30-60-90 day plan for HR coordinators
On this page
- What does an HR coordinator own that an HR generalist does not?
- What does the 30-60-90 day plan look like?
- Which files does an HR coordinator keep, and for how long?
- Which onboarding and benefits clocks does the coordinator run?
- Which numbers should a new HR coordinator baseline?
- What does "on track" look like at day 30, 60 and 90?
- A filled example
- How should the hiring manager use this plan in the final interview?
- What should the HR manager ask at the check-ins?
- What the HR manager owes a new HR coordinator
- Common mistakes
- Adapting the plan
- Questions people ask
A 30-60-90 day plan for a new HR coordinator should map the onboarding queue and every deadline behind it in the first 30 days, own that queue and audit a sample of personnel, Form I-9 and medical files in days 31-60, and deliver a records retention calendar and one fixed recurring error by day 90. The coordinator runs the transactions: paperwork from offer acceptance to day one, HRIS changes before payroll cutoff, benefits enrollment windows and the files themselves. As of November 2026, the federal minimums for keeping those files run from one year for most hiring records under EEOC rules to five years for OSHA injury logs, and state law often adds more.
This page is for the HR manager, people operations lead or HR director hiring an HR coordinator, people operations coordinator or HR assistant. Judgment calls such as employee relations cases and leave decisions belong to the role in the 30-60-90 day plan for HR generalists, which also explains the Form I-9 and new hire reporting deadlines. Interview scheduling is covered in the 30-60-90 day plan for recruiting coordinators. If the seat is still open, the HR coordinator job description template sets out which queue the coordinator owns and whether the seat is exempt.
What does an HR coordinator own that an HR generalist does not?
| Area | HR coordinator | HR generalist | HR manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onboarding | Runs the paperwork from offer acceptance to day one: forms, I-9 appointments, system accounts, orientation scheduling | Handles exceptions and the questions new hires raise | Owns the process and its policy |
| HRIS | Enters hires, changes and terminations before payroll cutoff and keeps the data clean | Advises on changes that need judgment | Owns data standards and reporting |
| Records | Keeps personnel, I-9, medical and benefits files in the right place and runs the retention calendar | Uses the files in cases and investigations | Sets the retention policy with counsel |
| Benefits | Tracks enrollment windows and life-event requests; sends required notices to the plan administrator | Answers coverage questions | Owns the renewal and the broker |
| Employee requests | Answers routine ones from approved answers and routes the rest | Answers and resolves the harder ones | Sets the escalation rules |
In a small company the coordinator may be the only HR person most days; in a large one the seat may cover a single queue. The plan works for both if the first week names the queue in writing.
What does the 30-60-90 day plan look like?
30-60-90 day plan — [Name], HR Coordinator, [company / sites]
Reports to: [HR manager / director] Start date: [date]
Employees: [N] in [states] Hires per month: [N]
Systems: [HRIS, payroll, benefits portal, E-Verify if used,
document storage]
Queue: [onboarding / HRIS changes / benefits / records / requests]
DAYS 1-30 — Learn the queue and the clocks
Goals:
- Shadow every step from offer acceptance to day one for the
first hires; process the next ones with review
- Learn the payroll calendar: cutoffs for hires, changes,
terminations and final pay
- Find where each kind of file lives: personnel, I-9, medical,
benefits, payroll
- List every deadline the queue carries, with its source
- Read the retention policy and ask about litigation holds
Deliverables by day 30:
- Queue map: each request type, its trigger, deadline and owner
- Deadline list agreed with the HR manager
DAYS 31-60 — Own the queue; audit the files
Goals:
- Own onboarding and HRIS changes for [all / named sites],
with a weekly spot-check by the HR manager
- Audit a sample of [25] personnel files, [25] I-9s and the
medical files against the deadline list and retention policy
- Log every payroll correction caused by an HR entry, with cause
- Write desk procedures for the five most common request types
Deliverables by day 60:
- File audit findings with fixes, owners and dates
- Error log with causes
DAYS 61-90 — Make it reliable
Goals:
- Build the retention calendar: what may be destroyed, when,
by whom and how
- Fix one recurring error at its cause (form, step or system)
- Run two payroll cycles without a missed cutoff
- Cross-train a backup on the five common request types
Deliverables by day 90:
- Retention calendar approved by [HR manager / counsel]
- One error source removed, measured against the day-60 log
Check-ins: weekly with [HR manager]; reviews at day 30, 60 and 90.Numbers in brackets are examples; size the audit sample to the company.
Which files does an HR coordinator keep, and for how long?
