The Best 30-60-90 Day Plan for Your New Job [Template + Example]

Erica Santiago

Published: December 06, 2023

I remember my first day at HubSpot. I was so nervous and had a million concerns swimming around in my head.

A man organizes sticky notes in front of a calendar as he maps out a 30-60-90 Day Plan

Will I adapt to my new job? How long will it take for me to get the hang of things? Can I manage the workload and maintain a good rapport with my coworkers?

Fortunately, my outstanding manager at the time prepared a comprehensive checklist to be completed over a few months, and it helped me slowly but steadily adapt to HubSpot. Fast forward a few years, and I'm a rockstar at my job.

The checklist was called a 100-day checklist, but it followed the rhythm of a typical 30-60-90 Day Plan.

A 30-60-90 Day Plan, or something similar, is imperative to the success of a new employee as it helps them set and reach attainable goals and acclimate to their new position.

To help set your new employee, or yourself, up for success, here's what you need to know about crafting the best 30-60-90 Day Plan.

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30-60-90 Day Plan

A 30-60-90 day plan lays out a clear course of action for a new employee during the first 30, 60, and 90 days of their new job. By setting concrete goals and a vision for one's abilities at each stage of the plan, you can make the transition into a new organization smooth and empowering.

Learning the nuances of your new role in less than three months won't be easy. But crafting a strong 30-60-90 day plan is your best bet for accelerating your development and adapting to your new work environment as quickly as possible.

You‘d write a 30-60-90 day plan in two situations: during the final stages of an interview and the first week of the job. Here’s how each type can be executed:

30 60 90 day plan new employee

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  • 30/60/90 Day Goals
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30-60-90 Day Plan for Interview

Some hiring managers ask candidates to think about and explain their potential 30-60-90 day plan as a new hire.

As a candidate, this would sometimes confuse me in the past, but I now understand they just want to see if a potential hire can organize their time, prioritize the tasks they likely take, and strategize an approach to the job description.

For a new hire, a well-thought-out 30-60-90 day plan is a great way to help the hiring manager visualize you in the role and differentiate yourself from all other candidates.

But how can you outline your goals before accepting a new job? How are you supposed to know what those goals are? I've found that starting with the job description is an excellent stepping stone.

Typically, open job listings have separate sections for a job‘s responsibilities and a job’s qualifications. Work to find commonalities in these two sections and how you might turn them into goals for yourself.

Then, stagger those goals over three months.

For example, let‘s say a job requires three years of experience in Google Analytics, and the responsibilities include tracking the company’s website performance every month.

I would use these points to develop an action plan explaining how:

  • I‘ll learn the company’s key performance metrics (first 30 days)
  • Strengthen the company's performance in these metrics (next 30 days)
  • Lead the team toward a better Google Analytics strategy (last 30 days)

30-60-90 Day Plan for New Job

The second situation where you‘d write a 30-60-90 day plan is during the first week of a new job, which I highly recommend whether you’re a new employee or a manager working with a new hire.

If you're the hiring manager, this plan will allow you to learn how the new employee operates, address their concerns or preconceived notions about the role, and ultimately help them succeed.

If you‘re starting a new job and are not asked to craft a 30-60-90 day plan during the first week of that job, it’s still a good idea to write one for yourself.

A new position can feel like a completely foreign environment during the first few months, and having a plan in place can make it feel more like home.

Even though 90 days is the standard grace period for new employees to learn the ropes, it's also the best time to make a great first impression.

How long should a 30-60-90 day plan be?

While there's no set length for a 30-60-90 day plan, it should include information about onboarding and training, set goals that you're expected to hit by the end of each phase, and all the people to meet and resources to review in support of those goals. This can result in a document that's 3-8 pages long, depending on formatting.

The purpose of your plan is to help you transition into your new role, but it should also be a catalyst for your career development.

Instead of just guiding you over your job's learning curve, the goals outlined in your plan should push you to perform up to your potential and raise the bar for success at every stage.

HubSpot's Senior Manager of Content (and my former manager) Meg Prater suggests having a solid template for your plan that allows it to evolve.

“Anytime I onboard someone, I review all training docs and ensure they're up to date,” she says. “I also ask for feedback from the folks on the team who have most recently been onboarded. What did they like? What didn't work for them?”

She also says moving the plan to a more interactive platform proved to be helpful to new employees.

“One of the most helpful shifts we've made recently is moving our 30-60-90 plan (or 100-Days Plan) from a static Google Doc to Asana,” she says. “The plan is organized by week, and each task contains relevant readings and links. It's much easier for folks to move through, and it gives me better insight into where folks are in the plan.”

Meg onboarded me when I started at HubSpot, and I can confirm that my checklist in Asana was a game-changer because it helped me stay on task and visually track my progress.

The checklist below isn‘t mine, but it’s one she set up and follows the same format as the one she created for me.

Free 30/60/90 Day Onboarding Template

Fill out the form to get the template., parts of a 30-60-90 day plan.

An effective 30-60-90 day plan consists of three extensive phases — one for days 1-30, one for days 31-60, and one for days 61-90.

Each phase has its own goal. For example, the goal in the first 30 days is to learn as much as possible about your new job.

The following 30 focus on using learned skills to contribute, and the last 30 are about demonstrating skill mastery with metrics and taking the lead on new challenges.

Each phase also contains components that help define goals and describe desired outcomes. These parts include:

The primer is a general overview of what you hope to achieve during the current 30-day period.

I prefer sitting down with my manager to pinpoint a primer that aligns with my goals and desired company outcomes, and I encourage you to do the same.

This ensures you and your manager are on the same page about expectations early on in your journey with the company.

The theme is a quick-hitter sentence or statement summarizing your goals for the period. For example, your theme might be “find new opportunities”, “take initiative,” or “be a sponge.”

Learning Goals

Learning goals focus on skills you want to learn or improve to drive better outcomes at your job. For example, if you're responsible for creating website content at your company, you should learn new HTML or CSS skills .

At the start of my career with HubSpot, some marketing trends and jargon were unfamiliar, and I wasn‘t used to the company’s writing style.

As a result, my learning goals as a new blogger were to become more well-versed in marketing and to adapt to HubSpot's writing style.

Performance Goals

Performance goals speak to specific metrics that demonstrate improvement. These include making one more weekly content post or reducing the revisions management requires.

For example, I was only writing one article per week when I started HubSpot, but it was my performance goal to be able to write multiple articles by the end of 30 days.

Initiative Goals

Initiative goals are about thinking outside the box to discover other ways you can contribute. This might mean asking your manager about taking ownership of new website changes or upgrades with a specific deadline in mind.

Personal Goals

Personal goals focus on company culture — are there ways you can improve relationships with your team members or demonstrate your willingness to contribute?

30 60 90 day plan new employee

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30-60-90 Day Plan: A Guide (With Templates)

30 60 90 day plan new employee

A 30-60-90 day plan is essential for onboarding effectively at any company, as it help outlines expectations for an employee to meet when entering a new job.

30-60-90 Day Plan Definition

A 30-60-90 day plan is a document that guides an employee on the expectations and goals they should be striving for during the first 30, 60 and 90 days on the job.

Whether you’re starting a new job, or you’re a manager bringing a new employee onboard, we’ve compiled a comprehensive set of tips to create 30-60-90 day plans that will support successful onboarding .

What Is a 30-60-90 Day Plan?

A 30-60-90 day plan is a document that guides an employee on the expectations and goals they should meet during the first 30, 60 and 90 days on the job. Typically provided for new employees on or before their first day of work, they are a common component of companies’ onboarding processes, as they’re used to set up a new employee for success right away. 

The plan “needs to be some kind of structure that you mutually agree on, a structure that is outcome-focused and that helps people go towards maximizing their contribution to your company as fast as possible,” Rik Haandrikman, vice president of growth at Bitrise , told Built In. “Without a plan, it’s a mess, and 30-60-90 days works.” 

At Bitrise, 30-60-90 day plans tend to be pretty high level, with a few bullet points for each milestone. The first 30 days are all about understanding the context of the business. At the 60 days, employees should be proposing concrete steps to reach an outcome, and by day 90, the company wants to start seeing deliverables.

30-60-90 day plans can also be shaped by both a manager and the employee to fit mutual needs. This is where a manager provides overall support and makes sure company-wide tasks and department-specific KPIs are covered, but leaves enough room for the employee to set their own goals too.

These plans can be so flexible that some companies, like  Instawork , even use a 14-30-60 day plan. “It’s really important to get things going quickly,” said Sumir Meghani, co-founder and CEO of Instawork. 

Adriana Roche, chief people officer at Mural , suggests managers have a 30-60-90 day plan ready for a new employee but to sit down with them to discuss and modify the plan as needed.

“The important thing is that you fill this out before the person starts. So on day one, you sit down with them, and you walk them through this journey,” Roche said. “The person feels like they’ve co-created their onboarding versus just having something handed to them.”

Benefits of a 30-60-90 Day Plan

Makes employee onboarding structured and approachable.

30-60-90 day plans are a digestible way to help an employee transition into their role smoothly, have a vision for their position and not feel too overwhelmed. 

“We’re just trying to distill [work] down to something that’s achievable in the foreseeable future. Most people can get their heads around three months,’” David Ciccarelli, CEO of Voices , told Built In.

Boosts Employee Confidence and Sense of Belonging

These plans can give employees a consistent introduction to the company and help them feel confident about joining.

“If you do it well, you create a sense of cohesion with the people, so creating a sense of belonging, and then getting people ramped up as quickly as possible.” Roche said. “They’re going to feel much more engaged because they’re feeling like they’re having an impact from the get-go.”

Useful for Transitions Into New Roles or After Leaves

30-60-90 plans don’t have to be just for new employees, Ciccarelli said. You can use them to help someone transition into a new role or acclimate again after a leave .

“Any kind of re-entry, the 30-60-90 day plan is a great level set,” Ciccarelli noted. “In consideration of a promotion, that actually is much more meaningful because somebody has the context of what are the big objectives of the year.”

More on Onboarding How 15 Companies Nail The Employee Onboarding Process

To make a 30-60-90 day plan, it’s helpful to know common goals associated with each major milestone. Here’s what you can expect to accomplish or see from employees 30, 60 and 90 days into a new job.

30 Days Into a 30-60-90 Day Plan

Complete common onboarding tasks.

The first 30 days in a new job should be all about creating a foundation of knowledge before diving in head first. These types of tasks can include:

  • Reading company handbooks and guides.
  • Learning company culture and history.
  • Learning company processes around benefits, requesting time off, etc.
  • Gaining access to and learning how to use tools and systems (email, chat, software tools).
  • Attending coffee chats or onboarding sessions offered by your company.

Meet Managers, Team Members and Collaborators

At many companies, part of onboarding can look like having 15- to 30-minute one-on-one meetings with team members or collaborators. It’s especially important to meet with your manager on the first or second day of a new job to discuss what their expectations are. 

“The list of people your manager is getting you to talk to, those are your performance review people,” said Alexandria “Lexi B.” Butler, who has worked in tech for several years and is the founder of Sista Circle: Black Women in Tech . “Literally your manager is telling you, these are the people that I will talk to to see if you get a raise.”

New hires will want to ask their coworkers about what they do, how their jobs impact one another and their overall thoughts on company culture and processes.  

Some companies have a buddy system for new employees, where they can get to know someone else at the company who they can go to for guidance that isn’t their direct manager.

“We make sure that we also have a peer onboarding partner, so really having a buddy with somebody, a safe space where you can ask those questions that you perhaps wouldn’t want to ask of your manager,” Rebecca Port, chief people officer at 10x Genomics , told Built In. “Someone who can help you understand the context of the why behind things.”

Go Over Responsibilities and Company Dynamics

During these first 30 days, take time to go over the responsibilities in the job description and start to think of a plan to tackle them, plus focusing on learning the company dynamics, according to Annabel Maw, director of communications at Jotform .

“It’s mostly just getting a really good framework and foundation for how the company operates and how the product works, and then just understanding the competitive landscape too in the industry,” Maw said.

60 Days Into a 30-60-90 Day Plan

Have steps to reach a goal and start to contribute.

Before the first 60 days, many companies expect that there will be outlined steps for meeting an employee’s initial goals or completing first projects.

By day 60, Ciccarelli said Voices employees are expected to have an understanding of the product and be able to give a product demonstration, which is a rite of passage for new employees. At Bitise, Haandrikman said employees should strive to start making an impact on the business after the first 30 days by outlining specific steps to reach a goal.

Deepen Colleague Relationships and Discuss Projects

Conversations with colleagues should continue after the first 30 days, Butler said, and these conversations should go even deeper to help employees learn about how they are performing against expectations so far.

90 Days Into a 30-60-90 Day Plan

Have an outcome to share and make suggestions.

By the end of an employee’s first 90 days, they are often expected to have an outcome to share with the company, such as completing a key first assignment or goal. It’s also not too early to start making enhancements at the company by day 90, Haandrikman said.

Reflect and Review With Your Manager

At an employee’s 90-day review with their manager, Butler suggests asking these questions:

  • What have I done well? 
  • What can I work on? 
  • How do you see me in this role evolving in the next year?

These questions will help you to understand your strengths and where you stand out — your special skills and abilities that will help shape your career. 

“Now people have gotten to know you. They’ve gotten to see your strengths and your weaknesses because everybody has them,” Butler said. “You start creating your career … people just start seeing it, and in those 90 days, people will start giving you those tidbits.”

30-60-90 Day Plan Templates

While 30-60-90 day plans can be highly personalized to the employee, a template is a proven way to help a manager get started and make sure they don’t forget all of the essential tasks needed for onboarding.

These 30-60-90 day template ideas — whether provided by a company or used for personal progress tracking — can be used to outline and track expectations for new employees.

Simple 30-60-90 Day Plan Template 

A screenshot of Voices' 30-60-90 Day Plan Template.

Voices’ 30-60-90 day plan template, as shared by Ciccarelli, fits on one page and is in bullet form. This type of template is effective for making plan notes in a simple format that can be fleshed out later. It also implements a SMART goal template, which gives employees direction for writing clear goals. 

Visual 30-60-90 Day Plan Template 

Screenshot of Mural's 30-60-90 Day Plan.

As for Mural’s 30-60-90 day plan template, this example is highly visual and maps out a path for an employee to follow over the course of the first three months. Templates like this can keep the 30-60-90 day plan fun and light-hearted, and provide images alongside goals to help employees better visualize what they should accomplish.

Create Your Own 30-60-90 Day Plan Template

It also doesn’t have to be all up to the company to provide a plan to follow.

For Butler when she enters a new job, she creates an Excel document with tabs for 30, 60 and 90 days. She has columns for the tasks she’s working on and the feedback she receives. For items she’s told to keep working on after the first 30 days, she copies them to the 60 day tab, and so on. 

She also said working with software tools like Workday has been a helpful way to keep both the employee and manager accountable with documenting progress.

In many cases, how well an employee follows a 30-60-90 plan can be a strong predictor of their future success at the company.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a 30-60-90 day plan.

A 30-60-90 day plan is a document that outlines expectations or goals new employees should meet within their first 30, 60 and 90 days at a company.

What should be included in a 30-60-90 day plan?

A 30-60-90 plan should include:

  • Defined goals or expectations a new employee should meet by day 30, 60 and 90
  • Information about onboarding, training and key employee documents or systems to access
  • Information about who to contact or what other resources to reference to help reach the defined goals

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30 60 90 day plan new employee

Most plans are useless.

A typical 5-year plan is nothing more than a collection of guesses. And when these guesses turn out to be incorrect (as guesses often are), companies are forced to choose between their original plan and what makes sense today .

That said, there’s one plan that no company should ever ignore…

The 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plan.

What is a 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plan?

One of the most important pieces of the employee onboarding process, the 30-60-90 Day Plan is a tool that helps shape the first 90 days of a new job. It creates structure - structure that leads to improved performance, happiness, and outcomes, for both the employee and the company.

Generally outlined in a document or dashboard, the 30-60-90 Day Plan summarizes the priorities, goals, and metrics that define a successful start for an employee. It’s divided into three segments (30, 60, and 90 days), giving employees a clear understanding of what they’re expected to accomplish as they gain a steady footing in their new role.

Not only does the 30-60-90 Day Plan help new hires orient themselves in the right direction, but it also helps managers and executives create an onboarding environment that fosters early contribution and success for their hires.

Why 90 Days?

It can take years for someone to fully hit their stride inside a company. But after 90 days, a new employee’s trajectory should be clear (and ideally, trending upward).

For employees, 90 days is enough time to make connections, demonstrate skills, and start contributing real work. For managers, 90 days is ample time to establish a rhythm with new employees, review real work products, and provide thoughtful feedback (gauging how new employees respond).

It’s unreasonable to expect a new employee to be a star performer after 90 days. But their potential for becoming one should be clear.

This is why the 30-60-90 Day Plan works so well. It creates a series of stepping stones to this critical 90-day mark, giving both employer and employee a clear picture of whether or not the relationship is working.

What Are the Benefits of a 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plan for New Employees?

