How to Build an Orientation Schedule in ClickUp

A structured orientation schedule in ClickUp helps you onboard new employees with clear tasks, timelines, and expectations from day one.

Using orientation schedule templates, you can standardize the process, reduce manual work, and ensure every new hire gets the same high‑quality experience.

Why Use ClickUp for Orientation Schedules

Before building your workflow, it helps to understand what makes an effective orientation schedule and why a work management platform is ideal for organizing it.

Core Goals of an Orientation Schedule

An orientation schedule is more than a list of meetings. It is a structured plan that guides new employees through:

• Company culture, mission, and values
• Core policies and compliance requirements
• Role-specific responsibilities and expectations
• Key tools, systems, and communication channels
• Performance and development pathways

Using a template ensures each hire receives consistent information, even when different managers are involved.

Benefits of Managing Orientation in ClickUp

A dedicated onboarding setup in ClickUp offers:

• Centralization: Store tasks, documents, and checklists in one place.
• Clarity: Visualize each day of orientation on a Calendar, List, or Board view.
• Accountability: Assign owners, due dates, and priorities to each orientation activity.
• Automation: Trigger recurring orientation workflows for every new hire.
• Tracking: Monitor completion rates and quickly spot missed steps.

Step 1: Analyze Your Orientation Needs Before Using ClickUp

Start by mapping out what your organization must cover during orientation, then translate that into a schedule that can be managed inside ClickUp.

Define Orientation Objectives

Clarify what a new employee should gain by the end of orientation:

• Understanding of the company’s purpose and structure
• Knowledge of policies, benefits, and HR processes
• Technical setup and tool access
• Clear picture of role expectations and performance measures
• Initial relationships with teammates and stakeholders

Outline Orientation Content

Next, list the actual content you need to cover:

• Welcome session and company overview
• HR and benefits briefing
• IT setup and security training
• Department overview and team introductions
• Job-specific training modules
• Shadowing or mentoring sessions
• Check-ins with manager at defined milestones

This outline becomes the backbone of your template once you move into ClickUp.

Choose Orientation Duration

Decide whether your orientation schedule covers:

• Single day orientation
• Multi-day orientation (e.g., first week)
• Extended orientation (e.g., 30–90 days) with milestones

Your decision determines how you structure lists, tasks, and milestones in your workspace.

Step 2: Select a ClickUp Orientation Template

The source article on orientation schedule templates highlights several ready-made templates you can adapt for onboarding workflows.

Evaluate Template Types for ClickUp

Look for templates that support:

• Task hierarchies: Parent tasks for major orientation phases with subtasks for activities.
• Custom fields: Role, location, start date, orientation owner, and completion status.
• Multiple views: List, Calendar, Board (Kanban), and Timeline or Gantt views.
• Checklists: Quick yes/no items for compliance and setup.

Many templates include these components so you can focus on content instead of structure.

Import or Create the Template in ClickUp

1. Open your ClickUp Workspace and navigate to the appropriate Space for HR or People Operations.
2. Create a new Folder dedicated to onboarding and orientation.
3. From the template library, search for orientation or onboarding templates.
4. Preview candidate templates and select one that aligns with your duration and complexity.
5. Apply the template to your Folder or List to generate sample tasks and views.

Once added, you can customize the template to match your internal process.

Step 3: Configure Your Orientation Structure in ClickUp

With a template in place, refine the structure so every new hire’s experience is predictable and easy to follow.

Set Up Lists and Sections

Use Lists within ClickUp to separate phases of orientation, for example:

• Pre-Start Preparation – paperwork, hardware, account creation
• Day 1 Orientation – welcome sessions and introductions
• Week 1 Training – role training and process overviews
• First 30 Days – goals, shadowing, and check-ins
• First 90 Days – performance and development milestones

Within each List, group tasks using statuses or subtasks to represent smaller activities.

Create Standard Orientation Tasks

For each orientation phase, create tasks such as:

• Welcome email and schedule sent
• HR documentation review and submission
• IT equipment and access setup
• Security and compliance training
• Product or service overview session
• Team meet-and-greet
• Role-specific training modules
• End-of-week feedback and Q&A

Assign each task to a responsible person, set due dates aligned with the new hire’s start date, and attach relevant documents or links.

