What should a new hire FAQ include?

Where to start, who to ask, pay and hours, time off, tools and access, and what to do in the first week.

How long should it be?

Short enough to read on day one. Ten answers is a good start, and you add one whenever a new hire asks something that is missing.

The person who runs the start day, with a check after every hire.

A new hire asks the same ten questions in week one. Fill in this FAQ once, link it from the offer email, and update it after every hire.

A template with blanks, not legal advice. Rules on pay, leave and data vary by state, so check yours.

Paid on [schedule] through [tool]. Pay stubs are at [place].
Normal hours are [hours, time zone]. Time off is requested in [tool] with [notice]. See the PTO policy at [link].

You will get [tools]. Access requests go to [person] and take [number] business days.
Company equipment is [list] and is returned when you leave.

For [topic]: [person]. For [topic]: [person]. If you do not know who to ask, ask [person].
Questions that are not answered here are added by [owner] within [number] days.

Write each answer once, with an owner and the date you last confirmed it. These ten answers are what a bot or a shared FAQ should answer from.

1.Where and when do I start on day one?
Answer: [Time, place or link, and who meets them.]
Owner: [name]. Last confirmed: [date].
2.Who do I ask when I am stuck?
Answer: [One named person for the first week.]
Owner: [name]. Last confirmed: [date].
3.When do I get paid, and where do I see my pay?
Answer: [The schedule and the tool.]
Owner: [name]. Last confirmed: [date].
4.What are my hours?
Answer: [Normal hours, time zone and flexibility.]
Owner: [name]. Last confirmed: [date].
5.How do I ask for time off?
Answer: [The tool, the notice and the approver.]
Owner: [name]. Last confirmed: [date].
6.Which tools will I use, and how do I get access?
Answer: [The list and who grants it.]
Owner: [name]. Last confirmed: [date].
7.What equipment do I get?
Answer: [The list and the return rule.]
Owner: [name]. Last confirmed: [date].
8.Who is on the team and what do they do?
Answer: [Names and roles, in a short list.]
Owner: [name]. Last confirmed: [date].
9.What should I get done in my first week?
Answer: [Two or three goals.]
Owner: [name]. Last confirmed: [date].
10.Who gives me feedback, and when?
Answer: [The person and the first check-in dates.]
Owner: [name]. Last confirmed: [date].

Leave out anything that is private to one person, such as pay bands, and say where to ask about it.
Run it with your next hire and add every question they asked that is not here.
Test your bot or FAQ with the ten questions before you rely on it.

Want to check a bot against these questions? Use the free honesty test, or turn the answers into a shareable FAQ with the team FAQ builder.

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Where to start, who to ask, pay and hours, time off, tools and access, and what to do in the first week.
Short enough to read on day one. Ten answers is a good start, and you add one whenever a new hire asks something that is missing.
The person who runs the start day, with a check after every hire.