The Right Way to Set Up a New Employee's Computer

When a new employee starts, the first few hours set the tone. If they’re sitting around waiting for a computer password or can’t access the tools they need to do their job, it signals disorganisation — before they’ve even seen the work.

More importantly, a rushed or incomplete setup creates security risks that can cause real problems later.

Here’s a simple checklist for getting a new employee set up properly.

Before Their First Day?

Short answer: Create their accounts. Email, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, any line-of-business software they’ll use (accounting, CRM, project management). Do this before day one so they can start working immediately. Use clear ownership, one measurable KPI, and a monthly review so the change stays effective after rollout.

Create their accounts. Email, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, any line-of-business software they’ll use (accounting, CRM, project management). Do this before day one so they can start working immediately.

Set up multi-factor authentication. Every new account should have MFA enabled from the start. Don’t add this as an afterthought.

Prepare the device. Whether it’s a new computer or one being reassigned, it should be freshly set up, fully patched, and have the right software installed. A computer that came from a previous employee should be completely wiped and reinstalled — not just logged out of.

Define what they can access. New employees should only have access to the systems and files they need for their role. Giving everyone admin rights or access to all company data is a common mistake that creates unnecessary risk.

On Day One?

Short answer: Walk them through the tools. A 20-minute orientation on how the company uses email, file storage, and communication tools saves hours of confusion. Make the improvement operational by assigning one owner, tracking one key metric, and reviewing progress every month.

Walk them through the tools. A 20-minute orientation on how the company uses email, file storage, and communication tools saves hours of confusion.

Make sure they can log in to everything. Sounds obvious — but testing this before they arrive, not on the day, is the professional approach.

Show them how to get IT help. Whether that’s a help desk number, a ticketing system, or an email address, they should know where to go when something doesn’t work.

When They Leave?

Short answer: This part gets skipped more often than any other. When an employee leaves, their accounts need to be disabled immediately — not eventually, not when someone remembers. Turn this into a repeatable process with explicit ownership, measurable outcomes, and a fixed review cadence.

This part gets skipped more often than any other. When an employee leaves, their accounts need to be disabled immediately — not eventually, not when someone remembers.

A former employee with active email access is a significant security risk. We’ve seen cases where departed staff accessed company email for months after leaving because nobody turned off the account.

Offboarding should be on a checklist the same as onboarding, with someone accountable for completing it on the employee’s last day.

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If your business doesn’t have a documented onboarding and offboarding process, building one is straightforward. We help clients set this up as part of managed IT — accounts handled, access controlled, and nothing falling through the cracks.

Employee onboarding and offboarding is handled automatically under our Managed IT Services. Contact us to learn more.