he asked IT, IT said the form had only come in the Thursday before. Everyone assumed someone else had the plan.

   Lontra

   What did you do in the meantime?

   Software engineer

   Sat with my buddy. He was brilliant when he could be, but he had a release on.

   Lontra

   How much of his time did you have?

   Software engineer

   It wasn't set. He told me to just ask. You don't, because you can see he's busy.

   Lontra

   What would you change?

   Software engineer

   A real task on day two, even a small one, that I can finish with what I have. I'd remember the first week differently.

4. “On average three working days before the start.”

   IT service desk technician

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: IT service desk technician · Prepares accounts and equipment for joiners

   Lontra

   What does IT get when someone is about to join?

   IT service desk technician

   A form from the manager with the start date and the role. On average three working days before the start. That's what I see over the last quarter.

   Lontra

   What does it take to get someone fully set up?

   IT service desk technician

   Laptop, a day. Standard accounts, a day or two. Role access, like the repository or the finance system, needs the system owner to approve it, and that can take a week, because the owner doesn't know the person's coming.

   Lontra

   Here's the log you shared. The engineer's request arrived on Thursday 9 October, the start was Monday 13th, and all accounts were live on Friday the 24th. What took the time?

   IT service desk technician

   Two days' notice. Laptop was fine, Tuesday. The repository and the build pipeline went to the system owners on the Friday, they approved on the Wednesday and Thursday, and I finished the Friday after.

   Lontra

   What would shorten it?

   IT service desk technician

   Ten working days' notice and the role access named on the form. We ask for ten. We get three.

   Lontra

   Is there anything on your side that could change?

   IT service desk technician

   I could pre-request access for common roles. We don't, because I'd be asking system owners for someone who might not turn up. I'd rather not.

6/10 Nobody owns the plan for the first week 6 of 10 people Strong signal

Managers expect HR to send a schedule. HR expects the manager to make the plan, and the checklist line for it has no owner. Joiners fill the days with the intranet and compliance modules.

“Monday I was shown my desk, Tuesday I asked what I should do and got the intranet.”Account executive, joined 2 months ago

Show all 4 quotes and their conversations

1. “Monday I was shown my desk, Tuesday I asked what I should do and got the intranet.”

   Account executive, joined 2 months ago

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Account executive, joined 2 months ago · New joiner, sales team

   Lontra

   How would you describe your onboarding?

   Account executive

   Great, honestly. Really welcoming, everyone said hello, I got a bag with a mug in. I felt looked after.

   Lontra

   What did you do in your first week?

   Account executive

   Shadowed calls on the Wednesday. Before that I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing. Monday I was shown my desk, Tuesday I asked what I should do and got the intranet.

   Lontra

   You said great, and also that you weren't sure what you were supposed to do. How do those fit together?

   Account executive

   Yeah, fair. The welcome was great. The work part wasn't there. I think I'm judging it on how people were, not on what happened.

   Lontra

   How did you find out how things run, say the team meetings?

   Account executive

   The timetable says optional on the Friday catch-up. Everyone goes. I found that out in the second week, when I was the only one missing.

   Lontra

   What would you change?

   Account executive

   Someone saying on the Monday, here's what we'd like you to have done by Friday.

2. “I thought HR sent them a schedule.”

   Hiring manager, operations

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Hiring manager, operations · Has hired four people in two years

   Lontra

   What do you do before a new person starts in your team?

   Hiring manager

   I tell HR the start date, I put in the laptop request and I pick a buddy. Then I'm usually in the middle of something else.

   Lontra

   When do you put in the laptop request?

   Hiring manager

   When I've got the signed contract. Sometimes that's the week before. The checklist says ten days but the contract comes when it comes.

   Lontra

   What about the plan for the first week?

   Hiring manager

   I thought HR sent them a schedule. I think they send the welcome email, with where to go on Monday. I never thought of the week as mine.

   Lontra

   Who tells you what's still missing on day three?

   Hiring manager

   Nobody really. The new person does, usually in the corridor.

   Lontra

   What do you think the first week is for?

   Hiring manager

   People should meet everyone, do the compliance things, see how it works. A week of that is not wasted.

   Lontra

   What would you change?

   Hiring manager

   One list that says who does what and when. And someone to nag me.

3. “I left the owner blank because I wasn't sure if it was mine or theirs.”

   HR coordinator

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: HR coordinator · Runs the new joiner checklist and the 30-day check-in

   Lontra

   What does HR do for a new joiner?

   HR coordinator

   Contract, welcome email with Monday's details, the induction morning, and a thirty-day check-in. And the checklist, which goes to the manager.

   Lontra

   On the checklist you shared, the line Plan for the first week has no owner. Who is it for?

   HR coordinator

   It's the manager's, in my head. But when I wrote the checklist I left the owner blank because I wasn't sure if it was mine or theirs. I never went back to fill it in.

   Lontra

   How do managers get the checklist?