The most notable benefit of the 30-60-90 Day Plan is structure. But it offers so much more, including:

  • A cleaner onboarding experience
  • Clear direction and motivation for new hires
  • Accountability for employees
  • Accountability for managers and executives
  • Easy to see progress reports
  • A recorded history of tasks accomplished and goals achieved
  • Time savings for HR and managers
  • A standardized system for evaluating all new employees

What Should You Include in a 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plan for Employees?

Every 30-60-90 Day Plan is going to look a little different. But there are several core components that should be included in each one:

  • New Hire Priorities: While to-dos and goals help paint a picture, managers should outline top priorities for new employees so that they are explicitly clear.
  • Goals: After setting clear priorities, managers should create a series of goals that support them. These goals can be performance-based (accomplish x, y, and z by 90 days) or learning-based (attend these company trainings; learn this internal system) , and should be both measurable and attainable within the first 90 days.
  • To-Dos: Nothing is more motivating for new employees (and encouraging for their managers) than diving into real work. 30-60-90 Day Plans should be filled with a series of to-dos that support the agreed upon goals and priorities, and provide the satisfaction of progress that comes from contributing early in the role.

30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plan Template for New Employees

With an understanding of what a 30-60-90 Day Plan is, why they’re important, and what should be included, let’s look at how to actually make one. Here’s how we create our 30-60-90 for each new hire.

BTW, we - not surprisingly - build our 30-60-90 Day Plans inside Basecamp. If you want to copy these templates, sign up for free in 30 seconds below and follow along:

Step One: Create a 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plan Template

Since we already use Basecamp for all other parts of employee onboarding, it’s only natural we use it to create our 30-60-90 Day Plans, too.

Instead of a Word document or PDF, each new hire (and their manager) is set up with a 30-60-90 Day Plan project inside Basecamp. This project serves as the employee’s home base for the first three months of their role, bringing together all the elements of the plan in one central place:

A look at the 30-60-90 Day Plan of a typical new employee.

Step Two: Write Welcome Message & Share Priorities

With the 30-60-90 Day Plan project set, the next step is to welcome the new employee and share their priorities for the first few months.

Basecamp managers accomplish this by setting up a welcome message right inside the project, which is the first thing the new employee sees when they log in:

A typical welcome message that says hello and outlines employee priorities for the first 90 days.

While there is no one right way to craft a welcome message, it’s important for managers to remember that new employees will likely reference this message frequently as they get acclimated, so be thorough. This is especially true if you’re onboarding a new employee remotely.

Step Three: Create Goals

After you welcome a new employee and outline their priorities, it’s time to set some goals.

Depending on the role and the experience level of the employee, goal setting may be a process you do together over the course of their first week. However, even if experienced employees provide a lot of input, it’s important for managers to be specific about their expectations and desired outcomes over the first three months.

In our 30-60-90 Day Plan Template, goals are given their own dedicated section for high visibility and easy tracking:

Keeping goals visible is a critical part of successful 30-60-90 Day Plans.

Important Note: Make sure the goals you set are both measurable and attainable. There’s nothing more frustrating than feeling like you’re behind after just a few weeks into a job, which can happen if goals are too lofty, or if they’re vague and open to interpretation.

Step Four: Set New Employee To-Dos

The next step of the 30-60-90 Day Plan is to set to-dos that support your priorities and goals.

Once again, how you approach this part of the process will depend on the experience level of the hire. For those less experienced, managers will likely need to spend more time working through the specifics, helping outline a clear list of tasks for the employee. For more seasoned professionals, setting to-dos based on the priorities and goals provided by their manager should be a more independent process.

Either way, it’s best to track to-dos in a central place, as it allows managers to stay up to speed on the employee’s progress, and check in when it appears they are stuck.

Typical to-do list for a 30-60-90 Day Plan.

Step Five: Schedule 30-60-90 Day New Hire Check-In Meetings

One of the most important parts of a 30-60-90 Day Plan is the check-in meetings that occur at each interval.

Our managers schedule these meetings before the employee even begins, ensuring that they save space on their calendar to prioritize these chats. When the new hire first joins their project, they’ll see these meetings already set on their schedule:

Set aside time for 30-60-90 Day Plan meetings early.

This schedule also serves as a great space for employees to organize other important meetings and check-ins with teammates.

Step Six: Share Other Helpful Resources

One of the benefits of using employee onboarding software is that you can compile additional resources right alongside your 30-60-90 Day Plan.

In our template, we always include a space for other important documents, spreadsheets, reports, and links that the new hire may find useful. By putting them together in a single space, it helps ensure that the employee will have no issue finding these resources, even as they are still getting acclimated.

A typical “Docs & Files” section inside our 30-60-90 Day Plan Template.

Creating a 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plan Template for New Employees

A thorough 30-60-90 Day Plan is one of the most effective tools available for employee onboarding. By outlining priorities, goals, to-dos, and resources, new hires will have a clear sense of what’s expected of them, and what success looks like during their first three months on the job.

If you’re ready to give this 30-60-90 Day Plan Template a try, take 30 seconds right now to get started with Basecamp for free (no credit card required). Once you’re in, copy and paste these sections into a new project and make them your own.

After you’ve customized your project to suit the needs of your organization, save it as a new template inside Basecamp. Now you have your very own 30-60-90 Day Plan Template ready to go whenever you need it!

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What is a 30-60-90 day plan?

6 benefits of a 30-60-90 day plan, when to use a 30-60-90 day plan, what to include in a 30-60-90 day plan, 30-60-90 day plan template for managers, 9 tips for creating a 30-60-90 day plan.

"The more I help out, the more successful I become. But I measure success in what it has done for the people around me. That is the real accolade." Adam Grant, organizational psychologist and BetterUp Science Board Advisor 

When it comes to setting your people up for success, a little help goes a long way. How are you setting up your workforce to reach its full potential ? 

Well, if you ask any leader, a lot of it comes down to helping your employees think strategically from the start. It’s beyond finishing a project, solving a problem, or completing the menial, day-to-day tasks.

Of course, the day-to-day duties help to get work done. But it’s also helping your employees connect their day-to-day to the larger purpose of work . Why does that purpose matter? How does their work connect to the organization’s goals, mission, or purpose? 

When I first started at BetterUp, my manager shared a fully fleshed-out spreadsheet and Google document as part of my 30-60-90 day plan. In these resources, there were targets to hit, milestones to reach, and tasks to complete. 

But more importantly than the line items was the sentiment: the strategy behind the 30-60-90 day plan helped to set me up for success. It was that extra mile to help out a new hire that allowed me to onboard successfully to my new role. And it was the help I needed to see the larger vision of how my work connected to organizational success , even if I didn’t fully know it yet. 

When we think about helping others around us be successful, having a plan is critical. In fact, 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they had a good onboarding experience.

Having a roadmap for the first three months can help your employees acclimate to the company culture. It'll also help them ramp up to the role and meaningfully connect with others — and ultimately lead to better performance.  

Sure, the plan might change. After all, we’re in a rapidly changing world where plans are often etched in pencil instead of stamped in pen. But if you’re hiring new employees or onboarding teammates, it’s important to give your workforce a sense of where you want to see them go. 

In this post, we’ll walk through what makes a good 30-60-90 day plan. We’ll also talk about the benefits of a good plan — and even give a template example to help you help your employees. 

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First, let’s understand what defines a 30-60-90 day plan. The 30-60-90 plan is a key part of a robust onboarding process . And in remote and hybrid work environments, the onboarding process is more important than ever. It’s critical that in these early days of onboarding, you’re building culture and connection with your new employees. 

A 30-60-90 day plan is a document or resource that outlines the goals and strategies for a new employee within the first 90 days. It serves as a guide, a resource, and a checklist for your new hires.

When a new employee joins your organization, there’s likely a stage of information overload. In the onboarding process, the employee absorbs a lot of information. They might be networking and setting up coffee chats with other employees. They’re probably in a good chunk of training sessions and other sorts of new hire workshops. 

Depending on how your organization runs the onboarding process, your employees are likely trying to ramp up in their new roles. At the same time, they're also soaking in everything they can about the organization. All while your employees are acclimating to the new role, they’re also making connections. Or, at least, they should be.

In short: it’s a lot. It can feel overwhelming to retain all the information a new hire receives. Sometimes, it can lead to confusion or misalignment on overall goals. 

But with a 30-60-90 day plan, you’re able to clearly outline the expectations you have for your employee. As a manager, it’s a useful resource and tool to help keep the onboarding process on track. It can also serve as an accountability tool, one where you can ensure your employees are meeting your expectations. 

Let’s talk more about what benefits come with a clearly outlined 30-60-90 day plan. 

30-60-90-day-plan-woman-shaking-hands-in-wheelchair

There are plenty of benefits to a 30-60-90 day plan, for both the employer and the employee. Here are six of our favorite benefits to consider. 

  • It helps optimize productivity  

It sets clear expectations 

  • It helps with goal setting  

It can help alleviate the new job jitters 

It empowers employees to self-manage their work , it serves as a reminder of priorities , it helps optimize productivity .

Ashley Ballard, social media manager, BetterUp, shared why a 30-60-90 day helped their productivity in the first three months of work. 

“I'm someone who benefits from an itemized list of expectations so that I’m not hindering my productivity by feeling anxious about my work product. It also keeps everyone on the same page about the meaning behind your role and how you will directly support team goals.” Ashley Ballard, social media manager  

As you’ll notice in some of these benefits of a 30-60-90 day plan, there’s a lot of overlap in what makes an employee productive. For Ashley, it’s clear expectations, alignment on the role, and clear communication about the priorities at hand. One could argue that all the benefits of a 30-60-90 day plan can contribute to overall increased productivity . 

It doesn’t get much clearer than getting a document of expectations in written form. At BetterUp, our 30-60-90 day plans come with a “checkbox” field to notch once you’ve completed the task at hand. 

Clear expectations can be hard to set, especially at the nebulous start of someone’s employment in a new role. But with a 30-60-90 day plan, you’re able to clearly outline your expectations as a manager. 

It helps with goal setting 

On my 30-60-90 day plan, I had a list of more administrative or mundane tasks. For example, I needed to upload my information into our HR management system. I needed to review the necessary policies and documents. I needed to set my email signature with the appropriate information. 

But it also outlined higher-level objectives. As a marketer and writer, I needed to learn the BetterUp voice, tone, and perspective. My manager clearly outlined blogs and resources that I could read, practice assignments that I could take on, and even some videos to watch. In fact, one of my goals was to write a blog within 30 days. 

Many of the new hire checklist items served as foundational tasks to get to me my goal. And by providing me with all the information at once, I could more easily connect the dots to the “why” behind some of the work I was receiving, too. 

Have you ever started a new job and not really know what you’re supposed to do with yourself? 

In my last job, I attended a half-day new hire orientation . I still remember going back to my desk upstairs, meeting my new manager, sitting down, and logging into my computer. I played around with my systems and got myself set up on my laptop. But after about an hour, I found myself spinning my chair around to my new boss and asking if I could help with anything. 

Frankly, I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing with myself. I felt that instant anxiety of not contributing anything meaningful, even though it was just my first day. 

There’s a lot of inherent pressure, stress, and anxiety that comes with starting a new job. New job anxiety is totally normal. It happens to all of us.

No matter how great we felt through the hiring process , on top of the world with our offer letter, as the new kid you can feel at loose ends pretty quickly. You waste time in self-doubt or doing unimportant tasks to look busy and loose confidence and momentum. But one way to help alleviate the jitters your employees are feeling is by giving them a plan. 

Ashley Strahm, content marketing manager, BetterUp, shared why she finds having set milestones in place can help reduce anxiety . 

“I’ve come to experience onboarding as a time where folks are the most hungry, curious, enthusiastic, and eager to please. Having a plan with milestones from the outset means that none of the initial emotions that come with starting a new job overwhelm or cause scattered or inefficient outreach — and anxiety about performance."  Ashley Strahm, content marketing manager

Without a 30-60-90 day plan, you couldn’t possibly have made the connections or digested the right resources to help quell those productivity nerves. And without it, you risk a big loss. Those early days are when new hires have the freshest eyes. It’s the best and most optimal opportunity to ask your new hires to observe and provide feedback. 

I’ve never heard of a manager that wants to hold their employees’ hands through every project. Sure, there are micromanagers who like to stay close to their employees’ work. 

But at BetterUp, we’re big believers in giving employees autonomy to self-manage their work. We talk about this in the context of some of our high-impact behaviors: extreme ownership, bias toward action, craftspersonship, and work to learn. 

30-60-90-day-plan-employee-at-work-smiling

Managers also need their time to focus on high-impact work and priorities. So when it comes to onboarding a new employee, it’s not plausible to walk your new hire through everything they need to know. And if you were to do so, it certainly wouldn't set them up for success. 

A 30-60-90 day plan empowers your employees to self-manage their work. By leveraging a 30-60-90 day plan as part of your onboarding strategy, you’re giving your employees autonomy to build their own schedules. It helps give them the roadmap but how they get to the final destination is up to them. 

Hand-in-hand with self-management comes managing priorities. We all know that work is busy. As your employees become more acclimated to the role, it’s likely their workload is gradually increasing. 

But with a 30-60-90 day plan, your employees are reminded of their priorities. And it’s on your employees to manage their priorities effectively, which is a good life and work muscle to flex. 

So, you might be wondering when to use a 30-60-90 day plan. When is it most effective? What situations will it have the most impact? Let’s dig in. 

30-60-90 day plan for an interview 

Job seekers, this is for you. If you want to knock the socks off a potential employer, consider putting together a 30-60-90 day plan for your interview. Even if it’s just an informational interview , you can show how you’d approach your first 90 days on the job. 

For example, let’s say you’re interviewing for a sales position. From the job description and from your informational interview, you know what markets you’ll be focused on. You also know about some target accounts and have a good sense of the industry.

While you might not know exactly what you are going to be doing, you have a good idea. You’ve worked in software sales for a while, enough to know how to approach breaking into a new market. 

So, you decide to come up with a proposed 30-60-90 day plan. You put together a rough sketch in a Google sheet about what you would focus on in your new role . 

30-60-90 day plan for a new job

More commonly, 30-60-90 day plans are used in the onboarding process. This is useful for both hiring managers and employees. For example, at BetterUp, I received my 30-60-90 day plan on my first day of employment. It helped to set expectations about what I would be focused on for the next three months. 

But some companies also use 30-60-90 day plans for things like performance reviews or even lateral moves within the organization. You can also use 30-60-90 day plans for project-based initiatives. 

First, it’s important to understand that 30-60-90 day plans should be personalized based on the employee. For example, a new employee in an entry-level position will probably have a radically different plan than that of a new executive. 

And 30-60-90 day plans for managers are going to look different than plans for individual contributors. There are nuances to these sorts of plans because of job responsibilities, work goals , expectations, and experience. 

But generally speaking, we can outline four key components of a 30-60-90 day plan. 

Expectations and concrete goals 

Go-to resources and information .

  • New hire checklist or to-do list  
  • Company mission, culture, the purpose of work  

Every 30-60-90 day plan should have clear expectations and concrete goals. As a manager, it’s important to clearly communicate the expectations you have for your employees. For example, my manager has created a couple of documents that very clearly outline the expectations of her employees. 

Oftentimes, expectations serve as the foundation for your working relationships. As part of my 30-60-90 day plan, my manager also asked about my expectations. In a lot of ways, it’s a two-way street.

I filled out a document that outlined my preferred working style, my communication style, and how I  resolve conflict . It helped both parties to essentially get a good sense of how the other works. 

Along the same vein of expectations are goals. My manager expressed some clear goals that she wanted me to reach within my first 90 days. But I also had the opportunity to think about my own personal goals and what I wanted to accomplish.

Together, we iterated on the plan to come up with an action plan. Some of these goals can ladder up to other big milestones that you’d like to have your employees reach along the way. 

30-60-90-day-plan-woman-shaking-hands-with-man

The world of work is a complex one. Especially in today’s day and age, there’s a lot of information that’s probably changing rapidly. 

For example, is your workforce hybrid or remote? What sort of COVID-19 guidelines are in place? How do you submit your expense reports or ask for time off? What systems does your organization use for benefits ? What employee resource groups or culture programs does your organization have? 

A 30-60-90 day plan is a good one-stop-shop for all the resources your new hire will need. It’s a great reference and resources with a wealth of information (and can help your employee become more self-sufficient, too). 

New hire checklist or to-do list 

When an employee joins a company, there are a lot of “tasks” that need to be done. For example, I needed to enroll in my benefits and 401K. I needed to upload my personal contact information into our human resources management system. I needed to upload my Slack photo and put my preferred pronouns on my email signature and Slack profile. 

A 30-60-90 day plan is a great place for all of the one-off tasks that every new hire needs to complete. It also helps keep your employees on track with all the administrative and HR tasks needed within the first couple of months of employment. 

Company mission, culture, and purpose of work 

Last but certainly not least, your employees need to understand the purpose of work. This likely won’t “click” fully in the first 30 (or even 90) days. But it’s important to start drawing connections between their work and the company’s vision early on. 

