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A first-week checklist for a service company covers four things: logistics ready before day one, the federal paperwork and safety training on day one, ride-alongs and supervised work in the middle of the week, and a written review on Friday. Assign each step to a named person with a day, so nothing depends on someone remembering.
Key takeaways
- Prepare gear, logins and a trainer before the new hire arrives, so day one is about the work.
- Form I-9 Section 1 is due by the employee's first day, Section 2 within three business days of the date of hire, and federal law gives employers up to 20 days after hire for the state new hire report (your state's deadline may differ).
- Safety training has to be in a language the worker understands, and the OSHA poster has to be up.
- Explain in writing when the paid clock starts and stops, including driving between jobs.
- Finish the week with a short written review so the second week has a plan.
A first week goes wrong in small ways: no login, no boots, a trainer who got pulled to an emergency, a form nobody remembered. This checklist puts a name and a day on each task, for a field tech, a crew member or an office hire. It is a short week-one plan; for the full thirty days, use our guide to onboarding new field employees. If this is your first hire ever, start with how to hire your first employee for the registrations that come before anyone works. The federal items below are general information as read in October 2026, not legal advice, and your state may add forms, posters, pay and notice rules. Where a step says "owner", read it as whoever runs the company day to day.
1. Confirm day one in writing
Who and when: the owner or office manager, two or three days before the start date. Send a text or email with the start time, the address, who they will meet, what to wear, what to bring for the paperwork and where to park. How it gets skipped: the offer was made by phone three weeks ago and nobody has spoken since. The new hire shows up at the wrong yard or at the wrong hour. A message that takes two minutes also tells them you are organized, which is the first impression of the company they will carry.
2. Pack the gear before they arrive
Who and when: the lead tech or office manager, the day before. Shirts in the right size, gloves, eye and ear protection, boots or a boot allowance letter, a hat, a name tag and anything else the trade needs, bagged with their name on it. How it gets skipped: sizes are guessed, or the gear is waiting in a locked cabinet. A new person who spends the first hour borrowing safety glasses concludes that safety is optional. For an office hire, set up a desk, a headset and a working chair instead.
3. Set up every login and number
Who and when: the person who manages your systems, the day before. Create the scheduling or CRM login, the time-clock account, the company email and the phone line or app number they will use with customers, and test each one. How it gets skipped: accounts get created at 8:15 on the morning, or everything is set up on a temporary shared password that never gets changed. Limit access to what the role needs and give them a login of their own. A custom CRM with roles makes that easy, because a crew member sees today's route and an office hire sees the customer list.
4. Name the trainer and clear their calendar
Who and when: the owner, the week before. Pick your most dependable person, tell them in advance and take enough work off their day that they can teach. How it gets skipped: the trainer is whoever happens to be free, or the best tech is booked solid and the new person rides along as a passenger. Tell the trainer what you expect them to cover each day and ask them to report back on Friday. If your best technician cannot be spared, hire later or lighten their schedule; a bad trainer sets bad habits that last for years.
5. Complete Form I-9 on time
Who and when: the employee finishes Section 1 on day one; you finish Section 2 within three business days, or by the first day of work if the job lasts less than three days. USCIS says employees must complete Section 1 no later than their first day of employment, and that employers must complete Section 2 within 3 business days of the date of hire. How it gets skipped: Section 2 sits in a folder until an audit or a sale of the company. Put the deadline in your calendar the day you sign the offer, and hand the employee the full list of acceptable documents so they choose which ones to present.
6. Collect the tax and payroll forms
Who and when: the office manager, on day one. The IRS says to ask new employees for a signed Form W-4 when they start and keep it on file. Add your state's withholding form if it has one, direct deposit details, an emergency contact and a signed acknowledgment of your written policies. How it gets skipped: the packet is handed over to "do tonight" and returns three days later with blanks. Sit with them for fifteen minutes and finish it together, which also lets you see whether anything needs explaining.
7. Put the state new hire report on the calendar
Who and when: the person who runs payroll, by Friday. Federal law, 42 U.S.C. 653a, requires employers to report a newly hired employee to the state's directory of new hires not later than 20 days after hire; your state sets its own deadline, so confirm it. Find your state's reporting portal and note the date. How it gets skipped: nobody owns it, and payroll software does not always send it. Ask your payroll provider whether it files these reports for you, and check that it did for this employee.
8. Walk through safety before any work
Who and when: the lead tech or owner, on day one before the first job. OSHA's employer responsibilities include safety training in a language and vocabulary workers understand, safe tools and equipment, and the OSHA poster in a visible place. Employers with hazardous chemicals also need a written hazard communication program and safety data sheets within reach. Show where the sheets, the first aid kit and the fire extinguisher are, and who to call after an injury. How it gets skipped: a video plays in the break room and nobody checks that it was understood. Ask the new hire to explain one hazard back to you. OSHA says a fatality must be reported within 8 hours, and an in-patient hospitalization, amputation or eye loss within 24 hours.