   HR coordinator

   I send it with the contract pack. Some tick it off. Most don't, I'd say. I don't chase unless someone tells me there's a problem.

   Lontra

   What do you think the first week is for?

   HR coordinator

   Meeting people, learning the company, compliance. If you start doing work on day two you miss that. But I know some of them are bored by Wednesday.

   Lontra

   How many joiners get a buddy?

   HR coordinator

   On paper all of them. In practice I don't know. Naming one is the manager's job and I don't see who they choose.

4. “Everyone assumed someone else had the plan.”

   Software engineer, joined 7 weeks ago

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Software engineer, joined 7 weeks ago · New joiner, product team

   Lontra

   What do you remember of your first week?

   Software engineer

   Monday was good. Reception, pass, laptop. Then the timetable, which I've shared. Tuesday to Friday, own time. I did the compliance modules, which wanted a login I didn't have yet, and I read the wiki.

   Lontra

   On the timetable, Tuesday to Friday says own time, with access pending. What was pending?

   Software engineer

   The repository and the build pipeline. Two requests and nobody had put them in. I couldn't push anything until the second Friday.

   Lontra

   How did you find out they were missing?

   Software engineer

   I noticed on the Wednesday. I asked my manager, he asked IT, IT said the form had only come in the Thursday before. Everyone assumed someone else had the plan.

   Lontra

   What did you do in the meantime?

   Software engineer

   Sat with my buddy. He was brilliant when he could be, but he had a release on.

   Lontra

   How much of his time did you have?

   Software engineer

   It wasn't set. He told me to just ask. You don't, because you can see he's busy.

   Lontra

   What would you change?

   Software engineer

   A real task on day two, even a small one, that I can finish with what I have. I'd remember the first week differently.

5/10 A buddy is named but has no time set aside 5 of 10 people Strong signal

Buddies are asked in a stand-up or on a checklist line and keep their normal workload. Joiners can see how busy they are and do not ask. HR does not see who was chosen or how much time was given.

“Nobody took anything off my plate.”Buddy, software engineer, 3 years in the company

Show all 4 quotes and their conversations

1. “Nobody took anything off my plate.”

   Buddy, software engineer, 3 years in the company

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Buddy, software engineer, 3 years in the company · Buddied one new engineer last quarter

   Lontra

   How did you become someone's buddy?

   Buddy

   My manager asked in a stand-up. Can you buddy the new engineer. I said yes. That was the whole thing.

   Lontra

   What did you do in the first week?

   Buddy

   Lunch on day one, set up the dev environment, then I was on a release so I was in and out. Nobody took anything off my plate.

   Lontra

   How much time did you expect to give?

   Buddy

   No idea. Nobody said. An hour a day? I'd have said that if anyone had asked.

   Lontra

   What does a buddy need?

   Buddy

   Time on the sprint, written down. And a list of what to cover. I made my own.

   Lontra

   Should the first week have a real task in it?

   Buddy

   A small real thing by Wednesday, I think. Something that's already scoped. Not nothing, but not all of it either.

2. “He told me to just ask. You don't, because you can see he's busy.”

   Software engineer, joined 7 weeks ago

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Software engineer, joined 7 weeks ago · New joiner, product team

   Lontra

   What do you remember of your first week?

   Software engineer

   Monday was good. Reception, pass, laptop. Then the timetable, which I've shared. Tuesday to Friday, own time. I did the compliance modules, which wanted a login I didn't have yet, and I read the wiki.

   Lontra

   On the timetable, Tuesday to Friday says own time, with access pending. What was pending?

   Software engineer

   The repository and the build pipeline. Two requests and nobody had put them in. I couldn't push anything until the second Friday.

   Lontra

   How did you find out they were missing?

   Software engineer

   I noticed on the Wednesday. I asked my manager, he asked IT, IT said the form had only come in the Thursday before. Everyone assumed someone else had the plan.

   Lontra

   What did you do in the meantime?

   Software engineer

   Sat with my buddy. He was brilliant when he could be, but he had a release on.

   Lontra

   How much of his time did you have?

   Software engineer

   It wasn't set. He told me to just ask. You don't, because you can see he's busy.

   Lontra

   What would you change?

   Software engineer

   A real task on day two, even a small one, that I can finish with what I have. I'd remember the first week differently.

3. “Buddy? Yeah. Busy.”

   Support agent, joined 10 weeks ago

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Support agent, joined 10 weeks ago · New joiner, support desk

   Lontra

   How were your first weeks?

   Support agent

   Fine, I think.

   Lontra

   What happened on day one?

   Support agent

   Pass, laptop. Training room.

   Lontra

   When you weren't sure about something, who did you ask?

   Support agent

   Buddy? Yeah. Busy.

   Lontra

   And then?

   Support agent

   Looked it up. Asked next to me.

   Lontra

   Anything you'd change?

   Support agent

   Not sure. It was ok.

4. “She had her own deadlines, so we had lunch on day one and then a coffee in week three.”