In a recent Forbes article, Great Place to Work® released new data around employee retention . One of the top drivers? Purpose. In fact, employees at top-rated workplaces in the US reported that if they feel their work has a purpose , their intent to stay at said companies triples.

Don’t dismiss the role that purpose plays in your organization. At BetterUp, we’re on a mission to help everyone everywhere live with greater purpose, clarity, and passion . This can only happen if employees understand their purpose and the role of their work in the company’s mission. 

We’ve created a free draft 30-60-90 day plan template to use for managers. Access the draft template and start using it today. 

Download the 30-60-90 day template

30-60-90 day plan for interviews

As mentioned earlier, there are some situations where an employee may prepare a 30-60-90 day plan as part of an interview. Or, perhaps as part of your company’s hiring process, you ask job applicants to put together their plans. 

With these elements, you’ll be sure the candidate is ready to hit the ground running. Here are some key components you should look for in a job applicant’s 30-60-90 day plan: 

  • Short-term goals (generally achievable, time-bound goals)
  • Long-term goals (that are also measurable goals)   
  • Establishing metrics for success 
  • Outlined priorities (especially for the first week) 
  • Learning new processes 
  • Meeting the new team and team members 
  • Any learning goals (or professional development goals ) 

Of course, your 30-60-90 day play is going to be catered to each individual. We’re all human with different responsibilities needed. Keep these nine tips in mind as you put together your 30-60-90 day plans. 

  • Set SMART goals  
  • Consider what you want your employee to prioritize 
  • Encourage professional development  
  • Encourage reflection time 
  • Outline goals into months: first month, second month, third month 
  • Ask for input from your employees and direct reports 
  • Promote ongoing learning about the company culture and purpose 
  • Adjust (and readjust) as needed 
  • Follow-up on the progress 

You can always work with a coach to help outline what might be needed in your 30-60-90 day plan. A coach will have a wealth of experience in the field and an objective, third-party perspective. With guidance from BetterUp, you can ensure you’re setting up your people for success.

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Madeline Miles

Madeline is a writer, communicator, and storyteller who is passionate about using words to help drive positive change. She holds a bachelor's in English Creative Writing and Communication Studies and lives in Denver, Colorado. In her spare time, she's usually somewhere outside (preferably in the mountains) — and enjoys poetry and fiction.

How to make a presentation interactive and exciting

Books to grow with in 2022, ready for a fresh start 7 best jobs for a career change, 10 examples of principles that can guide your approach to work, take the initiative: a how-to guide in 10 steps, the power of professional learning communities, what is networking and why is it so important, so you want to be your own boss here's how to do it right, getting a new manager how to (stop panicking and) make the most of it, similar articles, employee onboarding: how a great start leads to great results, how to create a work plan (with template), how to create the perfect onboarding checklist for new hire employees, write a performance improvement plan (pip) that really works, 30 leadership feedback examples for managers, your 6-step guide on how to make an action plan for management, 4 easy ways to make one-on-one meetings more meaningful, strategic plan vs. work plan: what's the difference, new hire job orientation: 5 ways to set employees up for success, stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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The 30-60-90 Day Plan: An Ultimate Guide to Improve New Employee Experience (+ Free Template)

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You need a 30-60-90 day plan more than ever.

Hiring the right person can be insanely difficult. Not to mention that the hiring process itself can last up to 23.8 days. That means you’ve invested over three weeks before your new hire starts.

Whenever a new hire joins your company, do you wonder how long they’ll last? Well, 20% of new hires quit within their first 45 days. Moreover, they could be on another company’s poaching list. In a talent shortage , that’s all you need. Especially with all the recruitment emails you’ve been sending out. 

With many areas in human resources that can go wrong, how can you go right? And how are other employers getting it right ? Specifically, companies such as:

  • Lockheed Martin

The best way to ape the success of these companies is by nurturing talent . That all starts with great onboarding and a retention strategy from day one. That’s where the 30-60-90 day plan can help you.

This Process Street post will guide you through using and understanding a 30-60-90 day plan. You can even use the template immediately with your free Process Street account !

Here’s your guide to using a 30-60-90 day plan to improve new employee experience:

An introduction to the 30-60-90 day plan

Using a 30-60-90 day plan, tips for hr managers using the 30-60-90 day plan, the 30-60-90 day plan for new hires, performance review for a 30-60-90 day plan.

A 30-60-90 day plan is the best way to convince new hires to  stay with your company  for the  long term . Furthermore, it allows them to adapt to your company smoothly and quickly understand its  culture .

It’s a great tool to have in your HR toolbelt, especially during a talent shortage. Even the technology sector has been struggling to deal with the demand for talent :

What is a 30-60-90 day plan?

A 30-60-90 day plan is a framework for new employees to help them decide what their goals are and then work towards achieving them. In particular, this means they can set SMART goals. These are the targets which are:

To set these targets is to discover what the new employee hopes to achieve during their onboarding. In other words, an HR manager needs a template that helps the employee identify their:

  • Learning goals
  • Initiative goals
  • Performance goals
  • Personal goals

Why make a 30-60-90 day plan?

Why make a 30-60-90 day plan?

All new hires want to succeed, and a plan like this will help them do just that.

Whether a new hire is an HR assistant or a seasoned HR manager , their intention to perform to the best of their ability is the same. Together with a 30-60-90 day plan, human resources can allow employees to show their enthusiasm.

One of the main benefits of a 30-60-90 day plan is structured progression. It can new hires with long-term development, as well as clearly focusing:

  • Their short-term ambitions ;
  • Long-term ambitions they aspire to;
  • Primary career interests they have;
  • The skills, knowledge, and experience they’d like to acquire.

How to make a 30-60-90 day plan

Ideally, you’ll want to create a plan that considers both the employee’s objectives and the company’s objectives . In their early days, it can be very impactful to have this kind of conversation with your new hire about their short and long-term goals.

With this in mind, the 30-60-90 day plan deals with one of two things:

  • A candidate who is preparing for an interview and wants to show how they will hit the ground running;
  • A new hire’s learning and performance targets.

As an HR manager, you’ll want to help a new hire be realistic and focus on what they can do every 30 days. You can do this by listing a goal. You then decide how to measure the goal’s success. For one thing, in the first 30 days, it would be best for the new hire to be learning about their new company. The new hire should therefore start with their learning goals :

Goal 1 : Meet with different departments to learn how the company functions.

Measurement of the goal : Have six short Zoom meetings per week with department leaders.

Goal 2 : Join an outside-of-work social group organized by the company.

Measurement of the goal : Learn about the company culture and identify possible mentors.

In addition to measuring their aims, the new hire can also record  metrics . A new hire could show data on task completion  statistics . For example, they could document that they made 300 calls in one week if they’re in sales.

30 60 90 day plan new employee

New hires use a 30-60-90 day plan to show their current skills and initiative . It also helps them see which direction they would like to move forward in.

They should be looking to set goals that will demonstrate their commitment . In particular, they should show they know what to aim for in the future.

At the end of their first 30 days they should move on to their initiative goals , such as the following:

  • Concentrate on understanding essential processes in their role;
  • Coming up with ideas for a first project they can show to a superior;
  • Taking the time to consider if they were successful with their first 30-day goals .

Use the 30-60-90 day plan to focus on your new hire’s performance goals .

In general, the idea is to help the new hire get up to speed quickly. In the new hire’s plan, you are looking to include targets related to their role.

For example, it might be best to set weekly targets beginning at the end of their first 30 days. To emphasize, include a reasonable metric such as 20 customer service complaints resolved per week. 

Another critical point is to meet with your new hire and ask about their goals and targets .

The new hire’s objectives will show you where the new hire could contribute to the company the most. They can also inform the new hire what the company’s expectations are. You could encourage your employees to decide what their KPIs ( Key Performance Indicators ) will be.

Some examples are:

What is your desired outcome in the next 30 days ?

To learn HTML5 , then I can tweak existing guest posts.

How will you know you’ve achieved your outcome?

I will have refreshed ten old posts by the end of the next 30 days.

Use Key Performance Indicators

The best idea is to ask the new hire to give a  presentation  when it comes to KPIs . Presentations are an opportunity for the new hire to provide feedback. They can also back up their feedback with relevant evidence.

Another tip for HR managers is to provide feedback on the new hire’s performance. Feedback will help the new hire incorporate it into their performance goals . At the same time, be sure to get input from your new employee.

The 30-60-90 Day Plan For New Hires

New hires should use the 30-60-90 day plan to focus on their personal goals.

Additionally, it would help if you encouraged them to develop work relationships that will last. Employee communication will be vital to the success of the new hire.

The new hire’s objectives are to integrate with other employees on their team . This kind of aim should not be subject to strict guidelines. The employee could achieve their targets with informal activities such as: 

  • Meeting a colleague for coffee outside of working hours;
  • Attending a voluntary company activity outside of work;
  • Discovering shared hobbies with colleagues.

The new hire should use these occasions to identify members of their team that would be able to help them. Some of their colleagues might make great mentors . You should seek out potential mentors from existing staff for the new hire. For this reason, it’s best to do this early in the onboarding phase.

“When onboarding, the organization needs to design how to best get this employee up to speed and successful. That isn’t just HR’s job. That is the job of every single function and person who will come into contact with this individual.” – Tim Sackett

A new hire will want to build good working relationships with those they respect . They will also want to show their team they are dependable . As a result, the employee will be able to take on more responsibility .

You can help them to achieve this with our free 30-60-90 Day Plan for New Hires template .

The 30-60-90 day plan performance review should assist new hires by:

  • Reviewing their current responsibilities;
  • Assessing their strengths ;
  • Understanding their weaknesses ;
  • Considering their long-term developmental needs.

Remember that new hires can bring fresh insight into problems your company may have. With this in mind, ask if they have noticed issues in your employee onboarding process. Consider asking for any suggestions they might have.

Make the new hire feel noticed by continuing these initial conversations about their longer-term goals. For instance, you can explain company benefits. It might be worth telling them about your EAP ( Employee Assistance Program ). Maintaining close communication will encourage the new hire to commit to the 30-60-90 day plan. It should also indicate they are working on a career progression plan .

“Although it might seem counterintuitive, organizations should support employees in their career progression, even if that meets supporting their exit.” – Scott Dust

The performance review must be a conversation. Anonymous surveys are beneficial, but they lack the personal touch that a one-on-one review can generate.

“There’s nothing about engagement surveys that truly aim to understand what motivates people on a personal, emotional, human level. Conversations, whether one-on-one or through focus groups, produce rich qualitative insights that get closer to the “why” behind engagement survey data. And closer to understanding employees on a deeper level as people, individuals.” – Shannon Smedstad

Automate your 30-60-90 day plan

Paperwork can seem never-ending, and it soon mounts up – especially in large organizations.

Workflow software can help contain and structure information regarding your new hires. For one thing, you can use it for uploading documents. These could be 30-60-90 day plans, performance reports, or even SOPs you’ve shown to your new hire. 

Structured templates can walk you through the whole process of reviewing employee responsibilities and duties; they do this by utilizing workflow management .

Make plans easier with automations

Another way to cut down wasted time is by automating your recurring tasks. In other words, cut out mundane, bureaucratic tasks so that you’ve got more time to focus on the human aspect. In addition, you also get the bonus of reduced errors and reduced costs.

Related HR workflows

  • Employee Onboarding Checklist
  • New Hire – Onboarding template
  • Preparing Presentations template
  • User Feedback Processing template
  • Employee Performance Review template

Have you used a 30-60-90 day plan in the past? Are you thinking about using one now? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

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Mark Jones is a content writer at Process Street.

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How to create an effective 30-60-90 day plan to boost new employee productivity.

How to create an ultimate 30-60-90 day (and beyond) onboarding plan - including free template and a checklist!

Starting a new job is equal parts exciting and intimidating. There's so much to learn and absorb, so many people to meet, a brand-new culture to adapt to and adjust to one's own expectations. No wonder new hires can  take up to 8 months  to fully onboard.

A 30-60-90 day plan lets you set realistic expectations and clear milestones to help your new employees quickly ramp up and deliver value. It serves as a new hire's universal onboarding guide. And it allows them to easily acclimate themselves to the new rules and culture from day one.

In this guide, we'll outline the main components of an effective 30-60-90 day plan, share valuable tips, and a template to help you create a solid plan for your employees and  ensure a successful onboarding process . 

Zavvy's onboarding software

❓ What is a 30-60-90 day plan?

Objectives of a 30-60-90 day plan

A 30-60-90 day plan acts as a formal action plan for your new employee's first 30, 60, and 90 days on the job. It helps managers and leaders set specific, manageable goals tied to the company's core values and mission and align with the role's duties and expectations.

The result?  Maximized workout within the first three months of starting work.

While the level of detail of a 30-60-90 day plan varies based on the role and individual, all plans have a similar structure and end motive. Here's what a 30-60-90 day plan generally tries to achieve:

  • First 30 Days:  This stage is all about learning, which is why it's very intensive and hands-on. You teach new hires the ropes by introducing them to tools and projects and setting small goals.
  • Day 31-60:  This stage focuses more on role-specific doing and eases off on training. You assign employees bigger responsibilities and improve collaboration between them and the old employees.
  • Day 61-90:  This stage gives employees a lot of independence when tackling their roles and responsibilities. You hold them accountable for their work and encourage them to accomplish projects with limited guidance from you and other superiors.

The purpose of a 30-60-90 day plan is to help new hires understand their expected milestones and deliverables for their first 90 days at work and make them feel welcomed into the company.

Preview of Alasco's Onboarding Journey on Zavvy

🏆 What are the benefits of having a 30-60-90 day plan?

A good 30-60-90 plan should:

  • Create a collaborative environment that supports regular growth conversations with managers and helps employees envision their path for advancement.
  • Emphasize relationships and shared objectives to build and nurture a sense of team culture.
  • Reinforce growth-focused strategies and a proactive work style.
  • Serve as a reference point for resources, responsibilities and goals, and outlets for support. 

Keeping these factors in mind, your company can experience the following benefits:

  • Smoother onboarding:  A 30-60-90 day plan smoothens the transitioning process of a new employee. It gives them an outline of the role, complete with monthly tasks and plans to help achieve it. This way, they gain a deeper understanding of the job and set themselves up for success from day one. 
  • Effective goal tracking:  When starting a new job, there's so much going on. It's easy for employees to ignore some tasks in favor of others. A 30-60-90 day plan gives them a sense of direction about how to add value to their company as a new employee and lets managers easily track employee performance. 
  • Build team trust and cohesion:  With a 30-60-90 day plan, you and your employees are on the same page—always. Employees can better understand the company and its products in order to make product recommendations , provide valuable suggestions, and even point out loopholes or mistakes. They also know precisely how their tasks fit into the bigger picture, improving their focus, and in turn, productivity.

In a nutshell, implementing a 30-60-90 day plan creates a clear focus for a new employee's first 90 days on the job and integrates them quickly and smoothly into the organization. It also encourages self-management and goal accomplishment, facilitating  employee motivation  and helping them gain more confidence. 

📊 5 Steps to writing a 30-60-90 day plan

Steps to writing a 30-60-90 day plan

Typically, you'll write a 30-60-90 day plan  before  a new hire comes on board—or  immediately after  they begin their job. You won't know a lot about your new employees' personalities or strengths, which is why you should use your (realistic) expectations of what you want them to do or be like after 90 days as guiding factors.

Keeping this in mind, here are five steps to writing an effective 30-60-90 day plan.

Employee Onboarding Checklist Download

Step 1: Envision a roadmap for your new employee

Before starting your 30-60-90 day plan, you need a clearer understanding of how your new employees fit in your company's big picture. And what better way to assess this than asking questions?

Ask yourself questions about the job role, the onboarding process, and the team, like:

  • What requirements and responsibilities do you want this new hire to meet?
  • Are you bringing the new hire to solve specific problems? If yes, what are they? 
  • What information and skillsets would the new hire need to succeed in this?
  • What will the new hire's daily responsibilities be?
  • What can you do to get the new hire more involved at the company? 
  • What are the best ways to give feedback to the new hire and ensure they implement it successfully?

Your 30-60-90 day plan should give new employees a clear idea of what the first three months will look like. Then, when you have a clear roadmap set up, you can create a better plan that sets them up for success and helps build the necessary skills for the job.

Step 2: Establish realistic, clear expectations

Be realistic when creating a plan for new employees. Understand there's only so much they can learn and do within their first few months of starting work. After that, you can have them address urgent needs, but don't throw too much on their plate too fast. 

How do you ensure you don't end up overwhelming your new employees?  

Think about what a reasonable workload should look like and minimize it for the first 30 days. Account for the learning curve when employees start carrying out their responsibilities, so you'll have to adjust their workload accordingly. 

Step 3: Create SMART goals for each monthly bucket

Setting smart goals is more motivating and effetive

Giving new employees SMART goals when they join your company can increase retention. How? It gives them a measurable goal to work toward, keeping them engaged. Having plans to fulfill ensures new hires don't feel their only job is to shadow other team members.

The SMART goals used for new employees will vary depending on their role and level within the company. For example, your goal for a customer support representative can be to close 20 tickets, including learning the internal computer system and understanding how to tackle technical issues. 

