How to create a 30/60/90 day plan for new employees

A well-structured employee onboarding process is crucial; knowing how to onboard successfully helps new staff feel supported, understand their responsibilities and build the confidence they need to succeed and contribute effectively from day one.

One of the most effective ways to approach onboarding is through a 30/60/90 day plan. This is a structured framework that breaks the onboarding process into three clear stages, allowing both you and your new hire to understand expectations, track progress, and stay focused during the crucial first three months.

In this guide, we outline how to create and implement a 30/60/90 day plan, with practical steps you can take to ensure every new hire feels supported, confident and ready to contribute.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

1. Key takeaways
2. Why you should plan for onboarding new employees
3. What is a 30/60/90 day plan?
4. How to create a 30/60/90 day plan
5. Conclusion

1. Key takeaways

• Onboarding employees effectively is crucial to both their success and that of your organisation
• Successful onboarding helps to ensure staff feel confident, engaged and productive from day one
• A 30/60/90 day plan provides a simple framework for onboarding new staff
• Employee onboarding should include clear goals, timelines and regular feedback to support progress

2. Why you should plan for onboarding new employees

Planning for onboarding new employees is essential if you want new staff to succeed and remain engaged in the long term. A clear onboarding strategy ensures new hires quickly understand priorities, build relationships, and know what they need to do to contribute effectively to your organisation.

Another benefit of a planned onboarding approach include consistency across your organisation, where every new employee benefits from the same level of support and clarity, allowing you to set expectations from the outset.

Structured onboarding also improves staff retention – one recent report suggested that employees who experienced a strong onboarding process were 69% more likely to stay at the company for over three years.

3. What is a 30/60/90 day plan?

A 30/60/90 day plan is a structured way of organising the employee onboarding process into three clear stages across the first few months of their new role. Rather than overloading the employee with lots of information all at once, this approach introduces responsibilities gradually, allowing them to build confidence and capability over time.

For employers

For employers, this type of approach provides structure and consistency throughout onboarding, making it easier to manage. It creates opportunities to set expectations, monitor progress, identify support needs and provide feedback, helping managers guide employees more effectively.

For the employee

For the employee, this approach provides them with a clear direction from the start and helps to reduce uncertainty around their new role and responsibilities. By understanding what is expected from them at each stage, they can focus on learning, developing their skills and gradually taking on more responsibility with confidence.

4. How to create a 30/60/90 day plan

Creating an effective 30/60/90 day plan starts with defining what you think success looks like in the role. To help you determine this, before the new hire begins, take some time to think about key responsibilities and performance indicators, skills required, and expected outcomes for the first three months. From there, you can break down these expectations into manageable stages to align with the onboarding process.

You should also consider how progress will be measured in each stage. This could include completion of training, achievement of agreed goals, feedback from colleagues, or demonstration of skills required for the role. Make sure to include regular scheduled check-ins to keep track of progress during the process.

First 30 days – learning and onboarding

The first 30 days should focus on helping the new employee feel settled and comfortable in their new environment, by supporting them to understand the organisation, and their role within it.

Steps to include are:

1. Scheduling regular check-ins to monitor and discuss progress, and answer any questions they might have
2. Set up and completion of any mandatory company training, including induction sessions, health and safety etc
3. Enabling access to key IT systems and tools they will require
4. Ensuring understanding of company policies, team/department structures and relevant communication channels
5. Arranging introductory meetings with key colleagues and stakeholders, to help the new hire feel connected and supported
6. Setting a small number of achievable goals for the new employee to complete during this phase

First 60 days – development and contribution

Now the employee feels more comfortable, the next phase should shift towards development and contribution, as they start to apply what they learned in the first stage and become more active and engaged in their role.

Elements to include in this stage are:

1. Ensuring regular opportunities to discuss progress, highlight achievements and address any challenges they may have encountered
2. Assigning tasks or small projects that allow the employee to work more independently and feel confident without overwhelm
3. Involving them in team projects or meetings to increase their exposure and understanding

First 90 days – ownership and performance

By the final stage of the plan, the employee should be moving towards full ownership of their role, and your focus should be on performance, independence and long-term development.

Think about:

1. Giving the new hire ownership of larger tasks or projects so their responsibility is increased
2. Evaluating their performance more formally in a review meeting, to assess progress since their start date
3. Setting future goals for the new hire – these might be development opportunities, training needs or progression pathways within the organisation

5. Conclusion

By using the steps above to create a 30/60/90 day plan, you will have a clear and manageable structure to help you support new staff at each stage of the employee onboarding process. With clear expectations, regular feedback and a focus on progression, onboarding becomes a tool that not only helps new hires feel more settled and confident, but also drives the future success of your organisation.

Want to read more about effective employee onboarding? Explore more advice articles from Unitemps:

• Employer Advice
• Best practices for employee onboarding

Written by Amy Evan-Cook.

Last updated on 20 July 2026