Can we have a new hire complete all their onboarding paperwork and trainings before their first day of work?

Employers may be tempted to ask new hires to complete onboarding activities, such as filling out paperwork and completing trainings, from home so that employees can begin working immediately when they arrive on their first day.

Best practice, however, is to have employees complete those activities as part of a new hire orientation process that takes place when the employee first reports to work — not before.

First, and most importantly, if employees are completing onboarding activities before their first day of work, they will need to be paid. This is because the time spent on those