Similarly, you can aim for a new in-house writer to successfully publish five articles, including taking two of them through the entire publishing process—from writing to making internal edits to implementing client feedback—all by themselves.

Step 4: Assign a mentor or buddy 

Guidance and feedback are critical aspects of a 30-60-90 day plan. 

You can't simply hand over a document to your new employee and expect them to complete the assigned tasks. No, you'll have to guide them as they collaborate with you and other team members to accomplish set duties and responsibilities—the document is supposed to serve as a reference only.

When writing your plan,  assign a buddy or mentor to your new employee . This person will guide them during the first few weeks and help them adjust to the new work environment. Ensure the buddy understands their responsibility towards the new hire and always maintains a friendly approach towards the new employees.

Onboarding Buddy Selection Survey Google Forms

Step 5: Schedule regular check-ins for feedback 

There's no guarantee the first 90 days will go as you outlined in your plan. For example, your new hire may take more time to get accustomed to the new work environment. Or, another team may need the employee to help them for a week. 

Onboarding survey

In either case, this will derail the SMART goals you initially set for them. Your 30-60-90 day plan is just an outline and not a schedule. Some employees will easily meet responsibilities; some won't. Adjust for each situation accordingly.

📝 Zavvy's 30-60-90 day plan template with example

As the name suggests, you want to think of your 30-60-90 day plan in monthly chunks. Each phase will have a specific focus, backed by your top priorities, supporting concrete goals and metrics to measure success.

Below is a comprehensive 30-60-90 day template that Zavvy uses to ensure a successful onboarding for our clients. We've broken down the plan into monthly buckets, complete with general directions for each to guide you towards success.

You should have a specific focus for each month that makes new employees familiar with how things work in your company and helps them understand how to contribute towards its growth.

The first month should be all about learning, the second about planning and encouraging development, and the third about execution and making active suggestions and changes to the status quo. The idea is to create a seamless onboarding strategy that sets the tone for company expectations and serves your primary objectives.

Another significant advantage of a 30-60-90 day plan is that it acknowledges each monthly phase's learning curve and aims to smoothen the transition.

When creating a plan, detail your high-level priorities for each monthly bucket. You also want employees to achieve their individual goals through each phase. For example, new hires can learn internal processes, perform responsibilities independently, and propose solutions to a critical problem for each month respectively. 

Setting crystal clear goals is an integral part of a successful 30-60-90 day plan. When setting goals, you want each one of them to ladder up to your intended focus and priorities. A good tip is to break them into simple categories, like:

  • Learning goals:  What knowledge and skills would your new hires need to succeed at their jobs? What is the best way to absorb and acquire the information and abilities?
  • Performance goals:  What progress do you envision for your employees within the first 30/60/90 days? Are there any concrete things you want them to accomplish or complete as part of the new rules?
  • Personal goals:  What can you do to help the new employees find their place within your company? Who are the key people they should build relationships with?

Goals management on Zavvy

How will you identify which goals have been achieved?

Using specific metrics, you can track the overall progress, celebrate successes and milestones, and identify opportunities for employees. For example, you can use quantifiable metrics (revenue, sales) or qualitative metrics (testimonials, reviews) to measure the results of goals. 

Assess progress and give feedback to employees every 30 days. Also, hold back when making amendments to your plans. 

remote onboarding checklist pdf version

Sample 30-60-90 day plan example

First month: days 1-30.

  • Getting started and gaining autonomy
  • Understanding the office and team culture
  • Knowing the company's core values
  • Establishing expectations, measurements, and tasks
  • Introduction to partners, customers, and competitors
  • Scheduling check-in with assigned buddy or mentor for feedback
  • Holding reflection sections
  • Providing and asking for feedback
  • Learning goals:  Reading all the love and internal materials, getting access to the necessary accounts, meeting with department heads to know about client expectations
  • Performance goals :  Making sales calls to prospects and critical clients, documenting and implementing feedback, taking part in interdepartmental meetings
  • Personal goals:  Introducing yourself to other team members, managers, and new employees and understanding their roles within the organization, setting up recurring feedback meetings

Second month: Day 31-6O

  • Encouraging collaboration and contribution
  • Taking part in meetings
  • Encouraging future-oriented thinking for company product/service
  • Scheduling 1:1 feedback sessions to check development
  • Encouraging autonomy
  • Learning goals:  Complete online training course to work with company tools, shadow a seasoned member of the team, complete internal training 
  • Performance goals:  Participate in at least five meetings, make product-related suggestions, discover two areas to improve for an existing product
  • Personal goals:  Schedule 1:1 feedback sessions with co-workers, have a monthly check-in with managers

Third month: Days 61-90

  • Taking initiative
  • Assume more autonomy
  • Diagnose issues and offer solutions
  • Explore goals for the rest of the year
  • Find ways to practice leadership skills
  • Learning goals:  Sign up for a conference, webinar, or online course to aid professional development, analyze performance so far and identify improvement areas.
  • Performance goals:  Perform core responsibilities at a higher level based on outline metrics, join a big project, complete the project or initiative and get feedback from key stakeholders.
  • Personal goals:  Get involved in extracurricular activities within the company, sign up for volunteer day or a company-sponsored sport sports or club event.

🏢 4 Tips to to create a 30-60-90 day plan for executives and managers

30 60 90 day onboarding plan tips

A 30-60-90 day plan for executives and managers will be different from that for junior employees. Here are a few tips for creating an effective plan for higher-level executives.

Acquaint them with direct reports

During the first 30 days, executives and managers should set aside a large portion of their schedule interviewing direct reports. This will help them understand how to do their job more effectively, including:

  • The pain points of the job
  • Barriers that may stop them from achieving their goals
  • Potential solutions for each pain point

You want managers and executives to understand the company's strengths and weaknesses and identify areas for improvement. By listening to their direct reports, they'll gain a deep, functional knowledge of your new department and determine the current reality of the work environment.

Create an atmosphere of trust and alignment

When creating a 30-60-90 day plan, make sure the manager or executive spends ample time with the employees. Encourage everyone to actively know each other and listen to thoughts, issues, and solutions.

This will create an atmosphere of trust and alignment, ensuring both parties work with their best interests and the organization's in mind.

Review processes to implement changes

The executive or manager should make active suggestions during the second month to optimize existing departmental processes. They should also identify better ways of getting things done as they learn how things are done.

Encourage them to select a process to improve and give them free autonomy to identify bottlenecks, roadblocks, and issues and find ways to resolve them. If they want to implement a new process, trust them and let them test the new process. You can always review the process in the end based on results.

Hold regular meetings

Make sure you regularly check in with your new managers and executives. In addition to 1:1 meetings, you can hold weekly team meetings to track overall progress and see how things are progressing on the goals set for the 60-day and 90-day portions of the plan.

💬 4 Tips to create a 30-60-90 day plan for an interview

Let's turn the tables and think from the employee's perspective. 

How would you create a 30-60-90 day plan to impress a hiring professional and make you stand out from the competition? Here are a few tips.

Familiarize yourself with the company

You cannot create a solid 30-60-90 day plan without having a clear idea of what the prospective company is looking for. 

Spend time researching the mission, core values, and any other information on the current processes and products of the company you're applying to. Be sure to cater your plan specifically to its culture, too.

Understand the job description

Tell your 30-60-90 day plan to the position you are applying for instead of taking a shot in the dark. You may have ideas for the company as a whole, but you also want the plan to be role-specific to prove what a valuable asset you can be for the team. Consider the following:

  • What does the role involve?
  • What are the responsibilities and tasks associated with it?
  • What expectations does the company have?
  • Is there a probation period?

Align company goals with your priorities

You need to explain to the hiring manager how you fit into the company's bigger picture. The better you do this, the higher your chances of landing the job. 

A crucial aspect here is first to understand your own priorities and then align them with their priorities. Next, think about why you'll be hired for the position and how you can use your skills to solve a specific problem within the team. Finally, think about the bigger picture of what your job should look like, and then move forward from there.

Additionally, all goals in your plan should have a means for you—and your manager—to measure the outcome. For instance, you can suggest qualitative data to support your goals (increased website views, revenue increases, positive customer reviews).

Present your plan confidently

Prepare a copy of your 30-60-90-day plan a day before your interview. This can be in a PowerPoint presentation , a hard copy, or slides. 

During the interview, explain your plan in great detail, including the goals you want to set, how they relate to the accomplishments you've had in the past, and ways you can help the company achieve its desired objectives. 

Be sure to ask any questions you may have about your role and what's expected of you, and make suggestions on incorporating them into your current plan.

➡️ Automate your 30-60-90 onboarding plans with Zavvy

Automated onboarding workflow example on Zavvy

Our  employee onboarding software  lets you:

  • 🗓️ Automatically schedule onboarding events (think: Founder intro, department intros, ...)
  • ⚙️ Run onboarding workflows that engage new hires with piece-by-piece information over time
  • 👥 Guide buddies and new hires, prepare IT teams and managers - and make sure everybody's on the same page
  • Run preboarding , tasks, quizzes, training content, and much more. All in one place.

Use Zavvy to guide new employees through the process with engaging reminders, tasks, and reflections—all at the click of a button.

30 60 90 day plan new employee

Connect with our experts for a  free demo  anytime!

People enablement process with Zavvy

Alex is a marketer at Zavvy. On this blog, he mainly shares insights gained from discussions with selected experts and from helping our customers set up and improve their onboarding or learning programs.

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30 60 90 day plan new employee

How to Develop and Facilitate a 30-60-90 Day Plan for New Hires

A quick rundown of the basics behind a 30-60-90 day plan.

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A 30-60-90 day plan is a three-month schedule that outlines core goals and critical tracking metrics for your new hires as they begin their company position. By following this planning structure, a hiring manager can help their team become even more effective. 

From a smooth onboarding process to helping your team achieve more down the line, developing a 30-60-90 day plan is a fantastic way to boost your team's productivity and ensure all hires understand your company’s mission.

In this article, we’ll be going over:

  • What a 30-60-90 day plan is
  • How to structure the 30-60-90 day plan
  • What to include in each 30-, 60-, and 90-day segment
  • The main benefits of the 30-60-90 day plan 

Let’s get into it. 

<div id="1"></div>

What is the 30-60-90 plan?

As suggested by its title, the 30-60-90 day plan establishes a new hire's objectives and hopes for the first 30, 60, and 90 days of their new position. Within these three time periods, a new hire should work with their manager to develop a list of goals they expect to achieve.

Each milestone developed during this period should be measurable, using the S.M.A.R.T goal principles to build their plan.

  • S - Specific
  • M - Measurable
  • A - Achievable
  • R - Realistic

The above acrostic lists the five principles that every goal should have. When developing a 30-60-90 day plan, the milestones should rely on these five elements. When executed correctly, a 30-60-90 day plan can ensure that a new hire stays on track and remains focused during their first few months in the company. 

30 60 90 day plan new employee

Focus on goals like:

  • General onboarding and getting to know the team
  • Job-related progress milestones
  • Personal and professional skill set goals
  • Information processing and skills building

You’ll quickly notice that some goals, like onboarding and learning necessary software, fit better in the 30-day plan than in the third month.

<div id="2"></div>

How do you structure the 30-60-90 day plan?

The 30-60-90 day plan is most commonly broken down into three periods, each month or thirty days. Within each of these three months, you should outline milestones. The goals set in the first 30 days should be built upon in the 60 day period, and likewise onwards into the next 90 days. 

Due to this progressive system, the goals for 30 days should be more achievable than those in 60 days. 

Let’s take a look at the type of goals you should place in each one of these periods.

<div id="3"></div>

What to place in the first 30 days of your 30-60-90 day plan

As expected with starting a new job role, the first 30 days should be all about getting on the right foot. Within these first 30 days, you should outline with your new hire all of the new skills they should expect to take on and make sure they immerse themself in the company. 

30 60 90 day plan new employee

A typical first 30-day plan could look something like this:

  • Learn how to use essential software and demonstrate a proficiency in the team’s existing strategy
  • Meet all team members and discover how they intercommunicate (Slack, Skype, Teams)
  • Understand required daily tasks and how to participate in projects
  • Begin managing daily projects individually and carrying clients through the process
  • Learn about the company’s culture code, values, and critical responsibilities, going beyond just what’s listed in the job description

We’d recommend scheduling frequent 1-1s with your new hire within this first period. In these meetings, you’ll be able to help them with any questions they might have, as well as point them in the right direction if they’re struggling with meeting their goals.

As a general principle, considering that 67% of employees are more likely to work harder once they get positive feedback, it’s a good idea to schedule 1-1s with all of your team regularly. This will allow you to give feedback and ensure that everyone is on the right path.

If you want a template for your next 1-1, take a look at this selection by Hugo .

1:1 meeting templates

What to include in the 60-day segment of your 30-60-90 day plan

Once your new hire has moved through the first 30 days in the new workplace, they should already be fairly familiar with the general processes that they’ll be conducting on a day-to-day basis. These next 30 days should all be about improving their productivity and efficiency. 

Instead of running second in projects, they should now have the skills needed to take things into their own hands.

A typical 60-day target sheet would look something like this:

  • Boost {measurable metric} by 20%
  • Develop a comprehensive understanding of the company’s processes
  • Step fully into their role and immerse themselves in the daily workings of the team
  • Develop new ideas about how to streamline processes within the business

You want every new hire that you bring onto the team to be able to start performing their role in an efficient manner during these next 30 days. While the first 30 were about understanding what they need to do and how to do it, the 60-day goals will revolve around actually doing the job they’ve been assigned. 

At this point, your 1-1 meetings will move away from teaching them anything they don’t know and will look more similar to your 1-1s with veteran employees. Be sure to include personal and performance goals for your new employees in this section.

What to include in the 90-day segment of your 30-60-90 day plan

As your new employees move into their third month of working at your business, they’ll now have a firm grasp on their own team’s processes and will have conquered the job’s learning curve. Instead of needing help with techniques, they’ll now be able to act as a helping hand for other team members, especially newer hires.

From starting in a completely foreign environment on day zero, they’ll now be a complete team member with personal responsibilities, a setlist of already fulfilled goals, and a track history of improvement on both a professional and personal level.

Typical goals for this final 30-day period will be similar to:

  • Can efficiently carry projects to their finish across multiple teams
  • Understands the company’s key performance metrics and demonstrates success in them
  • Fully versed in the team’s processes and how their department works
  • Moving to the final stages of training and will rarely need help with new tasks

By following the SMART goals you’ve set out for your new hire, they’ll be well on the way to becoming an influential team member.

30 60 90 day plan new employee

If you want to make your own 30-60-90 day plan for new hires, be sure to include a range of:

  • Learning goals
  • Performance-oriented goals
  • And personal goals

Above all, the 30-60-90 day plan helps your new employees hit the ground running, understand a new role’s learning curve, and overcome it with time.

Of course, depending on the department your new hire is in, the exact goals they set will vary. If they’re part of the sales team, one objective might be to learn how to conduct a sales call, work with the product marketing team, or understand the logic behind the team’s budget. 

On the other hand, someone that is working in the marketing department may want to come up with a content strategy idea, boost blog traffic over time, understand an SEO insights report, or be able to run their team’s monthly meeting.

Finally, someone on the social media team may need to learn to optimize the lowest performing blog post, develop a google analytics strategy, structure blog posts, or understand their team’s process of creating content. Exact goals will always change based on the team’s director and the new hire’s main purpose.

<div id="4"></div>

What are the benefits of a 30-60-90 day plan when starting a new job?

The main focus of a 30-60-90 day plan is to set up your team for future success. Instead of just hoping that a new employee does well in a role, you’ll have a more concrete process to measure success and ensure they’re on the right path throughout their first three months.

There is a range of other benefits to this plan:

  • Allows a new employee to see what their essential tasks are and keep track with them
  • Helps new employees understand how their team operates
  • Acts as a new employee’s north star

Let’s break these down further.

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Keeping track of essential tasks

By developing SMART goals for the 30-60-90 day plan, you’ll be able to help your new employee learn what is expected from them in their new role. 

As a hiring manager, you’ll be able to set out performance goals, helping the employee to know if they’re on the right path or not. The time-bound element of this plan allows you to develop concrete goals that can either be passed or missed, allowing you to build a training strategy into their goals.

Getting to know team members

Coming into a new workplace can be a strange experience. Some people feel like they’ve been in the team forever, while others may feel isolated from the other hires. By including social integration goals within your 30-60-90 day plan, you’ll make sure your new employees feel at home in their new position.

By including them as quickly as possible in weekly team meetings and making sure they contribute, they’ll quickly become used to working with their new team. 

Harvard Business Review has demonstrated that teams that get along better are more productive, meaning that these social goals will boost your team’s success in the future. 

Understanding of the company’s mission

As a hiring manager, although you can put as much information as possible into a job description, your new team members may not completely understand what’s expected of them when they join the business. 

By developing a 30-60-90 day plan, your new team members will have something to refer back to constantly. This will allow them to work on specific goals, understand their core job responsibilities, and how their performance goals are assessed.