The day-60 audit and the day-90 retention calendar both start from the federal minimums below, as they read in November 2026. State law, union agreements, contracts and litigation holds often require longer, and a sound policy keeps each record for the longest period that applies. Confirm the schedule with counsel; this is not legal advice.
| Record | Federal minimum | Where it belongs | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applications, resumes and other records on hiring, promotion, transfer, pay, training and termination | One year from the date the record was made or the action taken, whichever is later | Hiring file or ATS; personnel file after hire | 29 CFR 1602.14 (Title VII, ADA, GINA); 29 CFR 1627.3(b)(1) (ADEA) |
| Personnel records of an employee terminated involuntarily | One year from the termination date | Personnel file | 29 CFR 1602.14 |
| Records relevant to a discrimination charge, including those of others in similar jobs and other applicants for the same job | Until final disposition of the charge or lawsuit | Under a litigation hold | 29 CFR 1602.14 |
| Form I-9 | Three years after the date of hire or one year after employment ends, whichever is later; never destroy a current employee's form | Anywhere it can be produced within three business days of an inspection request; a separate I-9 file keeps an inspection to the I-9s | USCIS Handbook for Employers, section 10 |
| Payroll records (name, address, pay, hours, deductions, total pay) | Three years | Payroll system | 29 CFR 516.5 (FLSA); 29 CFR 1627.3(a) (ADEA) |
| Time cards and wage rate tables | Two years | Payroll or timekeeping system | 29 CFR 516.6 |
| FMLA records | No less than three years; medical certifications kept as confidential medical records, separate from personnel files | Leave file; medical file | 29 CFR 825.500(b), (g) |
| Medical information from post-offer exams and employee medical inquiries | Collected on separate forms and kept in separate, confidential medical files | Medical file, never the personnel file | 29 CFR 1630.14(b)(1), (c)(1) |
| OSHA 300 Log, 300A annual summary and 301 incident reports | Five years after the end of the calendar year they cover | Safety records | 29 CFR 1904.33 |
| Employee medical records covered by OSHA's records access rule | Duration of employment plus 30 years | Medical or occupational health records | 29 CFR 1910.1020(d)(1)(i) |
| Background check reports and other consumer reports | No federal period; when destroyed, shred, burn or erase them so they cannot be read or reconstructed | Background check file | 16 CFR 682.3 |
Interview notes, scorecards and interview recordings are hiring records too, so they belong in the same schedule. The I-9 detail is in I-9 retention rules, and companies covered by California's privacy law should read CCPA and job applicant data before setting destruction dates for applicant files.
Which onboarding and benefits clocks does the coordinator run?
Besides Form I-9 Section 2, which the HR generalist plan explains, the coordinator usually runs these clocks. They are stated as of November 2026; which apply depends on the company's size, plans and states.
- E-Verify, if the company participates: E-Verify says employers must create a case within three days of hiring a new employee.
- New hire reporting: within 20 days of hire under federal law, and sooner in some states, according to the Office of Child Support Services.
- Health plan special enrollment: a group health plan must give an employee at least 30 days after a marriage, birth, adoption or placement for adoption, or after losing other coverage, to request enrollment (29 CFR 2590.701-6). A request that sits in an inbox can run out the window.
- COBRA, employer notice: when an employee leaves (other than for gross misconduct) or has hours reduced, the employer must notify the plan administrator, in most cases within 30 days of the qualifying event (29 CFR 2590.606-2).
- Payroll cutoffs: set by the payroll calendar; final pay timing is set by state law, so the coordinator needs the rule for every state where the company has staff.
The deadline list from month one should name each clock, what starts it, who owns it and the source. This is not legal advice; confirm which rules apply with the HR manager or counsel.
Which numbers should a new HR coordinator baseline?
Track these from week one and set targets only after the day-60 baseline. The measures are examples; use the team's own history for targets.
| Measure (examples only) | What it shows |
|---|---|
| New hires with every onboarding item complete before day one | Whether the handoff from offer to HR works |
| I-9 Section 2 completed within three business days of the start date | Whether a fixed federal deadline is met at every site |
| HRIS changes entered before payroll cutoff | Whether pay is right the first time |
| Payroll corrections caused by HR entries, by cause | Where errors start |
| Requests open past their deadline | Whether the queue keeps up |
| Files with a missing or misfiled document, per file audited | File quality |
| Benefits life-event requests processed inside the plan's window | Whether enrollment windows are missed |
What does "on track" look like at day 30, 60 and 90?
| Checkpoint | On track | Worth a direct conversation |
|---|---|---|
| Day 30 | Queue map and deadline list done, each deadline with a source; knows the payroll cutoffs without looking them up | Has learned the HRIS screens but not the payroll calendar; deadlines listed from memory, not sources |
| Day 60 | Owns the queue with spot-checks; audit findings have owners and dates; every payroll correction logged with a cause | Audit not started; corrections fixed quietly with no log |
| Day 90 | Retention calendar approved; one error source removed and measured; a trained backup | Files destroyed before holds were checked; the same errors every cycle |
A filled example
HR coordinator: Jordan Ellis (invented), joining a 350-person home services company with staff in three states and around 15 hires a month, reporting to the HR manager. All details are examples.