   Marketing executive, joined 5 weeks ago

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Marketing executive, joined 5 weeks ago · New joiner, brand team

   Lontra

   Take me through your first week, starting from the night before.

   Marketing executive

   I got an email on the Friday with the address and the time. Monday, reception, big welcome, my laptop was on the desk. That was great. Then I sat there. The shared drive came on day four. The last login came on day nine.

   Lontra

   What did you do between Monday and day four?

   Marketing executive

   Read things. The brand guidelines, the intranet. I asked my manager if there was something I could draft and she said oh, let me think. She had a lot on.

   Lontra

   Who was your buddy?

   Marketing executive

   Someone from the next team. Lovely. She had her own deadlines, so we had lunch on day one and then a coffee in week three.

   Lontra

   Was there anything you had to find out by asking?

   Marketing executive

   Loads. How to book leave, which meetings I'm meant to be in. It's all on the intranet somewhere, or it's in someone's head. I find out by getting it wrong.

   Lontra

   What would you have wanted on the Monday?

   Marketing executive

   A list. Even a bad one. Three things for the week, who to ask.

   Lontra

   What helped most in the first weeks?

   Marketing executive

   The thirty-day catch-up with HR. It was the first time anyone asked how it was going.

4/10 Unwritten rules take weeks to find 4 of 10 people Emerging

Which meetings are optional, how to book leave and what a manager expects are found by asking a neighbour or by getting it wrong. A manager who plans well does it from habit, not from the checklist.

“I found out in week five that you can skip the Friday call in your first month, and nobody says so.”Finance analyst, joined 3 months ago

Show all 4 quotes and their conversations

1. “I found out in week five that you can skip the Friday call in your first month, and nobody says so.”

   Finance analyst, joined 3 months ago

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Finance analyst, joined 3 months ago · New joiner, finance team

   Lontra

   How did your first few weeks go?

   Finance analyst

   Honestly, well. My manager gave me a one-page plan on day one. First week, who to meet, one small task by Friday. I had a laptop and nothing to log into for the first three days, though, so the task waited.

   Lontra

   Which systems were missing?

   Finance analyst

   The finance system and the expenses tool. Two separate requests, I found out. I got them on day four and day seven.

   Lontra

   What was hardest to find out?

   Finance analyst

   The unwritten things. I found out in week five that you can skip the Friday call in your first month, and nobody says so. I'd been sitting in it for nothing.

   Lontra

   How did you find out?

   Finance analyst

   Asked the person next to me.

   Lontra

   What would you tell the next joiner?

   Finance analyst

   Ask for the plan. I got one because my manager does one for everyone. I don't think every manager does.

2. “The timetable says optional on the Friday catch-up. Everyone goes.”

   Account executive, joined 2 months ago

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Account executive, joined 2 months ago · New joiner, sales team

   Lontra

   How would you describe your onboarding?

   Account executive

   Great, honestly. Really welcoming, everyone said hello, I got a bag with a mug in. I felt looked after.

   Lontra

   What did you do in your first week?

   Account executive

   Shadowed calls on the Wednesday. Before that I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing. Monday I was shown my desk, Tuesday I asked what I should do and got the intranet.

   Lontra

   You said great, and also that you weren't sure what you were supposed to do. How do those fit together?

   Account executive

   Yeah, fair. The welcome was great. The work part wasn't there. I think I'm judging it on how people were, not on what happened.

   Lontra

   How did you find out how things run, say the team meetings?

   Account executive

   The timetable says optional on the Friday catch-up. Everyone goes. I found that out in the second week, when I was the only one missing.

   Lontra

   What would you change?

   Account executive

   Someone saying on the Monday, here's what we'd like you to have done by Friday.

3. “It's all on the intranet somewhere, or it's in someone's head.”

   Marketing executive, joined 5 weeks ago

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Marketing executive, joined 5 weeks ago · New joiner, brand team

   Lontra

   Take me through your first week, starting from the night before.

   Marketing executive

   I got an email on the Friday with the address and the time. Monday, reception, big welcome, my laptop was on the desk. That was great. Then I sat there. The shared drive came on day four. The last login came on day nine.

   Lontra

   What did you do between Monday and day four?

   Marketing executive

   Read things. The brand guidelines, the intranet. I asked my manager if there was something I could draft and she said oh, let me think. She had a lot on.

   Lontra

   Who was your buddy?

   Marketing executive

   Someone from the next team. Lovely. She had her own deadlines, so we had lunch on day one and then a coffee in week three.

   Lontra

   Was there anything you had to find out by asking?

   Marketing executive

   Loads. How to book leave, which meetings I'm meant to be in. It's all on the intranet somewhere, or it's in someone's head. I find out by getting it wrong.

   Lontra

   What would you have wanted on the Monday?

   Marketing executive

   A list. Even a bad one. Three things for the week, who to ask.

   Lontra

   What helped most in the first weeks?

   Marketing executive

   The thirty-day catch-up with HR. It was the first time anyone asked how it was going.