Working with your new hires on these goals and regularly checking up on them with 1-1 meetings will keep your employees on track towards future success.

Final Thoughts About the 30-60-90 Day Plan

When developing a set of concrete goals, you’ll help your employees understand the tasks you expect them to complete in time-bound stages. Every 30 days of this 30-60-90 day plan will have a different focus, each becoming more difficult.

When developing your own 30-60-90 day plan for new employees, be sure to include a range of personal goals, professional goals, and goals that ensure they understand all the processes they’ll be working with daily.

When done well, this onboarding strategy ensures that right from the interview process onwards, your new hire training will go off without a hitch. 

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Latest blog posts, 30-60-90 day plan guide & template for new employees.

Starting a new job can be overwhelming for an employee. There are a lot of new people to meet, and a lot to learn about the company’s structure, culture and internal processes. 

One way to boost your chances of success as a new employee is to put together a 30-60-90 day plan to act as a road map for your first few months with the organisation. And as HR professionals, mandating that each new employee creates such a plan can help you to effectively onboard new hires and get them up to productivity as soon as possible. 

In this article, we’ll explain what a 30-60-90 day plan is, discuss the elements that are typically included in a 30-60-90-day plan, and provide our tips and a useful template to help you create your own.

  • 1 What Is a 30-60-90 Day Plan?
  • 2 What Is Included In a 30-60-90 Day Plan?
  • 3 Why You Should Create a 30-60-90 Day Plan When Onboarding New Employees
  • 4 Five Tips to Help You Create an Effective 30-60-90 Day Plan
  • 5 30-60-90 Day Plan Template for New Employees
  • 6 FAQS about the 30-60-90 Day Plan
  • 7 Simplify Onboarding and HR Tasks With Personio

What Is a 30-60-90 Day Plan?

A 30-60-90 day plan is a document that outlines a new employee’s goals for their first three months with an organisation, and the steps they’ll take to achieve them. The goals should be measurable and broken down into manageable milestones related to the employee’s role. 

Organisations can use 30-60-90 day plans as the basis for a solid employee onboarding process, helping to set expectations for new employees and guide them through their first months with the company. 

What Is Included In a 30-60-90 Day Plan?

At its most basic level, a 30-60-90 day plan should include the new employee’s goals for each of their first three months, and the actions they need to take to achieve them. Goals should be tied to measurable metrics that help newly hired employees and their managers to understand whether they have been successful. 

This means breaking down your 30-60-90 day plan into the following three elements:  

Goals: A 30-60-90 day plan should help employees to understand the goals they’ll be focusing on each month. For example, in the first month, the employee’s main goal might be to understand the organisation’s internal structures and processes. 

Actions: You should also include the actual steps that the employee will need to take in order to meet their goals each month. In an employee’s first month, actions might include attending training and orientation sessions, reading onboarding documents and scheduling introductions with each of their immediate colleagues.

Metrics: Without concrete, measurable metrics of success, there’s no way for an employee or their manager to understand whether they have met their goals, so you should always include these in a 30-60-90 day plan. In the first month, this might mean scoring above 80% in a skills test based on training the employee has completed. 

Why You Should Create a 30-60-90 Day Plan When Onboarding New Employees

An SHRM study revealed that employees were 58% more likely to remain with an organisation for at least three years when they had gone through a structured onboarding process — and a 30-60-90 day plan can play an important role in this.  

A 30-60-90 day plan breaks the onboarding process down into manageable steps and helps employees to understand what is expected of them. Not only does this give them an easy way of measuring the progress they’ve made, but it also shows them how their role connects to the company’s overall strategy. 

This gives the employee a sense of purpose, which can also play a part in employee retention: a recent study found that having purpose at work can triple an employee’s intention to stay with the company. 

Five Tips to Help You Create an Effective 30-60-90 Day Plan

If you want to help your new hires to get up to speed and on board with the company culture as quickly as possible, a 30-60-90 day plan can help. Here are five steps that you and your new employees can take to create an effective 30-60-90 day plan:  

1. Provide a Template 

Creating a 30-60-90 day plan can be an overwhelming task in itself for a new employee, so you might want to provide a template to help them. This breaks the process down and shows them what a 30-60-90 day plan should look like. 

It also provides consistency across the organisation as each new employee’s 30-60-90 day plan will follow the same structure. We’ve provided a template for a basic 30-60-90 day plan that you could use below. 

2. Set SMART Goals 

To make sure the goals you choose to include in your 30-60-90 day plan are appropriate and useful, consider using SMART goals. SMART goals are: 

Time-Bound 

For example, rather than a generic goal such as creating posts for the company blog, a SMART goal might be to create and publish two 1500–2000 word, SEO-optimised blog posts by the end of the first month.

3. List Action Items 

You also need to include the actual actions that new employees need to take to achieve their goals. Breaking each goal down into manageable actions helps to avoid overwhelming new staff members. And creating a template that allows them to check off items as they complete them provides a sense of accomplishment for the employee. 

4. Remember to Prioritise 

Not all goals are created equal, and it’s important that employees understand which tasks and achievements are most important so they can focus on them if they’re short on time. 

You might want to consider including one core goal or focus for each month, with additional goals listed underneath. This way, the employee will be able to prioritise working towards the most important goal and move on to the others when they have time. 

5. Be Flexible and Reassess at Key Milestones

Even when you’ve put time and effort into creating the perfect 30-60-90 day plan, circumstances can change. It’s important to be flexible as you or your employees move through the first months in a new role, and adjust the plan if necessary.

It’s a good idea to schedule meetings around the 30 and 60-day marks to revisit the plan with the employee and make sure it still makes sense. If the employee hasn’t yet achieved a goal from the previous month, they can’t move forward — so you might have to revise the plan to make it more achievable. Organising these check-ins also gives new employees the opportunity to ask questions about their performance so far and how they can improve. 

30-60-90 Day Plan Template for New Employees

Still need help putting together your 30-60-90 day plan? Here’s a basic template that you can use to get started:  

FAQS about the 30-60-90 Day Plan

Here are the answers to some FAQs about 30-60-90 day plans:  

When Should You Make a 30-60-90 Day Plan?

A 30-60-90 day plan is usually used at the beginning of an employee’s time with a company. They are often created during the onboarding process to help to give new employees a focus and an idea of the goals they need to achieve during their first few months. 

In some cases, organisations ask candidates to create a 30-60-90 day plan as part of the hiring process. This gives hiring managers an idea as to whether the candidate fully understands the role and is prepared to take it on. 

While a 30-60-90 day plan created during the interview process is always going to need some adjusting to match the actual expectations of the company, it can help candidates to prepare and ensure they’re ready to get started if they’re successful in securing the role.  

What Are the Benefits of a 30-60-90 Day Plan? 

Creating a 30-60-90 day plan comes with many benefits for new employees and the organisations they’re joining. For example, a 30-60-90 day plan: 

Shows employees where to focus 

Helps them keep track of their goals and progress

Sets clear expectations for new hires

Encourages self-review of accomplishments

Allows employees to self-manage and work autonomously

Helps optimise productivity for new employees

Simplify Onboarding and HR Tasks With Personio

Helping new employees to create a 30-60-90 day plan is just one part of a full onboarding process — which can mean a lot of work for HR and hiring managers. 

With Personio, you can simplify the onboarding process by providing new employees with all the info they need in one place: their digital employee file. You can also view and create onboarding tasks in one central location and assign them to the right people — they’ll receive automated reminders when they need to complete a task.  

Personio ensures your new employees feel right at home from day one and gives them everything they need to hit the ground running. Ready to test it out? Sign up for a no-strings-attached 14-day free trial . 

Speak to an Expert About Your Onboarding

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30-60-90 Day plan: Onboard new employees like a pro

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You've just hired a new employee. Congratulations!

They're eager, excited, and ready to take on their new role. Now what? How do hiring managers ensure that they are properly onboarded so that they can be successful in their new position?

You need a plan that ensures that they hit the ground running and are able to contribute to the company culture in a meaningful way from day one. The first 90 days in 30-60-90 day plan are critical to both the employee as well as the organization.

These 90 days in 30-60-90 day plan determine whether the employee is ready to take on and achieve the organization's objectives and goals along with their new team members.

In order to get a better understanding of what a newly hired employee should achieve and what, as a manager or an HR, you can do to support the employee's career growth , you need a well-defined plan with fixed and flexible milestones.

These milestones are incredibly crucial in the beginning; hence, a 30-60-90 day plan is necessary to guide the employees and track their progress.

Does it seem like a lot? Don't fret! In this blog post, we will explore how to create a 30-60-90 day plan for your new employees, its benefits, and how it can help your business in the long run.

Table of contents :-

What is a 30-60-90 day plan?

Benefits of a 30-60-90 day plan, how to write a 30-60-90 day plan for new hires, what is employee onboarding roadmap, what are onboarding plans, onboarding objectives, significance of onboarding plan for first 90 days, 11 important milestones every new hire should accomplish in first 90 days, what should be included in a 30 60 90 day plan, what should new hires accomplish in their first 90 days, 30-60-90 day plan for managers' roles, what should management do beyond 90 days, 30-60-90 day check-in questions to ask onboarding employees, getting new hires up to speed quickly, how can culturemonkey help with a 30-60-90 day plan for your new hires.

Employer onboarding an employee

The essence of a 30-60-90 day plan in onboarding hires for new job.

When you bring on new employees, you want to set them up for future success from the start. The most effective way to do this is to create a 30-60-90-day plan.

A 30-60-90 day plan is a detailed plan that outlines what an employee will do in the first 30, 60, and 90 days in 30-60-90 day plan on the new job, and the plan should be tailored to the specific position and company.

The 30-60-90 day plan in the new job is an effective tool for both new hires and internal hires. It provides a clear framework of expectations and objectives and helps new manager or hires quickly become effective contributors and leaders . It also helps the hiring manager visualize to ensure that new hires are up to speed and able to add value to the team quickly.

The key to a successful 30-60-90 day plan is to be realistic and achievable. Setting realistic, personal goals and objectives that can be accomplished in the allotted time frame is important. It is also important to remember that the plan should be flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances.

The goal of a 30-60-90 day plan is to help an individual transition into a new role within a company. The plan provides guidance and structure during the first three months on the job and sets expectations for what should be accomplished during this time period. It should include the following:

  • A breakdown of their daily tasks and responsibilities
  • A list of who they need to meet with and when
  • A timeline for completing specific projects
  • Regular check-ins with you or another supervisor

The milestones for each month in the onboarding stage are different. Here's an example of how you can formulate the milestones for your new hires:

The first month of an employee's time in the organization can be considered their training time. During this learning curve, the employees should be given extensive training to learn about their new team members, company policies, products, team's existing strategy, and work duties.

During the first week, it is important for the hiring managers to ensure the new hire has a smooth onboarding experience by introducing them to the team, providing all necessary paperwork and IT systems, and conducting a full orientation. It is also important to ensure that the new hire understands the company's mission and value and is familiar with the company's key performance metrics .

Within the first two weeks, the new hire should have a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities and the expectations of their manager and the team. This is also a great time to set up regular check-ins from the hiring manager or their direct reports to ensure the new hire is on track and has any resources they need to be successful in their new company.

During the third week, the new hire should have a good understanding of their role and the company's processes and procedures and should be ready to begin contributing to the team. This is a great time to introduce them to external partners and stakeholders and ensure they feel comfortable communicating with their peers and superiors .

By the end of the fourth week, the new hire should be familiar with the company's culture code and be able to work independently. It is important to ensure the new hire has received feedback from their manager , direct reports, and the team and assess their progress and ensure they are meeting their personal learning goals.

By the end of the first 30 days in 30-60-90 day plan, the new hire should be comfortable in their role, and the company's culture and processes and clearly understand their role and responsibilities.

New hires get the chance to apply what they've learned in the first 30 days in 30-60-90 day plan of their employment by taking on challenging duties. Remember, it's acceptable for your direct reports to make mistakes during this crucial learning phase as they become accustomed to the way things are done.

Here are some more milestones to focus on during the 31-60 days in 30-60-90 day plan of employment:

  • Start performance reviews: During the 31-60 day period, performance reviews should be conducted to assess the employee’s progress and give them feedback on their work.
  • Establish workplace relationships: During this period, the employee should be encouraged to start developing relationships with coworkers, both on their team and outside of their team.
  • Set goals: The employee should have a clear understanding of the personal goals for their position and the expectations the company has for them.
  • Offer additional training: During this period, employees should be given additional training and resources to help them better understand their role and the company as a whole.
  • Assign new responsibilities: As the employee becomes more comfortable in the role, they should be given new responsibilities that challenge them and help them grow.

The final stages or the final 30 days in 30-60-90 day plan is where new hires start mastering the skills they have learned in their job. This means your employee can now fully meet job expectations and start achieving long-term performance goals.

Here are some milestones employers should focus on during the final 30 days:

  • Reviewing and reflecting on the employee’s progress: The employee should take some time to review their progress over the past 90 days. This includes looking at their accomplishments, successes, and areas for improvement. This will allow them to understand where they are in their journey and set appropriate company's mission for the future.
  • Setting smart goals for the future: Once the employee has reviewed their progress, it’s time to set smart goals for the next 30 days in 30-60-90 day plan. This could include learning a new skill, mastering a certain task, or undertaking a new project.
  • Enhancing professional relationships: The last 30 days in 30-60-90 day plan in the new job have been a great time for employees to strengthen their relationships with their colleagues . This could include having lunch with a coworker, offering to help with a project, or joining a professional organization.
  • Showing appreciation: It’s important to show appreciation to the people who have helped the employee during their journey. This could include sending thank you cards or emails or offering to help with a project.
  • Celebrating successes: The employee should take time to celebrate their successes. This could include going out to lunch with a colleague, taking a day off, or simply taking a moment to recognize their hard work .

Managers are having a discussion

According to a research by the Brandon Hall Group, an effective and robust onboarding process can boost employee productivity by 70% and retain employees by 82%.

A 30-60-90 day plan is essentially a road map that sets out specific milestones to boost employee productivity during the onboarding phase while improving overall employee engagement and retention .

These milestones are made with a clear understanding of expectations, setting attainable goals, and providing feedback along the way. Organizations can better focus their resources and efforts to achieve their desired goal by having a clear and concise plan.

Here are some of the benefits of having a 30-60-90 day plan for new hires in your organization:

Define success

By having a 30-60-90 day plan in the new job, you can more easily identify and quantify what success looks like in your organization .

It helps to set expectations for both the employer and employee, and gives the employee a structure to work within in order to make a successful transition into the organization.

The plan outlines and helps new employees in learning goals, objectives, and tasks that employees should complete to demonstrate their value to the organization.

It also helps to ensure that the employee’s role is understood and that they have the resources they need to succeed.

By clearly mapping out the expectations of the employee’s role, employers can measure progress and identify areas where additional support or training may be needed.

Set priorities

This plan can help you and your team prioritize tasks and projects. By knowing what needs to be done and when you can better utilize your time and resources.

It also allows the employer to assess the skills and knowledge of the new hire to ensure they are meeting the company’s goals and expectations.

By setting goals and expectations, employers can better manage their resources and ensure that the new hire is meeting their goals and expectations.

With a 30-60-90 day plan, employers can ensure that their new hire is set up to help their team achieve success and is quickly meeting the organization’s goals.

Improve communication

A 30-60-90 day plan in the new job can improve communication between you and your team. By laying out all the tasks and learning goals for the entire organization, everyone will know what needs to be done and when.

The plan provides a framework for setting expectations and goals and helps to ensure that all employees are on the same page.

This plan helps employers define job roles and responsibilities, establish timelines, and create a clear path to success.

It also encourages collaboration and feedback by allowing the employer and the employee to discuss their progress and make adjustments as needed.

So 30-60-90 day plan helps employers to improve communication with their employees, create a better understanding of the company’s expectations, and set the tone for a successful working relationship.

Boost productivity

This type of plan can help boost productivity by ensuring everyone is working towards the same goals. By having a clear plan, you can avoid confusion and wasted time.

It serves as a roadmap for the new hire to follow in the first three months of employment, which is a critical period for any employee.

The plan outlines the objectives that need to be achieved within the first three months, providing clear guidance and direction for the employee. It also allows employers to monitor progress and provide feedback and support when needed.

Additionally, it allows employers to identify any skill gaps and provide appropriate training to ensure employees are able to meet the concrete goals set for them. With a 30-60-90 day plan in place, employers can give their new hires a running start, setting them up for success.

Increase efficiency

A 30-60-90 day plan can help increase efficiency by helping you to utilize your time and resources better.

This plan outlines the personal goals, objectives and tasks that the new hire should accomplish within the first three months of employment.

By setting clear expectations and providing a timeline, new hires can focus on the most important tasks and quickly become effective members of the team.

Improve quality

Leverage a 30-60-90 day plan to improve the quality of your work by ensuring that all tasks are given the proper attention . By avoiding rushed work, you can help to improve the overall quality of your output.

This plan outlines specific activities that new hires should complete within the first three months of their employment, including goal setting, training, and development.

