30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plan: A Small Business Guide

My first three hires at an early startup all quit within six months. Not because they were bad hires. They were great. I just had no plan for what should happen after they accepted the offer.

They showed up on day one. I handed them a laptop. I said "ask if you need anything." Then I went back to my own work because I was drowning in it. By week three, they were confused about their role. By month two, they were frustrated. By month four, they were interviewing elsewhere.

That experience taught me something expensive: the first 90 days determine whether someone becomes a productive team member or an expensive lesson. A 30-60-90 day plan is how you make sure the outcome is the former, not the latter. This exact frustration is why I eventually built FirstHR. I will walk you through exactly how to create one, even if you have never done it before and do not have an HR department.

Why the First 90 Days Make or Break Your New Hire

Here is a number that should scare you: 20% of employee turnover happens within the first 45 days (Work Institute). That means one in five new hires you make is gone before they even finish their second month.

And the research is clear on why. It is not bad hiring. It is bad onboarding.

A 30-60-90 day plan fixes this by giving both you and your new hire a shared roadmap. They know what success looks like at each milestone. You know what to teach them and when. Nobody is guessing.

The payoff is real. Organizations with strong onboarding see 82% better new hire retention and 70% higher productivity (Brandon Hall Group). For a small business where every hire matters, that difference is the gap between growth and chaos.

The Three Phases of a 30-60-90 Day Plan

The structure is simple: three phases of 30 days each, with a different focus for each phase. This concept was popularized by Michael Watkins in his book The First 90 Days, which The Economist called "The Onboarding Bible."

Days 1-30: Learning

The first 30 days are about absorption, not contribution. Your new hire needs to understand how things work before they can add value. This is where most small businesses make mistakes. They expect productivity from someone who does not even know where the bathroom is.

By day 30, your new hire should be able to explain what your company does, who your customers are, and what their three main responsibilities are. They should know who to ask when they get stuck. They should have completed any required training and paperwork.

What they should not be doing: making major decisions, changing processes, or working without guidance. They do not have enough context yet.

Days 31-60: Contributing

This is the transition phase. Your new hire moves from watching to doing. They start owning tasks, not just observing them. They begin making decisions within their scope instead of asking about everything.

By day 60, they should be handling their core job functions with minimal hand-holding. They should have completed at least one small project from start to finish. They should be identifying things that could work better (a sign they actually understand the current state).

Manager involvement shifts here too. Daily check-ins become weekly. You start asking for their opinions before giving answers. You let them struggle slightly before stepping in. This builds confidence and capability.

Days 61-90: Owning

By the final phase, your new hire should be operating independently. They make decisions without checking with you on routine matters. They help other team members with questions. They are ready to lead small initiatives.

The 90-day mark is also when you have the formal review conversation. Did they meet the goals you set together? What worked well? What needs improvement? Where do they go from here? I wrote a guide on new hire check-in questions that covers exactly what to ask at this milestone.

Creating Your Plan in Under an Hour

You do not need a complicated template. The best 30-60-90 plans are simple enough to fit on one page. Here is what every small business plan needs.

Essential Components

For each phase, answer three questions:

• What should they be learning? (Knowledge and understanding)
• What should they be doing? (Tasks and responsibilities)
• What outcomes should they deliver? (Measurable results)

That is it. If you can answer those three questions for each 30-day phase, you have a plan. Everything else is optional.

Setting Goals That Work

Each phase should have 3-5 clear goals. Not 15. Not "do your best." Specific, achievable targets that you can look at on day 30 and say "yes, they did this" or "no, they did not."

Bad goal: "Learn the role."

Good goal: "Handle three customer support tickets independently with CSAT above 4.0."

Bad goal: "Get up to speed."

Good goal: "Complete product training and pass certification quiz with 80%+ score."

