# HR’s first 90 days plan

> A plan for a new HR hire: find every policy, the HR calendar and open cases, meet each manager, then fix the first things and share a 90-day plan.

Category: Onboarding and playbooks

Canonical: https://shuffl.ai/templates/hr-first-90-days-playbook

## When to use it

A new HR person inherits records, policies, dates and open cases they did not set up. The first month is for finding all of it before changing any of it.

This playbook counts from their start date. Each week has one job: the handbook, the HR calendar, open cases, every manager, then a plan.

## Welcome to HR, new HR hire

To the new HR hire, on their start date.

```text
**Welcome to HR, {{hire}}**

Your first month is for learning what exists before changing it. Start with the people records, the policies and where answers live today.

- [ ] Get access to People, payroll and benefits systems
- [ ] Read the handbook end to end
- [ ] List the policies you could not find
```

## Find the HR calendar

To the new HR hire, 3 days after their start date.

```text
**Find the HR calendar**

Most HR work runs on dates. Write them all in one place before one of them surprises you.

- [ ] Note every payroll date
- [ ] Note benefits renewal and open enrollment dates
- [ ] Note required filings and training deadlines
- [ ] Note when reviews and pay reviews happen
```

## Know what is open

To the new HR hire, 7 days after their start date.

```text
**Know what is open**

Ask your predecessor or manager for everything in flight, so nobody waits on a handover that never came.

- [ ] List open HR requests and complaints
- [ ] List people on leave and when they return
- [ ] List starters and leavers in the next month
- [ ] List visas and contracts that end this year
```

## Meet every manager

To the new HR hire, 10 days after their start date.

```text
**Meet every manager**

Managers are where most HR work starts. Twenty minutes each tells you what to fix first.

- [ ] Book 20 minutes with each manager
- [ ] Ask what HR does well and what slows them down
```

## Checking in

To the new HR hire, 14 days after their start date.

```text
**How is your first stretch going, {{hire}}?**

It has been a couple of weeks. If anything is stuck, like access, tools or expectations, say so and a named person from HR will follow up with you directly.
```

## Agree new HR hire’s first priorities

To their manager, 21 days after their start date.

```text
**Agree {{hire}}’s first priorities**

- [ ] Agree the three things HR should fix this quarter
```

## A month in HR

To the new HR hire, 30 days after their start date.

```text
**A month in HR**

Answered anonymously:
- I know where every policy and people record lives.
- I know the HR dates for the rest of the year.
- What is still unclear?
```

## Check the basics are right

To the new HR hire, 45 days after their start date.

```text
**Check the basics are right**

Small gaps in records cause the biggest problems later: a missing manager, an old address, a policy nobody owns.

- [ ] Check everyone in People has a manager and start date
- [ ] Give every policy an owner and a review date
- [ ] Check required workplace notices are current
```

## Write your 90-day plan

To the new HR hire, 60 days after their start date.

```text
**Write your 90-day plan**

You know enough now to say what you will change. Write it down, short, and share it.

- [ ] Write what you will fix, by when
- [ ] Share it with {{manager}}
```

## Review new HR hire’s first 90 days

To their manager, 90 days after their start date.

```text
**Review {{hire}}’s first 90 days**

- [ ] Look back at the plan
- [ ] Agree priorities for the next quarter
```

## How to adapt it

- Shuffl fills in {{hire}} and {{manager}} for each person. Replace them by hand if you send the message yourself.
- Give them the predecessor’s notes on day one, however rough.
- Agree three priorities by week three, so the first month has an end.

## The first months in HR

- **12%** of US employees say their company does a good job of onboarding (Gallup, 2021) [gallup-onboarding]
- **3.4x** as likely to call onboarding successful with an actively involved manager (Gallup, 2021) [gallup-onboarding]
- **3 days** to complete Section 2 of Form I-9 after a US hire [uscis-i9-section2]

## What the research says

New HR people inherit onboarding as one of their first jobs, and most of it falls short. Only 12% of US employees say their company does a good job of onboarding, and only 29% of new hires feel fully prepared and supported to excel in their role.[gallup-onboarding]

Managers decide most of it. When managers take an active role, employees are 3.4 times as likely to feel their onboarding was successful.[gallup-onboarding] That is why meeting every manager early pays back fast.

## What the law requires

Some HR work has a clock from the first hire. In the US, employers must complete Section 2 of Form I-9 within 3 business days of the hire date.[uscis-i9-section2] In the UK, right to work checks come before employment starts,[govuk-right-to-work] and the principal written statement is due on the first day.[govuk-written-statement] Check the rules for each country your people work in.

## Common mistakes

- Rewriting policies in week one, before knowing why they say what they say.
- Keeping HR dates in your head. Write every payroll, benefits, filing and review date in one calendar.
- Waiting for managers to come to you. Book time with each one in the first weeks.
- Inheriting open cases without a handover. Ask for everything in flight on day one.

## Common questions

**What should a new HR person do first?**
Learn what exists before changing it: the people records, the handbook, the HR calendar and anything already open. Then meet each manager and agree a few priorities with your own manager.

**What are the HR deadlines a new HR person must know?**
It depends on where your people work. In the US, Form I-9 Section 2 is due within 3 business days of a hire. In the UK, right to work checks come before someone starts, and the principal written statement is due on day one.

**How long does it take a new hire to get up to speed?**
Gallup finds new employees typically take around 12 months to reach their peak performance. A new HR person can fix a lot sooner, but the first month is for learning.

## Sources (read 2026-10-13)

- [gallup-onboarding] Gallup, “8 Practical Tips for Leaders for a Better Onboarding Process” (August 12, 2021): https://www.gallup.com/workplace/353096/practical-tips-leaders-better-onboarding-process.aspx
- [uscis-i9-section2] U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Completing Section 2, Employer Review and Attestation” (No date stated; read October 2026): https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/completing-form-i-9/completing-section-2-employer-review-and-attestation
- [govuk-right-to-work] GOV.UK, “Checking a job applicant’s right to work” (No date stated; read October 2026): https://www.gov.uk/check-job-applicant-right-to-work
- [govuk-written-statement] GOV.UK, “Employment contracts: Written statement of employment particulars” (No date stated; read October 2026): https://www.gov.uk/employment-contracts-and-conditions/written-statement-of-employment-particulars

## In Shuffl

Use in Shuffl: [New playbook](https://shuffl.ai/app/playbooks/all?create=1&template=hr-first-90-days). Opens a new playbook with these steps and timings. Each person’s steps wait for your approval before they send.

Guide: [Playbooks for other moments](https://shuffl.ai/docs/playbooks#templates)

## Related terms

- [People operations](https://shuffl.ai/glossary/people-operations)
- [HR business partner](https://shuffl.ai/glossary/hr-business-partner)
- [Employee handbook](https://shuffl.ai/glossary/employee-handbook)

All templates: https://shuffl.ai/templates

Agent documentation index: https://shuffl.ai/llms.txt