Use Custom Fields and Checklists in ClickUp

Enhance clarity by adding custom fields, for example:

• Hire Type: Full-time, contractor, intern
• Department: Sales, Marketing, Engineering, Operations
• Location: Office, hybrid, remote
• Orientation Stage: Pre-start, Day 1, Week 1, 30/60/90 days

Inside each task, add checklists for small items like badge setup, tool access, and resource acknowledgment, so nothing is missed during orientation.

Step 4: Visualize the Orientation in ClickUp Views

Different views in ClickUp make your orientation schedule easy to understand for HR, managers, and new hires.

Use Calendar View for Daily Schedules

Calendar view lets you see all orientation events by day or week:

• Confirm that sessions do not overlap for the new hire.
• Check that each mandatory training occurs within the correct timeframe.
• Quickly shift tasks by dragging and dropping when conflicts arise.

Share this view with managers so they can adjust according to team availability.

Use List and Board Views for Progress Tracking

List view gives you a structured, spreadsheet-style overview of tasks, owners, and statuses.

Board view (Kanban) shows tasks moving through stages such as To Do, In Progress, and Completed, which is helpful for monitoring multiple hires at once.

Use Timeline or Gantt for Extended Orientation

If your orientation spans 30–90 days, use Timeline or Gantt views to visualize long-term milestones:

• Map key check-ins at 30, 60, and 90 days.
• Align training modules with project start dates.
• Spot bottlenecks or overloaded weeks for new hires.

Step 5: Automate Orientation Workflows in ClickUp

Automation reduces manual work when multiple employees start on different dates.

Build Automation Rules

Within your ClickUp onboarding Folder or List, set up rules such as:

• When a new hire is added, automatically create a task set from your orientation template.
• When a task status changes to completed, notify the manager or HR partner.
• When the new hire’s start date approaches, send reminders for pre-start tasks.

These rules ensure that every orientation follows the same steps while leaving room for manual adjustments.

Create a Reusable Orientation Template Task

1. Design a master orientation task with all subtasks and checklists.
2. Include descriptions, links, and attachments needed for each step.
3. Save it as a template within ClickUp.
4. Duplicate the task for each new hire and adjust ownership and due dates.

This method is quick to set up and easy for smaller teams that may not need complex automation.

Step 6: Collaborate and Communicate During Orientation

Successful orientation depends on clear communication among HR, managers, and new hires.

Use Comments and Mentions

In each orientation task:

• Use comments to clarify instructions or answer questions.
• Mention stakeholders (e.g., @manager, @HR) when action is required.
• Attach relevant documents and links so the new hire does not have to search elsewhere.

Share Orientation Views with Stakeholders

Give managers access to the relevant ClickUp views so they can:

• Confirm that orientation tasks align with role expectations.
• Monitor the new hire’s progress through the first weeks.
• Suggest edits or new tasks directly inside the workspace.

Step 7: Review and Improve Your Orientation Template

Orientation is an evolving process. As your company grows, update your ClickUp template to reflect new tools, policies, and best practices.

Collect Feedback From New Hires

After orientation, create a brief feedback task or form asking:

• Which sessions were most valuable
• Which instructions were unclear or missing
• Whether the pacing was appropriate
• What additional support would have helped

Use that feedback to update your template content and instructions.

Refine Task Timing and Ownership in ClickUp

Review completion data to identify patterns:

• Tasks that consistently run late may need earlier due dates or additional support.
• Tasks without clear owners should be reassigned.
• Training sessions that overlap or cause overload may need rescheduling.

Update your ClickUp orientation schedules accordingly so each new hire has a smoother experience than the last.

Next Steps

By combining a clear orientation plan with powerful scheduling and tracking features, ClickUp becomes a reliable hub for onboarding. For broader operational and process consulting that pairs well with your onboarding workflows, you can explore services at Consultevo.

Use the orientation schedule templates highlighted in the original ClickUp orientation schedule guide as a starting point, then customize them to match your culture, roles, and long-term onboarding strategy.