With this plan, employers can ensure that their new hires have the foundational knowledge and resources needed to succeed in their new roles.

Ultimately, this plan helps employers get the most out of their new hires and improve the overall quality of their employee base.

Meet deadlines

New hires can be a great asset to any business, but it can be hard to get them up to speed quickly. A 30-60-90 day plan in the new job helps employers meet their employees' deadlines by providing a framework to help new hires quickly learn their core job responsibilities and how their team operates.

This plan outlines the tasks they must accomplish in the first 30, 60, and 90 days, giving them a roadmap to success.

By taking the time to create a 30-60-90 day plan, employers can ensure new hires are well-prepared to hit the ground running and meet their deadlines.

Reduce stress

An effective 30-60-90 day plan can reduce stress by ensuring that all tasks are given the proper attention. By avoiding unnecessary pressure on the employees, you can help to create a more relaxed environment .

Such plans allow employers to set expectations for new hires in their new company and provide them with the resources and support needed to meet those expectations.

And a 30-60-90 day plan can help employers avoid any surprises that may arise during the onboarding process, allowing them to avoid unnecessary stress.

Improve morale

A 30-60-90 day plan can help improve employee morale . This way, you can create a more positive work environment for your employees in an organization.

This plan helps employers to clearly outline expectations for new hires, provide feedback and guidance, and ensure that the new employee is on track to meet expectations.

By setting up a 30-60-90 day plan, employers can effectively monitor new hires and better understand their strengths and weaknesses.

This will ultimately lead to improved morale and performance, resulting in a more successful organization.

Increase innovation and creativity

A 30-60-90 day plan can foster innovation and creativity within the new hire. By integrating tasks and projects that encourage creative thinking and problem-solving, the plan becomes a catalyst for fresh ideas.

This not only contributes to the employee's professional growth but also infuses new perspectives into the organizational culture, enhancing overall creativity.

Enhance employee engagement

Employee engagement is a cornerstone of organizational success. Incorporating engagement initiatives within the 30-60-90 day plan, such as team-building activities or mentorship programs , creates a positive work environment .

Increased engagement not only improves job satisfaction but also nurtures a sense of commitment and loyalty from the new hire towards the organization.

Encourage proactive learning

A dynamic onboarding plan encourages a proactive approach to learning internal processes. By instilling a mindset of continuous improvement and adaptability, employees are motivated to seek out opportunities for self-development.

This proactive learning approach ensures that the new hire not only meets the immediate goals outlined in the plan but also becomes a lifelong learner, contributing to their long-term success within the company.

Manager is sharing an idea with employees

Follow these detailed steps to write an effective 30-60-90 day plan for your new hires:

Step 1: Brainstorm onboarding questions

During the first week, ensuring a smooth onboarding process is key to creating a good impression of the organization with the employee. A good onboarding can help employees feel welcome and comfortable in their new position.

To ensure you provide the new hires with effective onboarding, it is imperative to recognize their skills, required learning curve and understand where precisely in the organization they fit well.

Begin the process by brainstorming with survey questions that assess an employee’s ability and critical skills. For example:

  • What are the skills the employee should possess to fulfil his role successfully?
  • What problems are you trying to solve? Or what gap are you trying to fill with the new hire?
  • What can be their day-to-day responsibilities?

You can even utilize onboarding survey questions to help you get insights on the employee’s experience, expectations from the role and the organization, personal goals, and more.

Step 2: Set your expectations

Once you figure out the answers in the form of employee feedback to your brainstorming or onboarding survey questions , you will have a better idea of what you would want your new hires to learn and achieve in the first 90 days . Not overloading your employees with too many goals and objectives is important.

This can only confuse them and overload them, leading to dissatisfaction and an unbalanced in professional and personal level. Prepare your 30-60-90 day plan with more straightforward performance goals that don’t overwhelm your new employees .

Step 3: Leverage measurable goals

Did you know that 29% of employees believe that proper onboarding prepares them for their job better? A good onboarding with practical and clearly defined concrete goals in a 30-60-90 day plan can help employees achieve their feasible performance goals faster as this provides them with clarity.

But if the employees misunderstand these smart goals, the expected results cannot be attained. Hence, you should always adopt SMART feasible performance goals.

S - Specific

M - Measurable

A - Attainable

R - Realistic

T - Time-bound

When your expectations follow the SMART rule, then employees have much better clarity on their concrete goals.

For example, all employees must complete a two-week training on the company systems and processes (time-bound, specific, and attainable) and should be able to perform their work tasks successfully using the same systems and processes.

Step 4: Use a buddy system

Many organizations use a buddy or mentor program to assist their new hires in the first few months of their time in the organization. Simply creating a 30-60-90 day plan and handing them over to the new employees expecting them to learn and understand everything on their own competitive research, is unrealistic.

While you prepare the 30-60-90 day plan for your employees, ensure you assign them a buddy or mentor. The buddy will be their go-to person for any guidance they need in the first few weeks. It will also help them feel less overwhelmed in a new work environment with unfamiliar people.

Step 5: Check-in regularly

While you write a 30-60-90 day plan, it is crucial to understand that what the employee accomplishes in the first 90 days is key to the growth of the employee in the organization. However, it should be flexible.

Certain circumstances in a dynamic work environment would require the new hire to work on different tasks than what was mentioned on the 30-60-90 day plan.

Check in regularly on the milestones achieved and the current tasks of the employee in the first few weeks to modify the plan based on the changes if needed.

Imagine the employee onboarding roadmap as your company's personalized GPS guiding new team members through the exciting journey of integration. It's not just a set of directions; it's the key to a smooth and engaging onboarding experience.

At its core, the onboarding roadmap is a step-by-step guide that ensures new hires hit the ground running. From the initial orientation that unveils the company's culture and values to the strategic training modules tailored to their role, each milestone is a carefully plotted destination on this roadmap .

This dynamic guide doesn't just stop at the first week – it extends well into the first 90 days and beyond. It's the route that helps new employees navigate the twists and turns of their roles, providing ongoing support, feedback loops, and opportunities for growth.

Think of it as a dynamic map, adjusting and evolving to ensure each new team member finds their way to success within the organization.

An employee is walking with the help on huge hands

Onboarding plans are meticulously crafted frameworks designed to facilitate the seamless integration of new hires into an organization. This structured process ensures that employees are not only acquainted with their roles but also acclimated to the company's culture, values, and operational procedures.

Here's a step-by-step breakdown of a comprehensive onboarding plan:

  • Pre-arrival preparation: Commence the onboarding process even before the new hire walks through the door. Share pertinent information about the organization, the team, and the initial tasks to set expectations.
  • Administrative essentials: Streamline administrative processes. Ensure swift completion of paperwork, provisioning of necessary employee engagement survey tools , and facilitation of access to essential systems, minimizing delays and administrative burdens.
  • Role clarification: Clearly articulate the new hire's role and responsibilities. Define performance expectations, key performance indicators (KPIs), and milestones, establishing a roadmap for success.
  • Training: Facilitate targeted training programs. Tailor these programs to the specific requirements of the role, providing the necessary skills and knowledge for effective job performance .
  • Team integration: Encourage team building and collaboration. Facilitate introductions with team members and key stakeholders, fostering an environment of inclusion and camaraderie.
  • Ongoing support and feedback: Provide continuous support. Establish regular check-ins and feedback sessions to address concerns , offer guidance, and gauge the new hire's comfort and progress.
  • Long-term integration: Extend the onboarding plan beyond the initial weeks. Develop long-term integration strategies, including mentorship programs, professional development initiatives, and opportunities for career growth, ensuring sustained success within the organization.

Management is planning the onboarding objectives

Embarking on the onboarding process is akin to laying the foundation for a lasting professional relationship. To ensure a seamless integration of new team members, meticulous attention to onboarding objectives is paramount. Here are eleven key points to consider:

  • Clarify expectations: Establish clear expectations from the outset. Outline roles, responsibilities, and performance benchmarks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the new hire's mission within the organization.
  • Accelerate adaptation: Facilitate a swift assimilation into the company culture. A well-structured introduction to the organizational ethos, values, and norms fosters a sense of belonging and commitment.
  • Equip with knowledge: Immerse the new team member in a comprehensive understanding of company operations. Provide in-depth training on tools, technologies, and processes essential for seamless daily functioning.
  • Foster interdepartmental connectivity: Promote cross-functional collaboration by encouraging interactions with colleagues from various departments. This not only broadens the new hire's perspective but also establishes valuable networking channels .
  • Ensure compliance and ethical awareness: Prioritize legal and ethical compliance education. Equipping new hires with an understanding of company policies, industry regulations, and ethical standards sets the groundwork for responsible conduct within the organization.
  • Individualized development plans: Craft personalized development plans tailored to the specific needs and aspirations of each team member. This bespoke approach ensures that their professional growth aligns harmoniously with organizational objectives.
  • Continuous feedback mechanism: Implement a robust feedback system. Regular check-ins and performance reviews provide opportunities for constructive criticism, acknowledgment of achievements, and the alignment of individual goals with organizational objectives.
  • Technology integration: Leverage technology to streamline onboarding processes. Incorporate digital platforms for efficient document management, task tracking, and communication, ensuring a technologically adept workforce.
  • Establish mentorship programs: Instigate mentorship initiatives to guide new hires through their initial phases. An experienced mentor can offer insights, advice, and a supportive environment for acclimatization.
  • Measure onboarding success metrics: Define and measure key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the success of the onboarding process. Metrics such as time to productivity, retention rates, and employee satisfaction provide invaluable insights into the efficacy of the program.
  • Post-onboarding support: Extend support beyond the initial onboarding phase. Continued mentorship, access to professional development resources, and opportunities for advancement contribute to the sustained success and loyalty of team members.

Employees working effectively to achieve big

The significance of a well-structured onboarding plan during the first 90 days of an employee's tenure cannot be overstated. This critical period lays the foundation for their integration into the organizational ecosystem, shaping their perception, productivity , and long-term commitment.

An effective onboarding plan serves as a structured roadmap, guiding new hires through the intricacies of the company's culture, values, and operational processes. It facilitates a seamless assimilation, helping individuals understand their roles and responsibilities within the larger framework of the organization.

Moreover, during the initial 90 days, employees are in a state of heightened receptivity and adaptation. An onboarding plan, meticulously designed to introduce them to the company's mission, vision, and goals, harnesses this receptivity to instill a sense of purpose and alignment with the organizational objectives.

Beyond mere orientation, a well-crafted onboarding plan contributes significantly to employee engagement and retention. By addressing the specific needs of new hires, providing the necessary resources, and fostering early connections with colleagues and mentors, organizations cultivate a positive work environment that encourages commitment and loyalty.

Furthermore, the first 90 days represent a crucial period for skill development and proficiency acquisition. An onboarding plan that includes comprehensive training modules, mentorship initiatives, and continuous feedback mechanisms ensures that new hires not only understand their roles but also acquire the essential skills to excel in them.

Employer welcoming an new employee

Different organizations have different milestones set as a part of their 30-60-90 day plans for their new hires.

However, there are certain basic accomplishments every employee should aim to achieve in the first three months that should be a part of the overall plan you prepare, and here they are:

1. Complete onboarding and paperwork

Onboarding and paperwork is essential to ensure that new manager or hires understand the company mission, policies and procedures, as well as the company's expectations of them.

Completing these forms within the first 90 days of employment allows new hires to get up to speed quickly.

This is beneficial for both the new hire and the company, as it ensures the new hire is well-informed and productive and that the company is compliant with all necessary regulations.

2. Attend all required training sessions

Attending all required training sessions gives new hires the knowledge and skills they need to perform their job duties and responsibilities.

This initial training also helps them become familiar with the company’s culture, values, and policies.

Training sessions can also provide new hires with valuable networking opportunities, where they can meet and interact with their colleagues and other professionals in their field.

By attending all required training sessions, new hires can learn the information that they need to become successful in their role, while also building relationships with their colleagues.

3. Get to know their co-workers and develop relationships

Developing relationships with co-workers also allows for open communication, which can help to identify any areas where the new hire may need additional support or guidance.

Building relationships also helps to create a sense of trust and respect among team members, and understanding of own team's processes and team's work style which can lead to better collaboration and an overall more positive work environment.

Getting to know their co-workers and developing relationships within their first 90 days on the job is essential for new hires to be successful in their roles.

4. Understand their job description and responsibilities

New hires should understand their job description and responsibilities within the first 90 days to ensure that they are able to effectively and efficiently contribute to their organization.

Understanding job responsibilities will help new hires to confidently work with their team, gain a better understanding of their job, and become more productive in their role.

Furthermore, it can also help new hires to identify areas of improvement and develop their skills to further benefit the organization.

5. Gain a clear understanding of the company's culture, values, and mission

Gaining a clear understanding of the company's culture, values, and mission within the first 90 days of a new hire is essential to their success.

Knowing the company's culture and values can help new hire make better decisions, understand how their job fits into the company’s larger goals, and build relationships with their colleagues.

Being aware of the company's culture, values, and mission will also help the new hire to better align themselves with the company, leading to greater job satisfaction and better performance.

6. Meet with their supervisor to discuss company's mission objectives

The meeting provides a great opportunity for both the supervisor and the new hire to get to know each other and build a trusting working relationship.

It also allows the supervisor to provide the new hire with important information and resources, discuss any challenges or obstacles they may face, and set clear expectations for successful performance.

7. Begin to develop a plan for their career development

Developing a plan for career development within the first 90 days of being hired is essential for long-term career success.

It allows the new employee to have a clear understanding of the career path they want to pursue within the organization and provides them with the knowledge and resources to progress in their chosen field.

Moreover, it enables the new hire to identify and set performance goals, enabling them to take ownership of their career and make the most of their time within the organization.

Additionally, having such a plan provides the new hire with the flexibility to adjust and make changes as needed, while still remaining focused on their development and achieving their career goals.

Ultimately, having a plan for career development in the first 90 days in 30-60-90 day plan of being hired is critical for the long-term team success of the new hire.

8. Participate in cross-functional activities

Engaging in cross-functional activities expands the new hire's understanding of the organization.

By participating in projects or initiatives that involve collaboration across different departments, employees gain insights into diverse perspectives, fostering a more comprehensive view of the company's operations and goals.

9. Contribute to a team project

Actively contributing to a team project within the first 90 days demonstrates the new hire's commitment to teamwork and collective success.

This milestone allows individuals to showcase their skills, collaborate with colleagues, and contribute meaningfully to the organization's objectives.

10. Seek feedback from peers and supervisors

Initiating conversations to seek feedback from both peers and supervisors is a crucial aspect of professional growth.

Understanding areas of strength and areas for improvement early on empowers new hires to adapt and excel. Constructive feedback also facilitates a smoother integration into the team and the organizational culture.

11. Participate in professional development opportunities

Actively participating in professional development opportunities during the first 90 days underscores a commitment to continuous learning.

Whether through workshops, seminars, or online courses, investing in personal and professional growth enhances the new hire's skills and contributes to their long-term success within the organization.

Employer discussing with employees

A well-thought-out 30-60-90 day plan serves as a compass, guiding an employee through the crucial first months of their tenure. Here are seven key components that should be included in a comprehensive 30-60-90 day plan:

First 30 days: Orientation and immersion

The initial 30 days are pivotal for acclimating to the organizational landscape. Start by immersing yourself in the company's culture, values, and mission. Attend orientation sessions, engage with key stakeholders, and absorb the nuances of the workplace environment.

Establish a solid understanding of your role, responsibilities, and the broader team dynamics.

Days 30-60: Skill development and contribution

With the foundation laid in the first month, focus on honing the specific skills required for your role. Identify training opportunities, attend relevant workshops, and familiarize yourself with internal processes and tools.

Begin actively contributing to team projects, demonstrating your capabilities and integrating seamlessly into the workflow. Seek feedback to refine your approach and ensure alignment with organizational expectations.

Days 60-90: Strategic planning and leadership engagement

As you progress into the third month, shift your focus towards strategic planning and leadership engagement. Delve deeper into long-term projects, contributing ideas and solutions that align with the company's objectives.

Cultivate relationships with key decision-makers and stakeholders, demonstrating your commitment to the organization's success. Explore opportunities to lead or participate in initiatives that showcase your leadership potential.

Set clear goals and objectives

Each phase of the plan should be guided by clear, measurable goals and objectives. Define what success looks like at the end of each 30-day interval.

Whether it's mastering a specific skill, successfully completing a project, or forging key relationships, having well-defined goals provides direction and purpose.

Demonstrate adaptability and learning agility

Incorporate a focus on adaptability and learning agility into each phase of your plan. Highlight your ability to quickly grasp new concepts, navigate challenges, and apply feedback. Showcase a willingness to evolve and adapt to the evolving needs of the organization.

Communicate effectively

Effective communication is a cornerstone of a successful 30-60-90 day plan. Regularly update key stakeholders on your progress, challenges, and achievements.

Seek feedback proactively and use communication as a tool to demonstrate your engagement, commitment, and value to the team.

New employees working effectively together

The first 90 days for new hires serve as a critical window for establishing a strong professional foothold. To ensure a fruitful onboarding experience, new hires should focus on accomplishing key milestones within this timeframe.