4. “We've never written it down, how we do onboarding.”

   Hiring manager, finance

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Hiring manager, finance · Hires one or two people a year

   Lontra

   What do you do before someone joins your team?

   Hiring manager

   I write a plan. Thirty, sixty, ninety. It takes me an hour. It's mostly the same each time.

   Lontra

   Where does the plan come from?

   Hiring manager

   I started doing it years ago. It's not in the checklist or anything. I just do it.

   Lontra

   Do other managers do it?

   Hiring manager

   No idea. I don't think so. We've never written it down, how we do onboarding. It's all just habit.

   Lontra

   What do your new people say about it?

   Hiring manager

   Good things, I think. Nobody's complained.

   Lontra

   What would you change?

   Hiring manager

   Put it on the checklist, I suppose. Then it's not just me.

2/10 A written thirty, sixty, ninety plan from the manager helped one joiner feel useful sooner 2 of 10 people Emerging

One finance manager writes a plan for each hire and that team's joiner described receiving it on day one. It is not on the HR checklist, and only two people in this study mentioned it, so this is a small signal.

“I write a plan. Thirty, sixty, ninety. It takes me an hour.”Hiring manager, finance

Show all 2 quotes and their conversations

1. “I write a plan. Thirty, sixty, ninety. It takes me an hour.”

   Hiring manager, finance

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Hiring manager, finance · Hires one or two people a year

   Lontra

   What do you do before someone joins your team?

   Hiring manager

   I write a plan. Thirty, sixty, ninety. It takes me an hour. It's mostly the same each time.

   Lontra

   Where does the plan come from?

   Hiring manager

   I started doing it years ago. It's not in the checklist or anything. I just do it.

   Lontra

   Do other managers do it?

   Hiring manager

   No idea. I don't think so. We've never written it down, how we do onboarding. It's all just habit.

   Lontra

   What do your new people say about it?

   Hiring manager

   Good things, I think. Nobody's complained.

   Lontra

   What would you change?

   Hiring manager

   Put it on the checklist, I suppose. Then it's not just me.

2. “My manager gave me a one-page plan on day one.”

   Finance analyst, joined 3 months ago

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Finance analyst, joined 3 months ago · New joiner, finance team

   Lontra

   How did your first few weeks go?

   Finance analyst

   Honestly, well. My manager gave me a one-page plan on day one. First week, who to meet, one small task by Friday. I had a laptop and nothing to log into for the first three days, though, so the task waited.

   Lontra

   Which systems were missing?

   Finance analyst

   The finance system and the expenses tool. Two separate requests, I found out. I got them on day four and day seven.

   Lontra

   What was hardest to find out?

   Finance analyst

   The unwritten things. I found out in week five that you can skip the Friday call in your first month, and nobody says so. I'd been sitting in it for nothing.

   Lontra

   How did you find out?

   Finance analyst

   Asked the person next to me.

   Lontra

   What would you tell the next joiner?

   Finance analyst

   Ask for the plan. I got one because my manager does one for everyone. I don't think every manager does.

Where accounts differ

What the first week is for

Joiners want a small piece of real work early, to hold on to. The people who plan the week see it as time to meet people and finish compliance. The buddy sits between the two.

Joiners who wanted work 3 people

1. “Three things for the week, who to ask.”

   Marketing executive, joined 5 weeks ago

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Marketing executive, joined 5 weeks ago · New joiner, brand team

   Lontra

   Take me through your first week, starting from the night before.

   Marketing executive

   I got an email on the Friday with the address and the time. Monday, reception, big welcome, my laptop was on the desk. That was great. Then I sat there. The shared drive came on day four. The last login came on day nine.

   Lontra

   What did you do between Monday and day four?

   Marketing executive

   Read things. The brand guidelines, the intranet. I asked my manager if there was something I could draft and she said oh, let me think. She had a lot on.

   Lontra

   Who was your buddy?

   Marketing executive

   Someone from the next team. Lovely. She had her own deadlines, so we had lunch on day one and then a coffee in week three.

   Lontra

   Was there anything you had to find out by asking?

   Marketing executive

   Loads. How to book leave, which meetings I'm meant to be in. It's all on the intranet somewhere, or it's in someone's head. I find out by getting it wrong.

   Lontra

   What would you have wanted on the Monday?

   Marketing executive

   A list. Even a bad one. Three things for the week, who to ask.

   Lontra

   What helped most in the first weeks?

   Marketing executive

   The thirty-day catch-up with HR. It was the first time anyone asked how it was going.

2. “A real task on day two, even a small one, that I can finish with what I have.”

   Software engineer, joined 7 weeks ago

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Software engineer, joined 7 weeks ago · New joiner, product team

   Lontra

   What do you remember of your first week?

   Software engineer

   Monday was good. Reception, pass, laptop. Then the timetable, which I've shared. Tuesday to Friday, own time. I did the compliance modules, which wanted a login I didn't have yet, and I read the wiki.

