Open-source playbook · 20 of 20 · For ops, finance and HR

New-Hire Onboarding

New hires spend their first weeks waiting for access and asking the same questions.

The systemSets up accounts, sends the first-week plan and answers new-joiner questions from your handbook.

// The problem

Day one. No laptop, half the logins.

New hires spend their first weeks waiting for access and asking colleagues the questions every new hire asks. Nobody owns the gap between the signed offer and a working first week, so it depends on who remembers what.

Day 1, 9:00 amSam Ortiz · Customer Success

Start

MissingLaptopArriving Wednesday
ReadyEmail and SlackWorking
WaitingHubSpotRequested Friday, not approved yet
MissingZendeskNobody asked for it
WaitingFirst-week planIn the manager’s head
MissingBuddyNot picked

Sample new hire, fictional company.

// How it works

From signed offer to day 30, nothing left to memory.

The system runs the steps that should happen every time. IT approves every account. Managers and buddies keep the moments that need a person.

Day −14Offer signed
Runs automatically
- Starts the onboarding record from the signed offer
- Raises access requests for the role’s standard tools
IT approves
- Approves each request in the IT queue
People
- Manager picks a buddy
Gets a welcome email: start time, place, who they’ll meet
Days −7 to −1Before day 1
Runs automatically
- Raises the laptop request
- Sends the first-week plan to the new hire and manager
IT approves
- Ships and sets up the laptop
- Creates the approved accounts
People
- Manager adds a personal note to the plan
Laptop arrives. Logins are waiting.
Day 1Day 1
Runs automatically
- Checks every account works and flags gaps to IT
- Introduces the buddy in Slack or Teams
IT approves
- Fixes anything flagged before lunch
People
- Manager welcome: coffee and the plan for the month
Doing real work by the afternoon
Days 2–5Week 1
Runs automatically
- Answers handbook questions in chat, with sources
- Day-3 check-in: two quick questions
IT approves
- Handles extra access the manager asks for
People
- Lunch with the buddy
- Manager 1:1 on Friday
Gets answers without asking around
Day 30Day 30
Runs automatically
- Sends the 30-day check-in
- Prepares notes for the conversation
IT approves
- Reviews access against the role
People
- 30-day conversation with the manager
Says how it’s going, and is heard

Ask the handbookin Slack · answers from your handbook only

When’s my first payday?

Payroll runs on the last working day of each month. You started on the 3rd, so your first pay is on 31 March, pro-rated. Add your bank details in Gusto by the 20th.

Handbook · Pay and payrollPayroll calendar 2026

How do I get access to Figma?

Request it in the IT portal under “Design tools”. Your manager approves it, then IT sets it up. I can’t grant access myself.

IT access guide

Can I work from home in my first week?

Your first week is in the office, Monday to Thursday, so you can meet the team. After that it’s 3 office days a week. Your manager can agree changes.

Handbook · Hybrid workYour first-week plan

Is there a budget for a standing desk?

The handbook doesn’t cover this, so I’ve sent your question to Maya in People Ops. She’ll reply here.

Passed to People Ops

// Ask the handbook

The questions every new hire asks, answered with the source.

Sample questions and answers, fictional company. The bot reads your handbook and the new hire’s own plan, nothing else.

Every answer shows where it came from.One click opens the handbook page, so people trust it and check it.
It says when it doesn’t know.Anything the handbook doesn’t cover goes to a person in People Ops, never a guess.
It points to the process, it doesn’t skip it.Ask it for access and it shows you how to request it. It can’t grant anything.

// Access

The system asks. IT approves.

Accounts go through the same IT process as always. The system only makes sure the request is raised on time and checks it worked.

1
Signed offer
Role: Customer Success Manager
2
Role bundle
Google Workspace, Slack, HubSpot, Zendesk. Agreed with IT in advance.
3
Request in the IT queue
One ticket per tool, raised by the system
4
IT approves and sets up
A person in IT checks each request and creates the account
5
Day-1 check
The system confirms each login works and flags gaps to IT

The system never gets

Admin rights of any kind
Creating or changing accounts itself
Access outside the role bundle without a manager’s request and IT’s approval
Approving its own requests

// For your tech lead

Can we build it? Here’s what it takes.

Start with one role: write its first-week plan and its tool bundle with IT, then let the system run the schedule while People Ops watches.

Tools you’ll use

Job	Use	Or
Where a new hire starts	BambooHR or HiBob (new-hire trigger)	Rippling, Workday
Access and laptop requests	Your IT queue, such as Jira Service Management	Freshservice, ServiceNow
Running the steps	n8n	Make, Zapier, Power Automate
Messages and check-ins	A Slack app	a Teams bot, or email
Handbook answers	Claude reading your handbook in Drive or SharePoint	ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot

Access it needs

Read access to new-hire records in the HR system
Permission to create tickets in the IT queue, never to change accounts
Read access to the handbook folder only

Three ways to build it

Start simple2–3 days
A checklist template, scheduled messages in Slack or Teams, and a Claude or ChatGPT project with your handbook for questions.
Production1–2 weeks
n8n starts from the signed offer: raises the IT requests, sends the plan and intros on schedule and answers questions in chat.
Custom3–4 weeks
Adds a plan per role, day-1 account checks and a view of every new hire’s progress for People Ops.

Guardrails

Access is requested through your IT process and approved by IT; it never grants admin rights
It never creates or changes accounts itself
Handbook answers show the source and pass anything not covered to a person
Managers hold the welcome and the 30-day talk; the system only schedules them

What to measure

New hires with a working laptop and accounts on day 1
Questions the bot answered, and how many it passed on
Days to a first real piece of work
30-day check-in scores

Who builds and runs it

A People Ops lead who owns the plans and the handbook, an IT contact to agree role bundles and the request process, and someone comfortable with n8n for the first one to two weeks. After that, People Ops keeps plans current and managers own the human moments.

Needs

01Company Brain

Next to build

18Candidate Shortlist System 03Instant Customer Answers

// Want help building it?

We’ll build your New-Hire Onboarding with your team.

In 30 minutes with our founder, we’ll look at your tools and your week, and work out what your first AI systems should be and how long they’ll take.

Book a Strategy Call

Free 30-minute call with our founder · No commitmentPallav Kaushish Co-Founder, AIxGrowth