  • Establish a strong foundation: The initial days are dedicated to laying a robust foundation. New hires should diligently familiarize themselves with the company's mission, vision, and core values. Understanding the organizational culture is paramount, as it forms the basis for effective collaboration and alignment with corporate goals.
  • Build relationships: Forge meaningful connections with colleagues, fellow team members, and key stakeholders. Cultivating professional relationships fosters a collaborative work environment and provides valuable support networks. Engage in open communication, actively seek feedback, and showcase a commitment to teamwork.
  • Master core responsibilities: Within the first 30 days, new hires should aim to master their core responsibilities. Acquiring proficiency in essential tasks demonstrates competence and contributes to the team's overall efficiency. Seek guidance from mentors or supervisors to ensure a comprehensive understanding of job requirements.
  • Initiate continuous learning: The second phase, spanning days 30 to 60, should be dedicated to continuous learning. Identify areas for skill development and proactively engage in training programs or workshops. Demonstrating a commitment to ongoing learning not only enhances individual capabilities but also contributes to the organization's growth.
  • Contribute actively to projects: Transitioning into the third month, new hires should actively contribute to team projects. Whether large or small, involvement in projects showcases initiative and a willingness to apply newfound knowledge to practical scenarios. This stage is critical for demonstrating value and integration into the team's workflow.
  • Align with organizational goals: By the end of the first 90 days, new hires should aim to align their individual goals with the broader objectives of the organization. Understanding how their role contributes to the company's success fosters a sense of purpose and ensures a seamless integration into the organizational framework.

A manager standing in the workplace

For managers stepping into new roles , the first 90 days are a critical period that demands a strategic and focused approach. Crafting a well-structured 30-60-90 day plan is essential for success in managerial positions. Here's a guide for managers to navigate each phase:

In the initial 30 days, managers should prioritize orientation and immersion. Familiarize yourself with the company's culture, values, and operational structure.

Establish connections with key stakeholders, team members, and other departments to gain a holistic understanding of the organization.

Days 30-60: Strategic planning and relationship building

As you transition into days 30 to 60, shift your focus towards strategic planning and relationship building. Dive deeper into team dynamics, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and initiate strategic planning sessions.

Establish clear lines of communication and build relationships with your team, fostering a collaborative and cohesive work environment.

Days 60-90: Execution and continuous improvement

In the final phase, days 60 to 90, it's time to execute the strategic plans developed and focus on continuous improvement. Implement changes, address challenges, and actively lead your team towards achieving organizational goals.

Regularly solicit feedback from team members and stakeholders to fine-tune strategies and ensure alignment with overarching objectives.

  • Effective communication strategies: Prioritize effective communication strategies. Establish open lines of communication with your team, ensuring that expectations are clear, feedback is constructive, and information flows seamlessly within the team and across departments.
  • Align team goals with organizational objectives: Ensure that the goals set for your team align seamlessly with the broader organizational objectives. Communicate the significance of each team member's role in contributing to the company's success, fostering a shared sense of purpose.
  • Adaptability and problem solving: Demonstrate adaptability and effective problem-solving skills. In a managerial role, the ability to navigate unforeseen challenges and adapt strategies to changing circumstances is crucial. Showcase your problem-solving prowess to instill confidence in your team.
  • Cultivate leadership presence: Cultivate a strong leadership presence. Inspire and motivate your team through your actions and words. Showcase the qualities of a leader – decisiveness, integrity, and a commitment to excellence.
  • Employee engagement strategies: Implement employee engagement strategies. Foster a positive and inclusive work environment, where team members feel valued and motivated to contribute their best efforts.
  • Succession planning: Initiate succession planning. Identify and nurture potential leaders within your team, creating a pipeline of talent that ensures continuity and stability in the face of organizational changes.

Manager keeping employee on the loop on everything happening

The initial 90 days for new hires mark a crucial period of adjustment and integration into the organizational structure.

However, the journey doesn't end there. To ensure sustained success and foster a thriving work environment, management plays a pivotal role beyond the first 90 days. Here are ten essential steps management should take:

  • Ongoing feedback and evaluation: Implement a continuous feedback system. Regular performance evaluations and constructive feedback sessions provide valuable insights into the new hire's progress, allowing for adjustments and improvements as needed.
  • Professional development initiatives: Invest in ongoing professional development. Identify opportunities for skill enhancement and career growth, providing resources, mentorship, and training programs that align with the employee's long-term goals.
  • Clear career path discussions: Engage in transparent discussions about the new hire's career path within the organization. Define potential growth trajectories, milestones, and opportunities for advancement, ensuring alignment with both individual aspirations and organizational needs.
  • Regular check-ins and communication: Maintain regular communication. Scheduled check-ins and open lines of communication demonstrate management's commitment to the new hire's well-being, ensuring that any concerns or challenges are addressed promptly.
  • Alignment with organizational goals: Reiterate the connection between individual roles and organizational objectives. Ensuring that each employee understands how their work contributes to the company's overall success fosters a sense of purpose and commitment.
  • Feedback from team members: Seek feedback from colleagues. Input from team members provides a holistic perspective on the new hire's performance and integration, identifying areas for improvement and recognizing positive contributions.
  • Recognition in team settings: Promote public recognition within team settings. Team meetings, newsletters, or other internal communication channels can be utilized to highlight individual achievements, fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie.
  • Encourage innovation and initiative: Empower new hires to bring fresh ideas to the table. Encourage innovation and initiative, creating an environment where employees feel comfortable expressing their creativity and contributing to the organization's growth.
  • Adaptability and flexibility: Recognize the importance of adaptability. The workplace is dynamic, and management should support new hires in adapting to changes, evolving responsibilities, and emerging opportunities.
  • Employee surveys and feedback sessions: Conduct employee surveys and feedback sessions. Gathering insights about job satisfaction, work environment, and overall experiences helps identify areas for improvement and ensures the organization remains responsive to employee needs.

The first 90 days can be a rollercoaster of emotions, challenges, and triumphs, so why not steer the ship with a well-crafted set of check-in 30/60/90 day employee survey questions? Let's dive into the 30 questions that will make your onboarding process a smooth sail:

The first 30 days:

  • How's your onboarding experience been so far?
  • What aspects of our company culture have stood out to you in these initial weeks?
  • Are there any tools or resources you feel you need more guidance on?
  • What goals have you set for yourself in your first month, and how can we support you in achieving them?
  • Have you had the chance to connect with your team members? What's been the highlight of those interactions?

Days 30-60:

  • How do you feel your role aligns with the company's overall mission and vision?
  • What projects or tasks have you found most challenging, and what strategies have you used to overcome them?
  • Are there any training modules or workshops you think could enhance your skills and contributions?
  • In what ways have you incorporated feedback into your daily work?
  • Have you identified any areas where you see opportunities for improvement in our processes?

Days 60-90:

  • How would you describe your integration into the team so far?
  • What achievements are you most proud of in the past 60 days?
  • Are there specific aspects of your role that you'd like to explore further or delve deeper into?
  • What suggestions do you have for enhancing team collaboration and communication?
  • How can we support your professional development in the coming months?

Reflecting on the journey:

  • What surprises or unexpected discoveries have you encountered during your onboarding journey?
  • How do you envision your role evolving in the next 90 days?
  • What feedback do you have regarding our onboarding process and how we can refine it for future hires?
  • How have your expectations about the company evolved since your first day?
  • If you could change one thing about your onboarding experience, what would it be?

Looking forward:

  • What are your goals for the next quarter, both professionally and personally?
  • How can we ensure that you continue to feel challenged and engaged in your role?
  • What support or resources do you believe would accelerate your growth within the company?
  • In what ways do you see yourself contributing to the success of your team and the organization as a whole?
  • What advice would you give to future employees going through the onboarding process?

Final stretch:

  • What has been the highlight of your onboarding journey, and why?
  • How can we celebrate your achievements as part of the team?
  • What areas do you believe you've made the most significant impact in so far?
  • Do you have any lingering questions or uncertainties about your role or the company as a whole?
  • As you look back on your first 90 days, what words would you use to describe your experience?

Accelerating the onboarding process to get new hires up to speed swiftly is imperative for organizational efficiency and employee engagement. A structured and efficient onboarding program is key to achieving this objective.

Firstly, a well-defined onboarding process is essential. Providing new hires with comprehensive information about the company's culture, values, and mission sets the tone for their integration. This initial understanding fosters a sense of belonging and aligns the individual with the broader organizational goals.

Secondly, streamlining administrative tasks is crucial. Automating paperwork, access requests, and other procedural aspects accelerates the onboarding timeline, allowing employees to focus on their core responsibilities from day one. This not only expedites their productivity but also minimizes potential frustration associated with administrative delays.

Additionally, offering targeted training programs tailored to the specific requirements of the role ensures that new hires acquire the necessary skills swiftly. By providing access to relevant resources, mentorship opportunities, and ongoing support, organizations can expedite the learning curve and empower employees to contribute meaningfully to team objectives.

Employee life cycle module to help you with 30-60-90 day plan of your new hires

Employee life cycle module to help you with 30-60-90 day plan of your new job and hires

An employee’s life cycle in an organization can be divided into different segments or stages in between onboarding to exit.

Each stage is critical for an organization to amplify overall employee engagement and reduce turnover costs.

But how do you measure and track employee engagement over all these stages?

The onboarding phase creates the first impression of the organization with the employee. To understand what can be done better, you have to analyze each and every employee’s experience with their onboarding stage. Now, this may sound like a tedious process if done manually.

CultureMonkey automates this process to get measurable results from your employees from time to time through employee life cycle surveys .

With CultureMonkey’s employee life cycle surveys , you can create improved 30-60-90 day plans by tapping into essential data from the employees to measure success and own performance metrics, such as their feedback on the interview process, expectations from the organization, personal and professional goals, and many more.

These insights can also help improve the overall recruitment process for future employees.

Unlike general employee engagement survey tools , CultureMonkey schedules and sends employee surveys based on employee segments, such as generation, tenure, pay band, role type, gender, and location base.

The data received through these surveys helps an organization get a better hold on ways to improve employee engagement and boost employee retention . This data can be used to create a tailored 30-60-90-day plan for each new hire.

Following a 30-60-90 day plan can help organizations onboard new employees like a pro. By taking the time to clearly outline expectations and goals for the first three months on the job, you will give them everything they need to hit the ground running and be an asset to your team.

Furthermore, regular check-ins and implementing anonymous feedback during this period can help ensure everyone is on the same page and identify areas where additional support may be needed.

Santhosh

Santhosh is a Jr. Product Marketer with 2+ years of experience. He loves to travel solo (though he doesn’t label them as vacations, they are) to explore, meet people, and learn new stories.

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How to Leverage the 30-60-90 Day Plan for New Hires

February 17, 2023 - 10 min read

Samuel Christopher Dixon

Bolstering the company ranks with top talent is challenging, even for the best recruiters. 

Knowing how and where to source the best candidates is one thing but once you’ve made the hire, you also need your new recruits to hit the ground running. When each new hire can cost on average $4,700 , it’s important to make each hire count.

Whether or not you land the perfect candidate for every vacant role in your company is somewhat out of your hands due to factors such as availability, budget, and job specifics. Yet there’s one part of recruitment you have full control over: the onboarding and training processes to get new employees up to speed.

Having a robust plan of action for new recruits is critical if you want to see a fast ROI. This is even more important for large companies and enterprises, who may need to cast a wide net and make a batch of hires in one go.

What is the best way to onboard a new hire?  Whether you’re a startup or enterprise, there’s a simple way to clearly lay down your expectations and kick-start momentum for new hires. 

It’s called the 30-60-90 day plan and it contains everything new hires need to thrive in their first few months on the job.

What is a 30-60-90 day plan?

As you might imagine, the 30-60-90 day plan lays out what new hires must do in their new role over the course of a month, two months, and three months. 

A blueprint for success of sorts, the 30-60-90 day plan can be put in place to guide new employees through what can sometimes be an uncertain time as they navigate the challenges of their new job. 

Ideally, this plan will factor in both expected performance from the company’s end while also mapping out a comprehensive learning plan for new recruits. That way, they can quickly assimilate with the company culture, get to grips with the core values and ways of working, and learn on the job.

A typical 30-60-90 day plan would be structured like this:

  • First 30 days: The first part of the plan should clearly outline what is expected of a new hire within their first month. This is arguably the most important section, since the first month sets the tone for new hires and is an excellent opportunity to iron out any confusion about roles and responsibilities upfront.
  • Days 31-60: Once the new hire is familiar with company practices, values, and product specifics , it makes sense to follow up with some problem-solving exercises that require critical thinking. For the next month, you want to take the stabilizers off and allow the new hire to tackle tasks by themselves to build a sense of autonomy and confidence.
  • Days 61-90: In the last section of the plan, the goal is to make sure the new hire is fully assimilated with company culture and aware of how they can excel in their role. Explore performance goals and how they’re measured, and outline what opportunities the new hire has to grow professionally and develop their skills.

Generally, there are two main use cases for the 30-60-90 day plan:

1. The hopeful job applicant seeking to impress their interviewer

To gain the edge in a job interview, it isn’t uncommon for candidates to come prepared with their own sketched-out 30-60-90 day plan. From the candidate’s perspective, this plan would detail how they intend to make an instant impact in the role.

2. The company recruitment department streamlining their onboarding process 

For companies, providing a 30-60-90 day plan to new hires is like rolling out the red carpet and ensuring the onboarding process runs without a hitch. It’s a convenient training package that contains more or less everything the new hires need to know to quickly get comfortable in their role and perform in accordance with company standards from day one.

In this guide, we’ll focus on the latter and show you how you can set up an effective 30-60-90 day plan that acts as a blueprint for future hires.

What are the benefits of a 30-60-90 day plan?

The 30-60-90 day plan should be both beneficial for your company and your new hires. As a best-case scenario, your plan will:

Minimize confusion 

A significant challenge for anyone entering a new role is learning how the company operates and what the key processes are. 

With a 30-60-90 day plan, you can mitigate a lot of the confusion that’s common among new hires as you can provide a clear roadmap for success. A well-designed plan will answer the most common questions a new hire may have, so they don’t need to worry about who to contact or what to do next.

Instill confidence

By removing the confusion associated with starting a new job, you’ll pave the way for new hires to grow confident in their role. Confidence is key for new hires as it allows them to feel settled in a new position and start to develop initiative and integrate well with their team and department.

Build a sense of autonomy

Over time, confidence can feed into new hires’ sense of autonomy. While autonomy isn’t essential for every role in a company, it’s important for empowering employees to problem-solve by themselves and seek out innovative solutions.

Establish performance expectations

A good 30-60-90 day plan will leave no doubt in the new hires’ minds as to what is expected of them. Without a plan, standards can slip as new hires get comfortable in their roles. 

To avoid this, be upfront about performance expectations in the plan so everyone knows what they need to do to meet company standards.

Allow you to review your onboarding process

After onboarding several rounds of new hires with your 30-60-90 day plan, you’ll be able to build a clear idea of how effective your onboarding process is. By the end of it, you can ask new hires how comfortable they feel in their role and identify opportunities for refining the process. 

You can also measure the impact the plan has on new hires, contrasting the productivity data with existing benchmarks.

What should new hires accomplish in their first 90 days?

When you sit down to write out your 30-60-90 day plan for new hires, it’s important to factor in your company’s strategic goals as well as performance expectations for the department or team they’ll be joining.

With this information, you can set ambitious yet achievable goals that will point new hires in the right direction and give them a clear idea of what your performance expectations are. 

One way to establish trackable and realistic goals is to use the SMART goal-setting framework, which we’ll cover in detail later.

So, what exactly should you expect from new hires in the first three months? To set goals that make sense for everyone involved, make sure you’re ticking off all the major boxes in your onboarding criteria. 

For example, you want new hires to be familiar with the following five areas in the 30-60-90 day plan:

  • Core company values: One of the main ways to kick-start and maintain employee engagement is to create purpose behind their actions. By educating new hires on the company’s core values , you allow them to connect the actions they take to the results and positive impact of the company.
  • Chain of command: Your plan should communicate the organizational structure of your company clearly, so new hires know exactly who to turn to when they have questions. New hires should understand from day one who they report to and who they work alongside. They should also have contact information for anyone who can help them resolve issues they may encounter.
  • Short- and long-term objectives: As well as setting out what you expect of a new hire week by week in terms of deliverables and output, consider long-term objectives, too. Let new hires know how their actions will help the company meet its strategic goals, so they can feel part of something bigger and see the potential for professional growth and imagine a future with the company.
  • Day-to-day operations: Focusing only on goals will help new hires visualize what progress and performance mean in the company, but won’t necessarily help them navigate their day-to-day responsibilities. Outline what new hires can expect to do from the moment they clock in to the moment they clock out.
  • Workflows and processes: Some companies rely heavily on software solutions to collaborate and communicate, while others still use analog systems. Let new hires know what tools you expect them to become familiar with, as well as the nuts and bolts of how teams work together in your company.