9. Explain the paid clock in writing
Who and when: the owner or payroll person, on day one. Tell them how to clock in and out, when the day starts and ends, what to do when they forget, how breaks work and when payday is. The Department of Labor's Fact Sheet 22 says travel from job site to job site during the workday is work time and that training generally counts as work time unless four conditions are all met. Assume orientation and ride-alongs are paid. How it gets skipped: the first-week hours are "unpaid training" by habit. State rules can be stricter, so confirm yours.
10. Review the truck, tool and phone rules and get a signature
Who and when: the owner, on day one or two. A one-page policy covering who may drive which vehicle, personal use, fueling, what to do after an accident, how tools are issued and returned, and which phone number or app is used for customer contact. How it gets skipped: the rules exist only as a story told at the shop. Read them aloud, answer questions and have the employee sign. Keep it in their file with the safety sign-off sheet, so you can show what was covered, who covered it and the date.
11. Run a full ride-along on day two
Who and when: the trainer, on day two. The new hire watches one job from the arrival text to the final photo and the payment, then explains each step back to the trainer that evening. Pick a typical customer on a normal day, not the hardest property on the route. How it gets skipped: the new hire is told to "just watch" and spends the day on the truck seat. Give them a task from the first hour, such as staging materials, taking before photos or reading the work order aloud, so they stay engaged and you can see how they learn.
12. Teach the customer script
Who and when: the trainer, on day two or three. Cover how to greet the customer, what to say at the door, how to ask about gates and pets, how to answer a price question ("I'll have the office confirm"), and what to do if the customer asks for extra work. Practice once out loud. How it gets skipped: the crew learns by imitating whoever they ride with, including that person's bad habits. Write the five lines customers hear most, so every employee sounds like the same company.
13. Sign off one task at a time
Who and when: the trainer, days two to four. List the tasks the role requires, such as running a machine, setting a ladder, filling out the work order and uploading photos. The employee does each one while the trainer watches, and the trainer initials the line. How it gets skipped: the list is too long or too vague to use. Keep it to ten tasks for the first week, and mark which ones the person may do alone. For an office hire, the list might be answering a call, booking a job, sending a quote and entering a payment.
14. Give them a supervised first job
Who and when: the lead tech or office manager, day four or five. Pick a simple, friendly job and let them lead it while the trainer stays nearby and quiet. A field hire does the whole visit; an office hire handles a live call or booking while the lead listens. Afterward, review the photos or call recording together. How it gets skipped: the trainer takes over at the first mistake and the person never gets to finish a job. Say beforehand what you will step in for: safety and damage. Everything else is a coaching note. If you record calls, check the rules for recording first.
15. Hold the Wednesday check-in and the Friday review
Who and when: the owner, ten minutes on Wednesday and twenty on Friday. Ask what has been unclear, what they wish they had been told, and whether they feel safe and prepared. On Friday, write down what went well, what to improve, and the goals for week two. Confirm the schedule for Monday. How it gets skipped: Friday is the busiest day, and the review moves to "next week." Put it on the calendar in ink. A new hire who is asked how it went will tell you what to fix in the process, which helps the next one.
Where to start
If you only fix three things before the next hire shows up:
- Step 5, the Form I-9 deadlines. Put both dates on the calendar the day you make the offer.
- Step 8, the safety walkthrough. Do it before the first job and have the person explain one hazard back to you.
- Step 15, the Friday review. Fifteen written minutes gives the second week a plan.
Then copy this list into your own document and put names next to the steps. For the mistakes owners make when they hire, see hiring mistakes for small service companies.
Frequently asked questions
Do I pay a new hire for ride-along and orientation time?
Plan to. The Department of Labor says training generally counts as work time unless it is outside normal hours, voluntary, not job-related and no work is done. Orientation during a normal shift is not outside normal hours, so plan to pay for it. Ask your state labor agency or an employment lawyer about your situation.
Can I make a new hire choose specific documents for the I-9?
No. The employee chooses which acceptable documents from the USCIS lists to show you. You should provide the lists, check that the documents appear genuine, and complete Section 2 on time.
What if a new hire is only a part-time or seasonal worker?
The same paperwork steps generally apply to every employee, including part-time and seasonal ones. The safety, pay explanation and policy steps matter just as much. Contractors follow different rules, which vary by state.
Should I give the checklist to the new hire?
Share the schedule for the week and the list of what they will cover. Keep the paperwork checklist for yourself so nothing on it is skipped.
Sources
- USCIS: Completing Section 1, Employee Information and Attestation
- USCIS: Completing Section 2, Employer Review and Attestation
- IRS: Hiring employees
- 42 U.S.C. 653a, State Directory of New Hires (Cornell LII)
- OSHA: Employer responsibilities
- U.S. Department of Labor: Fact Sheet 22, Hours worked under the FLSA
General information for service-business owners, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules vary by state; check with a qualified professional for your situation.