Check-In Schedule

A plan without check-ins is just a wish. Here is the rhythm that works:

• Week 1: Daily 15-minute check-ins
• Weeks 2-4: Twice weekly
• Months 2-3: Weekly
• Formal reviews: Day 30, Day 60, Day 90

These do not need to be long meetings. A 15-minute conversation to ask "What is going well? What is confusing? What do you need?" is enough. I cover more specific questions in my onboarding survey questions guide.

Making It Work Without an HR Department

Most 30-60-90 guides assume you have an HR team, a formal training program, and dedicated orientation sessions. Small businesses have none of that. You are the owner, the manager, and the HR department. Here is how to make it work anyway.

Time Investment Reality

Total over 90 days: roughly 20-30 hours. That sounds like a lot, but compare it to the cost of replacing someone who leaves at month three. Hiring costs alone average $4,700 per employee (SHRM). The math is clear. This is exactly why we built automatic milestone tracking into FirstHR: so small businesses can run structured onboarding without it becoming a second job.

Who Owns What

Just because you do not have HR does not mean you have to do everything yourself.

• You (owner/manager): Create the plan, set goals, conduct formal reviews
• Your most experienced team member: Day-to-day training, answering questions
• A peer buddy: Cultural integration, informal support

The key insight from small business research: "There was a disconnect because I am their boss, yet I was helping train them for a role I do not do myself." Delegate the hands-on training to someone who actually does the job. Keep strategic oversight for yourself. I wrote a full guide on setting up a buddy program if you want to do this properly.

Adapting for Different Roles

Your salesperson and your operations coordinator need completely different 30-60-90 plans. Same structure, different content.

The framework stays the same: learning, then contributing, then owning. But what they learn, contribute, and own is specific to their role. Do not use identical plans for everyone. It signals that you do not actually understand what each role requires.

Common Mistakes That Sink Onboarding Plans

After helping dozens of small businesses improve their onboarding, I see the same mistakes repeatedly. Here are the ones to avoid.

The most common mistake I see: creating a plan, then never looking at it again. A 30-60-90 plan is a living document. Review it with your new hire at each milestone. Adjust based on what you learn. The plan serves the onboarding, not the other way around.

The 90-Day Review Conversation

Day 90 is not just another check-in. It is the formal transition out of onboarding and into regular employment. Treat it accordingly.

This conversation should cover three things: looking back (what happened in the first 90 days), looking forward (goals for the next quarter), and feedback both ways (what you can improve about your onboarding process).

After the 90-day mark, move from weekly to bi-weekly one-on-ones. Shift to regular performance management. Your new hire is not new anymore. They are a full team member.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a 30-60-90 plan for every hire?

Yes. Senior or junior, full-time or part-time. The complexity of the plan varies, but everyone benefits from clear expectations and milestones. Even experienced hires need time to learn how your specific company works.

What if someone creates their own 30-60-90 plan for an interview?

This shows initiative and strategic thinking. Use it as a conversation starter. But remember: you still need to create the official version once they are hired. Their interview plan was based on assumptions. Your plan is based on reality.

How do I handle remote employees?

Same structure, more intentional communication. Increase check-in frequency in week one (daily video calls instead of quick desk stops). Use shared documents so progress is visible. Assign a buddy who is proactive about reaching out, not just available when asked. Remote onboarding requires more effort, but the framework still works.

What if the plan is not working?

Adjust it. A 30-60-90 plan is a hypothesis about what your new hire needs. If reality proves different, change the plan. Maybe they need more training time. Maybe they are ready for more responsibility sooner. The goal is successful onboarding, not plan adherence.

Can I use a template?

Yes, but customize it. Generic templates give you structure. You add the specifics: your company, your role, your expectations. A template that works for a Fortune 500 sales team will not work for your five-person service business without significant modification.

How long should the plan document be?

One page is ideal. Two pages maximum. If you cannot fit your 30-60-90 plan on one page, you are overcomplicating it. Remember: your new hire and their manager need to actually use this document. Long plans get ignored.