   Lontra

   On the timetable, Tuesday to Friday says own time, with access pending. What was pending?

   Software engineer

   The repository and the build pipeline. Two requests and nobody had put them in. I couldn't push anything until the second Friday.

   Lontra

   How did you find out they were missing?

   Software engineer

   I noticed on the Wednesday. I asked my manager, he asked IT, IT said the form had only come in the Thursday before. Everyone assumed someone else had the plan.

   Lontra

   What did you do in the meantime?

   Software engineer

   Sat with my buddy. He was brilliant when he could be, but he had a release on.

   Lontra

   How much of his time did you have?

   Software engineer

   It wasn't set. He told me to just ask. You don't, because you can see he's busy.

   Lontra

   What would you change?

   Software engineer

   A real task on day two, even a small one, that I can finish with what I have. I'd remember the first week differently.

3. “Someone saying on the Monday, here's what we'd like you to have done by Friday.”

   Account executive, joined 2 months ago

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Account executive, joined 2 months ago · New joiner, sales team

   Lontra

   How would you describe your onboarding?

   Account executive

   Great, honestly. Really welcoming, everyone said hello, I got a bag with a mug in. I felt looked after.

   Lontra

   What did you do in your first week?

   Account executive

   Shadowed calls on the Wednesday. Before that I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing. Monday I was shown my desk, Tuesday I asked what I should do and got the intranet.

   Lontra

   You said great, and also that you weren't sure what you were supposed to do. How do those fit together?

   Account executive

   Yeah, fair. The welcome was great. The work part wasn't there. I think I'm judging it on how people were, not on what happened.

   Lontra

   How did you find out how things run, say the team meetings?

   Account executive

   The timetable says optional on the Friday catch-up. Everyone goes. I found that out in the second week, when I was the only one missing.

   Lontra

   What would you change?

   Account executive

   Someone saying on the Monday, here's what we'd like you to have done by Friday.

Those who plan the week 2 people

1. “People should meet everyone, do the compliance things, see how it works. A week of that is not wasted.”

   Hiring manager, operations

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Hiring manager, operations · Has hired four people in two years

   Lontra

   What do you do before a new person starts in your team?

   Hiring manager

   I tell HR the start date, I put in the laptop request and I pick a buddy. Then I'm usually in the middle of something else.

   Lontra

   When do you put in the laptop request?

   Hiring manager

   When I've got the signed contract. Sometimes that's the week before. The checklist says ten days but the contract comes when it comes.

   Lontra

   What about the plan for the first week?

   Hiring manager

   I thought HR sent them a schedule. I think they send the welcome email, with where to go on Monday. I never thought of the week as mine.

   Lontra

   Who tells you what's still missing on day three?

   Hiring manager

   Nobody really. The new person does, usually in the corridor.

   Lontra

   What do you think the first week is for?

   Hiring manager

   People should meet everyone, do the compliance things, see how it works. A week of that is not wasted.

   Lontra

   What would you change?

   Hiring manager

   One list that says who does what and when. And someone to nag me.

2. “If you start doing work on day two you miss that.”

   HR coordinator

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: HR coordinator · Runs the new joiner checklist and the 30-day check-in

   Lontra

   What does HR do for a new joiner?

   HR coordinator

   Contract, welcome email with Monday's details, the induction morning, and a thirty-day check-in. And the checklist, which goes to the manager.

   Lontra

   On the checklist you shared, the line Plan for the first week has no owner. Who is it for?

   HR coordinator

   It's the manager's, in my head. But when I wrote the checklist I left the owner blank because I wasn't sure if it was mine or theirs. I never went back to fill it in.

   Lontra

   How do managers get the checklist?

   HR coordinator

   I send it with the contract pack. Some tick it off. Most don't, I'd say. I don't chase unless someone tells me there's a problem.

   Lontra

   What do you think the first week is for?

   HR coordinator

   Meeting people, learning the company, compliance. If you start doing work on day two you miss that. But I know some of them are bored by Wednesday.

   Lontra

   How many joiners get a buddy?

   HR coordinator

   On paper all of them. In practice I don't know. Naming one is the manager's job and I don't see who they choose.

In between 1 person

1. “A small real thing by Wednesday, I think. Something that's already scoped.”

   Buddy, software engineer, 3 years in the company

   Open the conversation

   Excerpt from the conversation with: Buddy, software engineer, 3 years in the company · Buddied one new engineer last quarter

   Lontra

   How did you become someone's buddy?

   Buddy

   My manager asked in a stand-up. Can you buddy the new engineer. I said yes. That was the whole thing.

   Lontra

   What did you do in the first week?

   Buddy

   Lunch on day one, set up the dev environment, then I was on a release so I was in and out. Nobody took anything off my plate.

   Lontra

   How much time did you expect to give?

   Buddy

   No idea. Nobody said. An hour a day? I'd have said that if anyone had asked.

   Lontra

   What does a buddy need?

