# New Hire Onboarding SOP — day 1, week 1, day 30

The franchisor teaches you how to train the product. Nobody teaches you the employer part:
the paperwork with fines attached, and the first-week experience that decides whether your
new hire is still there in month three. Hourly turnover is the silent tax on every
franchise unit; most of it is decided in the first ten days.

Use this as your standing SOP. Copy it per hire, check items off, keep the completed copy
in the employee's file.

## Before their first shift

- [ ] **Offer confirmed in writing** (text or email is fine): role, pay rate, expected
  weekly hours range, start date and time, dress code, where to park and which door.
  Prevents day-one no-shows and later "you said" disputes.
- [ ] **I-9 documents told in advance** — tell them exactly what to bring (the list from
  the I-9 instructions). The #1 cause of a useless first hour is missing documents.
- [ ] **Payroll invite sent** (Gusto or your provider) so tax forms (W-4, state equivalent)
  and direct deposit are done before, not during, shift one.
- [ ] **If under 18:** check your state's minor work rules (permitted hours, prohibited
  equipment) and get the work permit if your state requires one. Fines here are real.
- [ ] **Schedule their trainer.** A new hire following a specific named person beats a
  new hire "shadowing whoever's on."

## Day 1 (the goal is: they go home able to describe their job)

- [ ] I-9 section 2 completed within the required window (day 1 is the safe habit).
- [ ] Tour with the boring critical stuff: exits, first aid, where the schedule lives,
  how to call out sick and to whom, break rules for your state.
- [ ] One skill trained to competence, not five to familiarity. Pick the station they'll
  work most.
- [ ] The 5-minute owner conversation (you or the GM, in person): why this brand, what
  "good" looks like at 30 days, and when their first check arrives. New hires who know
  when payday is quit less in week one. Seriously.

## Week 1

- [ ] Two more stations trained, each signed off by the trainer, not self-reported.
- [ ] First short-notice test: a small rush or a mild curveball with the trainer present.
- [ ] **End-of-week 15-minute check-in** (use the Manager 1:1 template): what's confusing,
  what do they need, any schedule conflicts surfacing. Fix one thing they raise, visibly.
- [ ] First paycheck lands correctly. Verify it yourself for hire #1 through #10. A wrong
  first check burns more trust than any speech can rebuild.

## Day 30

- [ ] 30-minute review against the "what good looks like" picture from day 1: keep,
  coach, or cut. Deciding nothing is deciding to keep.
- [ ] If keep: raise path and next skill named out loud. People stay where the next step
  is visible.
- [ ] File check: I-9, tax forms, signed handbook/policy acknowledgments, training
  sign-offs, all in one place per employee.

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*From the team behind [Fran Wallet](https://franwallet.com). We set up payroll, the
employee file vault, and the compliance calendar so this SOP runs itself for every hire.*