New hire paperwork — and what comes after it
Getting the forms right is table stakes. It also takes about twenty minutes and doesn't make anyone good at the job. Here's the checklist, and then the part that actually determines whether your new hire is still there in month three.
No app for your staff to install · Works on any phone · No credit card to try
The forms
Form I-9 for work eligibility, Form W-4 for federal withholding, any state withholding equivalent, state new-hire reporting, and your own documents — direct deposit, emergency contact, handbook acknowledgement. Requirements differ by state, so confirm what applies to you.
The part that gets skipped
Once the paperwork is signed, most small operations hand the new person to whoever is free and hope for the best. That's where the cost is — in the weeks before they're productive, and in the quality dip while they learn.
A day-one plan beats a folder
Decide what they need to know before their first shift ends, what belongs in week one, and what can wait. Give it to them in the language they read, and give the person training them the same plan so it doesn't depend on who's on.
How it works
- Talk it in. Walk through the job out loud, in whatever language you think in.
- Get a clear routine. Tiendo structures it into steps, safety notes and checkpoints, then translates it into your team's language — numbers and times kept exact.
- Your team reads and confirms. Post a QR code or hand a new hire one link. They read it on their phone and tap "read and understood."