   Buddy

   Time on the sprint, written down. And a list of what to cover. I made my own.

   Lontra

   Should the first week have a real task in it?

   Buddy

   A small real thing by Wednesday, I think. Something that's already scoped. Not nothing, but not all of it either.

Documents

What we still don’t know

• How many new hires leave in their first ninety days, and why.HR records departures but not a reason for those inside probation, so nobody could say whether a slow first fortnight shows up in who stays.
• Which welcome pack is the current one.HR and IT each pointed to a version, and the two list different systems. Nobody could say which one new joiners should be following.

Deep Study

Deep Study went back to three people whose answers left a question open, and spoke to one colleague a participant suggested.

What Deep Study added

• The offer is accepted three to four weeks before the start in the five cases IT checked. The delay sits between the offer and the form, not in IT.
• Of eleven joiners last quarter, four had a written first-week plan and eight had a named buddy. Nobody recorded how much time a buddy had.
• Building passes run on a third list: HR sends it to the office administrator on the Friday before the start, and three of the last six joiners had a visitor pass on day one.

Who took part

People are described by their role and context, as in any Lontra study.

• Marketing executive, joined 5 weeks ago New joiner, brand team · 16 min

  Read the conversation

  Excerpt from the conversation with: Marketing executive, joined 5 weeks ago · New joiner, brand team

  Lontra

  Take me through your first week, starting from the night before.

  Marketing executive

  I got an email on the Friday with the address and the time. Monday, reception, big welcome, my laptop was on the desk. That was great. Then I sat there. The shared drive came on day four. The last login came on day nine.

  Lontra

  What did you do between Monday and day four?

  Marketing executive

  Read things. The brand guidelines, the intranet. I asked my manager if there was something I could draft and she said oh, let me think. She had a lot on.

  Lontra

  Who was your buddy?

  Marketing executive

  Someone from the next team. Lovely. She had her own deadlines, so we had lunch on day one and then a coffee in week three.

  Lontra

  Was there anything you had to find out by asking?

  Marketing executive

  Loads. How to book leave, which meetings I'm meant to be in. It's all on the intranet somewhere, or it's in someone's head. I find out by getting it wrong.

  Lontra

  What would you have wanted on the Monday?

  Marketing executive

  A list. Even a bad one. Three things for the week, who to ask.

  Lontra

  What helped most in the first weeks?

  Marketing executive

  The thirty-day catch-up with HR. It was the first time anyone asked how it was going.

• Finance analyst, joined 3 months ago New joiner, finance team · 14 min

  Read the conversation

  Excerpt from the conversation with: Finance analyst, joined 3 months ago · New joiner, finance team

  Lontra

  How did your first few weeks go?

  Finance analyst

  Honestly, well. My manager gave me a one-page plan on day one. First week, who to meet, one small task by Friday. I had a laptop and nothing to log into for the first three days, though, so the task waited.

  Lontra

  Which systems were missing?

  Finance analyst

  The finance system and the expenses tool. Two separate requests, I found out. I got them on day four and day seven.

  Lontra

  What was hardest to find out?

  Finance analyst

  The unwritten things. I found out in week five that you can skip the Friday call in your first month, and nobody says so. I'd been sitting in it for nothing.

  Lontra

  How did you find out?

  Finance analyst

  Asked the person next to me.

  Lontra

  What would you tell the next joiner?

  Finance analyst

  Ask for the plan. I got one because my manager does one for everyone. I don't think every manager does.

• Software engineer, joined 7 weeks ago New joiner, product team · 21 min

  Read the conversation

  Excerpt from the conversation with: Software engineer, joined 7 weeks ago · New joiner, product team

  Lontra

  What do you remember of your first week?

  Software engineer

  Monday was good. Reception, pass, laptop. Then the timetable, which I've shared. Tuesday to Friday, own time. I did the compliance modules, which wanted a login I didn't have yet, and I read the wiki.

  Lontra

  On the timetable, Tuesday to Friday says own time, with access pending. What was pending?

  Software engineer

  The repository and the build pipeline. Two requests and nobody had put them in. I couldn't push anything until the second Friday.

  Lontra

  How did you find out they were missing?

  Software engineer

  I noticed on the Wednesday. I asked my manager, he asked IT, IT said the form had only come in the Thursday before. Everyone assumed someone else had the plan.

  Lontra

  What did you do in the meantime?

  Software engineer

  Sat with my buddy. He was brilliant when he could be, but he had a release on.

  Lontra

  How much of his time did you have?

  Software engineer

  It wasn't set. He told me to just ask. You don't, because you can see he's busy.

  Lontra

  What would you change?

  Software engineer

  A real task on day two, even a small one, that I can finish with what I have. I'd remember the first week differently.

• Support agent, joined 10 weeks ago New joiner, support desk · 6 min

  Read the conversation

  Excerpt from the conversation with: Support agent, joined 10 weeks ago · New joiner, support desk

  Lontra

  How were your first weeks?

