Employee Onboarding Checklist

An employee onboarding checklist in Malaysia is a structured guide that helps employers manage all administrative, legal, and operational tasks when hiring a new employee. It ensures compliance with Malaysian labour laws such as the Employment Act 1955, and statutory requirements including EPF (KWSP), SOCSO (PERKESO), EIS, and PCB registration.

A proper onboarding checklist helps new hires settle in smoothly while ensuring employers meet their legal and payroll obligations from the first day of employment.

Generally, an onboarding checklist should include the following:

• Pre-arrival preparation including sending an offer letter, a welcome email and completing necessary employee documentation including identification documents, tax forms and deposit information.
• Process of introduction of the company and relevant department team members on the first day of the employee.
• List of all required equipment and software access.
• Outline of short term and long-term goal in initial projects.
• Scheduled job-specific training and required resources (if any)
• Scheduled regular check-ins with the new hire to help address any questions.
• Feedback to help improve the onboarding process.

Using an onboarding checklist helps Malaysian employers stay compliant, reduce payroll errors, and create a positive first impression.

Failure to register employees correctly or on time can result in penalties, audits, or disputes.

A structured onboarding process also improves employee confidence, speeds up productivity, and supports long-term retention. For employers, it ensures consistency, reduces administrative risk, and establishes strong HR and payroll foundations from the start.