Day 30: The queue map showed that offers accepted on Fridays reached HR on Mondays, so day-one paperwork often finished on day two. Branch managers completed I-9s for field hires without a checklist, and return-to-work notes from doctors were filed in personnel folders.
Day 60: The audit of 25 personnel files and 25 I-9s found several Section 2 dates past the third business day and four personnel files holding medical notes. The medical documents moved to a restricted medical file. The error log showed most payroll corrections came from address and tax-form changes entered after cutoff.
Day 90: The HR manager and counsel approved the retention calendar, and the first destruction of expired applicant files ran after HR confirmed no hold applied. Accepted offers now route straight into the HR queue, a branch I-9 checklist is in use, and the late-entry corrections fell over two payroll cycles. A payroll clerk is cross-trained as backup.
How should the hiring manager use this plan in the final interview?
Give every finalist the same brief: headcount, hires per month, states, systems and a short, anonymized sample of the request queue. Score the plans with the rubric in how to evaluate a 30-60-90 day plan in an interview. A strong plan learns the cutoffs and the files before changing any form. Questions that test it:
- "A manager emails you a doctor's note about an employee. Where does it go, and who can see it?"
- "Payroll closes in two hours and a new hire's tax form is missing. What do you do?"
- "We want to clear out old files. What do you check before anything is shredded?"
- "An employee resigns on Friday. Walk me through everything that has to happen and by when."
What should the HR manager ask at the check-ins?
- Day 30: Which deadline in the queue is easiest to miss, and why? Where does each kind of file live?
- Day 60: What did the audit find? Which payroll corrections came from us, and what caused them?
- Day 90: What can we destroy this quarter, and who signs it off? Which error did you remove, and how do we know it is gone?
What the HR manager owes a new HR coordinator
- System access before day one, with permissions that keep medical files restricted.
- The retention policy, any active litigation holds and the name of the person who approves destruction.
- Written escalation rules: what the coordinator answers alone and what goes up.
- Time with the payroll lead and the benefits broker in the first two weeks.
Common mistakes
- One folder per employee for everything. Medical documents in a personnel file are seen by everyone who opens it.
- Shredding before checking holds. Records relevant to a charge must be kept until it is resolved.
- Learning the HRIS but not the payroll calendar. A correct entry made after cutoff is still a wrong paycheck.
- Fixing errors downstream every cycle. The fix belongs in the form or step that causes them.
- No backup. A queue only one person can run stops when that person is out.
Adapting the plan
- Staffing agencies: onboarding volume is the job, so the queue map and the I-9 measure carry the most weight; add the steps in W-2 contractor onboarding for staffing agencies and the rules for returning workers in I-9 for rehires.
- Multi-state employers: add each state's final pay timing, retention periods and any right for employees to see their personnel file to the deadline list.
- Benefits and leave coordinators: weight months two and three toward enrollment windows, COBRA notices and leave records.
- Coordinators who also schedule interviews: borrow the scheduling measures from the recruiting coordinator plan, and keep interview notes on the same retention schedule as applications.
If the role is still open, the HR generalist screening questions include several that work for coordinator candidates, and the new hire onboarding checklist is a starting point for the coordinator's own queue map.
Questions people ask
What should a new HR coordinator do in the first 30 days?
Shadow the onboarding process from offer acceptance to day one, learn the payroll calendar and its cutoffs, find out where each kind of file lives (personnel, Form I-9, medical, benefits and payroll), and write down every deadline the queue carries with its source. The month ends with a queue map and a deadline list the HR manager has agreed.
How long does an employer have to keep personnel files?
Under federal rules as of November 2026, EEOC regulations require most hiring, promotion, pay and termination records to be kept for one year from the date of the record or the action, whichever is later, and until a discrimination charge is resolved if one is filed. Payroll records must be kept three years under the FLSA rules, Forms I-9 three years after hire or one year after employment ends, whichever is later, and OSHA injury logs five years after the year they cover. State law often requires longer. This is not legal advice.
Can medical notes go in an employee's personnel file?
No. Under the ADA regulations at 29 CFR 1630.14, medical information from post-offer exams and employee medical inquiries must be collected on separate forms and kept in separate, confidential medical files, and the FMLA regulations at 29 CFR 825.500 require FMLA medical certifications to be kept the same way. Supervisors may be told only about necessary work restrictions and accommodations.
How is an HR coordinator's 30-60-90 day plan different from an HR generalist's?
An HR generalist's plan builds judgment: answering employee questions, handling leave and supporting investigations. An HR coordinator's plan builds reliability: an onboarding queue that meets its deadlines, HRIS changes that reach payroll before cutoff, files kept in the right place, and a retention calendar that says what can be destroyed and when.