  Support agent

  Fine, I think.

  Lontra

  What happened on day one?

  Support agent

  Pass, laptop. Training room.

  Lontra

  When you weren't sure about something, who did you ask?

  Support agent

  Buddy? Yeah. Busy.

  Lontra

  And then?

  Support agent

  Looked it up. Asked next to me.

  Lontra

  Anything you'd change?

  Support agent

  Not sure. It was ok.

• Account executive, joined 2 months ago New joiner, sales team · 17 min

  Read the conversation

  Excerpt from the conversation with: Account executive, joined 2 months ago · New joiner, sales team

  Lontra

  How would you describe your onboarding?

  Account executive

  Great, honestly. Really welcoming, everyone said hello, I got a bag with a mug in. I felt looked after.

  Lontra

  What did you do in your first week?

  Account executive

  Shadowed calls on the Wednesday. Before that I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing. Monday I was shown my desk, Tuesday I asked what I should do and got the intranet.

  Lontra

  You said great, and also that you weren't sure what you were supposed to do. How do those fit together?

  Account executive

  Yeah, fair. The welcome was great. The work part wasn't there. I think I'm judging it on how people were, not on what happened.

  Lontra

  How did you find out how things run, say the team meetings?

  Account executive

  The timetable says optional on the Friday catch-up. Everyone goes. I found that out in the second week, when I was the only one missing.

  Lontra

  What would you change?

  Account executive

  Someone saying on the Monday, here's what we'd like you to have done by Friday.

• Hiring manager, operations Has hired four people in two years · 20 min

  Read the conversation

  Excerpt from the conversation with: Hiring manager, operations · Has hired four people in two years

  Lontra

  What do you do before a new person starts in your team?

  Hiring manager

  I tell HR the start date, I put in the laptop request and I pick a buddy. Then I'm usually in the middle of something else.

  Lontra

  When do you put in the laptop request?

  Hiring manager

  When I've got the signed contract. Sometimes that's the week before. The checklist says ten days but the contract comes when it comes.

  Lontra

  What about the plan for the first week?

  Hiring manager

  I thought HR sent them a schedule. I think they send the welcome email, with where to go on Monday. I never thought of the week as mine.

  Lontra

  Who tells you what's still missing on day three?

  Hiring manager

  Nobody really. The new person does, usually in the corridor.

  Lontra

  What do you think the first week is for?

  Hiring manager

  People should meet everyone, do the compliance things, see how it works. A week of that is not wasted.

  Lontra

  What would you change?

  Hiring manager

  One list that says who does what and when. And someone to nag me.

  Excerpt from the Deep Study conversation with: Hiring manager, operations · Has hired four people in two years

  Lontra

  You said you put in the laptop request when you get the signed contract. Could it go in earlier?

  Hiring manager

  It could, yes. The start date is firm when they accept. I didn't know IT needed ten days. The checklist does say it, but it came in the contract pack and I filed it.

  Lontra

  What would you do differently now?

  Hiring manager

  Put the request in the day they accept, and name the systems on it. And write down three things for week one, instead of leaving it to HR, which I now see I was doing.

• Buddy, software engineer, 3 years in the company Buddied one new engineer last quarter · 15 min

  Read the conversation

  Excerpt from the conversation with: Buddy, software engineer, 3 years in the company · Buddied one new engineer last quarter

  Lontra

  How did you become someone's buddy?

  Buddy

  My manager asked in a stand-up. Can you buddy the new engineer. I said yes. That was the whole thing.

  Lontra

  What did you do in the first week?

  Buddy

  Lunch on day one, set up the dev environment, then I was on a release so I was in and out. Nobody took anything off my plate.

  Lontra

  How much time did you expect to give?

  Buddy

  No idea. Nobody said. An hour a day? I'd have said that if anyone had asked.

  Lontra

  What does a buddy need?

  Buddy

  Time on the sprint, written down. And a list of what to cover. I made my own.

  Lontra

  Should the first week have a real task in it?

  Buddy

  A small real thing by Wednesday, I think. Something that's already scoped. Not nothing, but not all of it either.

• IT service desk technician Prepares accounts and equipment for joiners · 19 min

  Read the conversation

  Excerpt from the conversation with: IT service desk technician · Prepares accounts and equipment for joiners

  Lontra

  What does IT get when someone is about to join?

  IT service desk technician

  A form from the manager with the start date and the role. On average three working days before the start. That's what I see over the last quarter.

  Lontra

  What does it take to get someone fully set up?

  IT service desk technician

  Laptop, a day. Standard accounts, a day or two. Role access, like the repository or the finance system, needs the system owner to approve it, and that can take a week, because the owner doesn't know the person's coming.

  Lontra

  Here's the log you shared. The engineer's request arrived on Thursday 9 October, the start was Monday 13th, and all accounts were live on Friday the 24th. What took the time?