When new hires reach the finish line and complete their first 90 days on the job, it can be valuable to carry out a performance review to assess both how effective the onboarding process is and how ready they are to become a contributing member of the workforce.

The end of the first 90 days also presents a great opportunity to solicit feedback from new hires so you can identify areas for improvement in the plan and streamline the onboarding process going forward.

How to write a 30-60-90 day plan

Even if you understand the logic and theory behind a well-put-together 30-60-90 day plan, it can be challenging to get started. It’s much easier to start writing the plan when you have all the elements mapped out in advance, as then it simply becomes a case of arranging them into place.

1. Start with a strategic overview

Every effective 30-60-90 day plan starts with a strategic overview. 

Imagine you’re about to tackle a puzzle. If you dive straight in and start putting the pieces together, you’re essentially going in blind without clear direction. Instead, if you look at the whole picture first and see what it is you’re working towards, this can inform each step.

As such, before you start putting the various pieces of the plan into place, discuss both macro-level details, such as how new hires will fit into your company culture, and micro-level details, such as what they’ll do on a day-to-day basis in their role.

A plan for a plan, in essence, the strategic overview is your opportunity to make sure you don’t miss anything important when it comes to drafting.

2. Outline performance standards

One of the main goals of a 30-60-90 day plan should be to educate and inform new hires about performance standards and your expectations for productivity. 

Without adding too much pressure to their first few months on the job, make sure you outline minimum and optimal expectations so new hires can adjust accordingly. It could be that this is a new career path for them or that their previous employer had vastly different standards, so use the plan as a way of drawing a line in the sand and creating clarity from day one.

When you outline your expectations, you avoid that awful sense of uncertainty that can cause new hires to constantly second-guess what they’re doing, whether they’re doing enough, and if they’re a good fit for the role.

3. Use SMART goals

One of the best ways to set new hires up for success and boost levels of engagement right out of the gate is to use  SMART goals . SMART goals that align with your company’s vision for success give new hires an opportunity to excel in their first few months.

By setting SMART goals, you can break down your strategic long-term goals into concrete deliverables and short-term objectives.

Here’s a brief primer on how to create a SMART goal:

  • Specific: Leave no room for misinterpretation or doubt by being as granular as possible
  • Measurable: Ensure that any goal you create can be tracked with your KPIs
  • Achievable: Encourage ambition but make sure the goals are realistic for new hires
  • Relevant: Create goals that tie in with your larger strategic or departmental goals
  • Time-bound: Provide a timeline or turnaround time for clarity

For example, let’s say you’re hiring a content writer to join the marketing department.  Here’s what an appropriate SMART goal might look like:

  • S : Create 12 SEO-driven blog posts per month
  • M: Review blog posts in accordance with metrics such as keyword frequency 
  • A: Consider the output of your current writers and use this to inform performance expectations
  • R: Think how the goal of creating 12 blog posts per week positively impacts the company 
  • T:  Break the goal down into daily and weekly output expectations

With a SMART goal like this, a new writer will immediately understand what’s expected of them and they can work on skills to help them meet it.

4. Compile useful resources

In many cases, especially if you’re hiring knowledge workers, there’ll be more information than you can fit into one plan. To keep the plan concise and avoid overloading new hires with information, it’s worth compiling any useful resources related to the company and role.

With a resource list, you can provide new hires with everything they need to know without overwhelming them in their first few months. Similar to the structure of popular online courses, you could assign certain resources as extra reading for each week of the plan to guide the new hires’ learning at a steady pace.

What kinds of resources should you provide?

  • Video tutorials: From getting set up with a new project management tool to the right way to reference an article, video walkthroughs and tutorials can be an excellent way to plug knowledge gaps for new hires and get them up to speed. They can be educational videos you find online or, better still, internally produced videos from people the new hires might work with.
  • Internal knowledge base or wiki: If you have a lot of department or team-specific information stored in a knowledge base or wiki, you can share access to this for new hires so they can get acquainted with the basics.
  • How-to guides: If there are complicated processes for new hires to navigate, linking to an in-depth how-to guide can be a better solution than attempting to explain them in the 30-60-90 day plan.
  • Company guideline documents: While you can go over the core company values in your plan, you may have your company guidelines and other relevant information stored in other documents, which you can provide alongside the plan.
  • Onboarding documents: If there’s anything the new hires need to know in their first few months, such as useful contact information and login details for software tools, these can be placed in onboarding documents that employees can consult as often as they need to and clear up any doubts.

5. Guide and assess progress 

The 30-60-90 plan should be designed to get new hires up to speed as quickly as possible. While you want to encourage employees to be motivated self-starters, in most cases lending a guiding hand will accelerate the acclimatization process and give them the confidence they need to thrive in the job faster.

Enterprise project management tools can help you keep tabs on progress and check in with new recruits as they work their way through the plan.

By assigning a mentor to new hires, you can ensure they learn the ropes without doubting themselves too much.

Checking in regularly can make new hires feel welcome, and allows you to clear up any doubts they may have during the onboarding process. Any feedback they provide can then be used to inform how you formulate your 30-60-90 plan going forward.

Core elements of a 30-60-90 day plan

Before we give you an example of a 30-60-90 day plan that you can use to create your own, let’s review the core elements every plan must have:

Company values and guidelines

One of the core responsibilities you have when you draw up a 30-60-90 plan should be to outline the company values and guidelines for new hires.

Adapting to a new company culture can be challenging, especially if the new hires are unfamiliar with the company. You can remedy this to a large extent by detailing what it is your company stands for, the core values that drive the workforce, and guidelines for how employees should conduct themselves.

You can supplement any information here with additional documentation about the company in your resource list.

Onboarding information

Of equal importance to a brief on company values should be all the necessary onboarding information new hires need to embed themselves in the company.

In your onboarding section, you can outline the following:

  • Day-one schedule
  • Daily and weekly responsibilities
  • Processes involved with the job
  • Who to report to in various situations
  • Login information for software the company uses

Performance standards

You can use the 30-60-90 day plan as a primer for what’s to come but also to lay down your expectations and set a benchmark for excellent performance.

If new hires know exactly what’s expected of them, it’s easier to integrate into the team and perform at the desired standard from day one. It also provides them with an idea of what they need to do to impress and become a top performer in their role.

SMART goals

Stemming from your performance expectations will be the SMART goals that you create to steer new hires in the right direction. 

The idea behind each SMART goal is to give new hires a concrete idea of what you expect in terms of deliverables and objectives within their first 90 days on the job.

Resource list

Lastly, the resource list should provide new hires with all the additional information they could need to succeed in their role in the opening months and beyond.

Here’s where you’ll add training documents for review, list relevant contact information, and, if applicable, highlight video tutorials and how-tos for new hires to learn the ropes quickly.

30-60-90 day plan example

Creating a 30-60-90 day plan doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the simpler it is, the easier it will be for new hires to digest.

The last thing you want is to subject new hires to information overload and overwhelm them with an intimidating wall of text. 

Instead, break up the plan into several digestible sections and aim for a straightforward structure, as you can see in this example template:

30-60-90 day plans made easy with Wrike

If you’re interested in setting up 30-60-90 day plans to streamline your onboarding process and help new hires embed within your company culture quickly, Wrike’s task management software can help. From helping you visualize team member progress to storing and categorizing relevant information, Wrike offers various ways to refine recruitment processes.

For instance, you can use Gantt charts to plot out interactive timelines to sync up with the SMART goals you set for new hires. You can also use these charts to review how many tasks and action items new hires complete over the course of 30, 60, and 90 days.

Then, there are project management software features such as Kanban boards , which support easy task management . When adjusting to a new position with new responsibilities, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. By implementing a straightforward Kanban system such as Wrike’s, you can ease the transition into a new role and make managing workloads a breeze.

Wrike’s workflow management software also offers onboarding templates and other business templates you can use to simplify the first few weeks and months of managing new hires. View progress with a table view, use checklists and to-do lists, and set up clear procedures. 

Online time tracking software can help, too, as you can monitor productivity levels in real time and see how the new recruits adjust.

TL;DR? Scan these FAQs for a brief overview of this article.

Q. What should I include in a 30-60-90 day plan?

A. To create an effective 30-60-90 day plan, you should include the following elements:

  •  Company values and performance expectations
  •  A list of SMART goals
  •  Onboarding information
  •  Mentorship or progress information (if applicable)
  •  A comprehensive resource list

Keep your plan as simple as possible so it’s digestible for new hires, and not overwhelming.

Q. How do you put together a 30-60-90 day plan?

A. To put together a 30-60-90 day plan, start out with a general strategic overview. Come together with the recruitment department and detail how new hires will integrate into the company and how their actions in the first 90 days will contribute to the company as a whole.

Next, outline performance expectations and list several SMART goals for new hires to aim for in their first few months in the job.

Finally, consider the resources that can help new hires integrate as quickly as possible and resolve any doubts that arise.

Q. What should be included in a 90-day evaluation?

A. When evaluating the first 90 days for new hires, consider how quickly they’ve adapted to the process and workflows of the company and department. Ask their mentor or peers how they’ve performed and gauge how they’ve integrated in their team.

You can also provide new hires with a basic survey to garner feedback about the 30-60-90 day plan and make changes if necessary going forward.

Ready to create your 30-60-90 day plan with Wrike? Get started with your free two-week trial today.

Samuel Christopher Dixon

Samuel Christopher Dixon

Samuel is a freelance writer who specializes in SaaS and e-commerce.

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IMAGES

  1. 30-60-90 Day Plan: 2024 Guide + Expert Examples, Best Practices

    30 60 90 day plan new employee

  2. Onboarding 30 60 90 Day Plan

    30 60 90 day plan new employee

  3. 30 60 90 Day Plans Examples

    30 60 90 day plan new employee

  4. 30 60 90 Day Onboarding Plan Template

    30 60 90 day plan new employee

  5. How To Create a 30-60-90 Day Plan For New Hires [+ Free Templates

    30 60 90 day plan new employee

  6. 30 60 90 Day Plan Template [Free Powerpoint & Excel Template]

    30 60 90 day plan new employee

COMMENTS

  1. 30-60-90 Day Plan: 2024 Guide + Example

    A 30-60-90 day plan is a document that is created either by a new employee or a hiring manager and outlines the goals to be accomplished during the first three months of employment....

  2. 30-60-90 Day Plan: A Guide With Template and Example

    A 30-60-90 day plan is a document used to set goals and strategize your first three months in a new job. 30-60-90 day plans help maximize work output in the first 90 days in a new position by creating specific, manageable goals tied to the company's mission and the role's duties and expectations.

  3. 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plan for New Hires [2024] • Asana

    Summary A 30-60-90 day plan outlines the first 90 days of a new team member's employment and familiarizes them with company policies, team work, and goals. This action plan helps your team members check off essential items as they adjust to their new work environment.

  4. Employee 30-60-90 Day Plan Template

    What is a 30-60-90-day plan for new employees? A 30-60-90-day plan is a document that conveys a person's goal over 90 days, split into three 30-day phases. These plans are normally used when a person starts at a new company or in a new role, but they can also be used when starting a new project.

  5. The Best 30-60-90 Day Plan for Your New Job [Template + Example]

    A 30-60-90 day plan lays out a clear course of action for a new employee during the first 30, 60, and 90 days of their new job. By setting concrete goals and a vision for one's abilities at each stage of the plan, you can make the transition into a new organization smooth and empowering.

  6. The 30-60-90 Day Plan: Your Guide for Mastering a New Job

    A 30-60-90 day plan lays out a clear course of action for a new employee during the first 30, 60 and 90 days of their new job. By setting concrete goals and a vision for one's abilities at each stage of the plan, you can make the transition into a new organization smooth and empowering.

  7. 30-60-90 Day Plan: Ultimate Guide Plus Template

    The 30-60-90 Day Plan: Your Secret Weapon for New Job Success by Teddy Nykiel Updated 5/12/2023 Bailey Zelena; Jetta Productions Inc/Getty Images When you're starting a new job, sometimes deciding whether to pack a lunch the first day is a struggle—forget about planning out the next few months.

  8. 30-60-90 Day Plan: 2024 Guide + Expert Examples, Best Practices

    1. What Is A 30 60 90 Day Plan? A 30 60 90 day plan is an action plan that helps guide new employees through their first 90 days in their new job.

  9. 30-60-90 Day Plan: A Guide (With Templates)

    A 30-60-90 day plan is a document that guides an employee on the expectations and goals they should meet during the first 30, 60 and 90 days on the job.

  10. Free 30-60-90 Day Employee Onboarding Plan Template for ...

    What Are the Benefits of a 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plan for New Employees? The most notable benefit of the 30-60-90 Day Plan is structure. But it offers so much more, including: A cleaner onboarding experience Clear direction and motivation for new hires Accountability for employees Accountability for managers and executives

  11. 30-60-90 Day Plan for New Hires (+Free Template)

    April 4, 2022 Disha Gupta An effective onboarding process is critical to creating a great employee experience that keeps employees engaged for a long time. Effective onboarding enables an employee to become productive quickly and boosts employee engagement, directly impacting organizational success.

  12. 30-60-90 Day Plan: Guide, Examples, and Templates

    Jump to section What is a 30-60-90 day plan? 6 benefits of a 30-60-90 day plan When to use a 30-60-90 day plan What to include in a 30-60-90 day plan 30-60-90 day plan template for managers 9 tips for creating a 30-60-90 day plan "The more I help out, the more successful I become. But I measure success in what it has done for the people around me.

  13. The 30-60-90 day plan: An Ultimate Guide to Improve New Employee

    June 15, 2022 Human Resources You need a 30-60-90 day plan more than ever. Hiring the right person can be insanely difficult. Not to mention that the hiring process itself can last up to 23.8 days. That means you've invested over three weeks before your new hire starts. Whenever a new hire joins your company, do you wonder how long they'll last?

  14. How to Create an Effective 30-60-90 Day Plan to Boost New Employee

    A 30-60-90 day plan acts as a formal action plan for your new employee's first 30, 60, and 90 days on the job. It helps managers and leaders set specific, manageable goals tied to the company's core values and mission and align with the role's duties and expectations. The result? Maximized workout within the first three months of starting work.

  15. How to Create an Effective 30-60-90 Day Plan For Employees

    Jan 03, 2024 Employee turnover is on the rise. According to a Job Seeker Nation Report, one in three new hires will quit their jobs in the first 90 days. This " Quick Quitting " phenomenon has been attributed to misaligned expectations as a result of a poor onboarding procedure.

  16. 30 60 90 Day Plan Template [Free Powerpoint & Excel Template]

    A 30-60-90 day plan is an essential tool that helps HR professionals to support a successful onboarding process by helping new hires and their managers to outline the new employee's goals and objectives for the first 90 days in a new job.

  17. Free 30-60-90 Day Plan Template for Onboarding [2022] • Asana

    A 30-60-90 day plan template is a reusable framework that guides employees through their first three months in a new job. It's a type of onboarding checklist that includes everything new team members should do, learn, and achieve as they ramp up. With a 30-60-90 day plan template, new hires can set achievable goals, check off essential action ...

  18. How to Develop and Facilitate a 30-60-90 Day Plan for New Hires

    A 30-60-90 day plan is a three-month schedule that outlines core goals and critical tracking metrics for your new hires as they begin their company position. By following this planning structure, a hiring manager can help their team become even more effective.

  19. 30-60-90 Day Plan Guide & Template for New Employees

    A 30-60-90 day plan is a document that outlines a new employee's goals for their first three months with an organisation, and the steps they'll take to achieve them. The goals should be measurable and broken down into manageable milestones related to the employee's role. Organisations can use 30-60-90 day plans as the basis for a solid ...

  20. 30-60-90 Day plan: Onboard new employees like a pro

    These 90 days in 30-60-90 day plan determine whether the employee is ready to take on and achieve the organization's objectives and goals along with their new team members.

  21. How to Leverage the 30-60-90 Day Plan for New Hires

    30-60-90 day plans made easy with Wrike. If you're interested in setting up 30-60-90 day plans to streamline your onboarding process and help new hires embed within your company culture quickly, Wrike's task management software can help. From helping you visualize team member progress to storing and categorizing relevant information, Wrike offers various ways to refine recruitment processes.

  22. How To Create a 30-60-90 Day Plan For New Hires

    Step 2: The next step is to assign deadlines for completing each task. It should include a 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day deadline for each task. Step 3: Maintain your 'Make a checklist or calendar outlining' the tasks to be performed with their deadlines. It should be communicated to the employee and reviewed regularly.

  23. Creating a 30-60-90 day plan for your first 3 months at work

    A 30-60-90 day integration plan is a roadmap that outlines your goals, actions and priorities during the first three months in a new role. One of the main aims of a 30-60-90 day integration plan is to bring a new employee up to the expected level of productivity and knowledge for their role by the end of the 90 days.

  24. What Is a 30-60-90 Day Plan for New Managers? (With Template)

    A 30-60-90 day plan is an outline that details what an employee hopes to accomplish in the first 30, 60 and 90 days of their new role. New managers often create short-term goals and brainstorm how they can make a difference within their organization.