October 06, 2025

New Employee Onboarding Data Security Checklist

When it comes to protecting an organization’s data, employees form the first line of defense. With the right training, they can help prevent data breaches and protect confidential information. However, without proper onboarding, employees can unintentionally create vulnerabilities. According to Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report, about 60% of data breaches involved a human element. And bad actors are aware of this and often exploit human vulnerabilities through phishing scams, malicious links connected to ransomware, and other tactics designed to gain access to sensitive information.

Proper training can equip employees to recognize and respond to both physical and digital security risks. The employee onboarding process offers a critical opportunity to introduce key protocols and best practices that establish data security as a priority from the very beginning.

Below is a checklist to help onboard new staff on the importance of safeguarding company and personal information:

Information Security Regulations

Familiarize new employees with regulations that are relevant to your industry and position such as contracts, customer lists, and payroll information. Laws designed to protect financial data and personal privacy come with strict rules and strong fines for violating them if there is a data breach.

Comprehensive Document Disposal

Clearly define what constitutes confidential material and show new employees where to access the organization’s document retention policy. Implementing a shred-it-all policy that encourages the regular destruction of all documents can help take the guesswork out of which documents should be shredded. Employees should consider if there are any requirements to retain the document (in accordance with internal policy or other legal requirements) and, if not, then immediately dispose of it in a secure console for shredding.

Keep a Clean Desk

Establish and enforce a clean desk policy to help prevent unauthorized access to confidential information. People who work for the same company might not have the same information access privileges. In light of this, employees should avoid leaving documents out in the open or sensitive information on their screens when away from their desks. If the organization has an official clean desk policy, it should clearly define expectations – physical documents are shredded or locked away and that all computing devices are protected each time an employee leaves a workspace.

Printing Procedures

Reinforce the importance of promptly retrieving printed materials. Documents left unattended in areas, such as printing stations, are a data security concern. Enforce the use of a printer key or code for employees to retrieve printouts. If a code isn’t available, reinforce the importance of quickly picking up materials from the printer to reduce the risk of stolen information. Posting reminders by printers and/or on computer desktops can further emphasize this point.

Email Precautions

Train staff how to recognize suspicious emails, including malware, phishing schemes, and ransomware, so they can learn to avoid harmful situations and understand their roles in mitigating risk. By identifying potential attacks early, organizations can alert users and possibly avoid the negative consequences of a cybersecurity attack or data breach.

Electronic Device Policies

Some organizations allow employees to use their own cell phones and other electronic devices at work. While convenient, this can increase the risk for data security incidents. If the organization has a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy, ensure new employees understand its requirements and how to keep their devices secure at all times. Additionally, staff should also know how to properly dispose of old equipment when it needs to be retired.

Password Protocols

Passwords are essential for online security. Educate employees on password policies and the importance of creating strong passwords that include both uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Passwords should also be updated regularly, and new staff should be informed of an organization’s policies around password maintenance.

Incident Reporting

Explain the importance of prompt reporting of any data security incidents. Employees should know when and how to report issues and be reassured that early reporting is valued and will not result in penalties.

Expert Data Security Support

Some businesses might not have the internal resources to provide comprehensive onboarding and on-going training to employees. Consider partnering with a professional service, like Shred-it^®, that offers tailored data security support. Shred-it^®’s policy templates and trainings are designed to help organizations of all sizes educate employees with resources and training that are:

• Interactive: Self-paced online training modules that involve users promote better learning and understanding of key concepts.
• Customizable: Policy protocols are tailored to meet an organization’s unique information security needs, so employees at every level have a better understanding of the specific nuance at play.
• Accessible: The easier it is to access the tools, trainings, policy templates, and service information, the more likely employees are to use them. Tools like these are easily available on the Shred-it^® online customer portal.
• Compatible: When paired with a Shred-it^® paper shredding service, organizations can help keep their physical information secure and out of the hands of bad actors.

Download our free checklist to help ensure new employees are effectively onboarded on the importance of protecting both company and personal information.

^{This article is for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any specific facts or circumstances.}