  IT service desk technician

  Two days' notice. Laptop was fine, Tuesday. The repository and the build pipeline went to the system owners on the Friday, they approved on the Wednesday and Thursday, and I finished the Friday after.

  Lontra

  What would shorten it?

  IT service desk technician

  Ten working days' notice and the role access named on the form. We ask for ten. We get three.

  Lontra

  Is there anything on your side that could change?

  IT service desk technician

  I could pre-request access for common roles. We don't, because I'd be asking system owners for someone who might not turn up. I'd rather not.

  Excerpt from the Deep Study conversation with: IT service desk technician · Prepares accounts and equipment for joiners

  Lontra

  You said the form arrives about three working days before the start. When is the start date first known?

  IT service desk technician

  I checked five joiners. In all five the offer was accepted three to four weeks before the start. The form reached us two to five days before. So the gap isn't in IT. It's between the offer and the form.

  Lontra

  Does anyone else need the start date?

  IT service desk technician

  Building passes. The office administrator gets the list from HR a different way. I'd ask her.

• HR coordinator Runs the new joiner checklist and the 30-day check-in · 22 min

  Read the conversation

  Excerpt from the conversation with: HR coordinator · Runs the new joiner checklist and the 30-day check-in

  Lontra

  What does HR do for a new joiner?

  HR coordinator

  Contract, welcome email with Monday's details, the induction morning, and a thirty-day check-in. And the checklist, which goes to the manager.

  Lontra

  On the checklist you shared, the line Plan for the first week has no owner. Who is it for?

  HR coordinator

  It's the manager's, in my head. But when I wrote the checklist I left the owner blank because I wasn't sure if it was mine or theirs. I never went back to fill it in.

  Lontra

  How do managers get the checklist?

  HR coordinator

  I send it with the contract pack. Some tick it off. Most don't, I'd say. I don't chase unless someone tells me there's a problem.

  Lontra

  What do you think the first week is for?

  HR coordinator

  Meeting people, learning the company, compliance. If you start doing work on day two you miss that. But I know some of them are bored by Wednesday.

  Lontra

  How many joiners get a buddy?

  HR coordinator

  On paper all of them. In practice I don't know. Naming one is the manager's job and I don't see who they choose.

  Excerpt from the Deep Study conversation with: HR coordinator · Runs the new joiner checklist and the 30-day check-in

  Lontra

  Last time the first-week plan had no owner on the checklist. Did you look at how many joiners had one?

  HR coordinator

  I went through last quarter's joiners, eleven of them. Four had a written plan from their manager. Eight had a named buddy on the checklist, but nobody recorded how much time the buddy had.

  Lontra

  Would you give the plan an owner now?

  HR coordinator

  I'd put the manager, and add that HR sends a template. But I'd want the managers to agree first, or I'm adding a task to people who are already stretched.

  Lontra

  Which part of that is easiest to start with?

  HR coordinator

  The template. I could have one by next month. I'd start with the plan that finance already uses.

• Hiring manager, finance Hires one or two people a year · 9 min

  Read the conversation

  Excerpt from the conversation with: Hiring manager, finance · Hires one or two people a year

  Lontra

  What do you do before someone joins your team?

  Hiring manager

  I write a plan. Thirty, sixty, ninety. It takes me an hour. It's mostly the same each time.

  Lontra

  Where does the plan come from?

  Hiring manager

  I started doing it years ago. It's not in the checklist or anything. I just do it.

  Lontra

  Do other managers do it?

  Hiring manager

  No idea. I don't think so. We've never written it down, how we do onboarding. It's all just habit.

  Lontra

  What do your new people say about it?

  Hiring manager

  Good things, I think. Nobody's complained.

  Lontra

  What would you change?

  Hiring manager

  Put it on the checklist, I suppose. Then it's not just me.

• Office administrator Prints building passes for joiners · 8 min · joined in Deep Study

  Read the conversation

  Excerpt from the Deep Study conversation with: Office administrator · Prints building passes for joiners

  Lontra

  IT said building passes come through you. How do you find out someone is joining?

  Office administrator

  HR sends a list on the Friday before, for the following week. So I get a day or two. A pass takes two days to print.

  Lontra

  What happens when a pass isn't ready?

  Office administrator

  They get a visitor pass and someone signs them in each morning. Three of the last six, I think.

  Lontra

  Does anyone else get that list?

  Office administrator

  I don't know. I think IT get theirs a different way. I've never seen the two lists side by side.

About this study

The question

“I want to understand how new hires experience their first 90 days, what is confusing or missing, and what helped them most.”

A company of about 400 people across five departments. Ten people took part: five people who joined in the last three months in marketing, finance, engineering, support and sales, two hiring managers, a buddy, someone from IT and an HR coordinator. Each conversation lasted 6 to 22 minutes. Deep Study went back to three of them and spoke to one colleague they suggested.

What Lontra asked about

1. What happens in the first week, and who plans it
2. When accounts, equipment and passes arrive
3. What a buddy is, and how much time they have
4. What new hires had to find out for themselves