Onboarding That Works Without an HR Department
Written By Paul Herskovitz, Founder & CEO, Discount Lots
One thing I have learned as a founder is that poor onboarding can cost more than taking the time to correct it. Onboarding without an HR department can feel like one more thing that no one has time for.
At Discount Lots, we hired dozens of team members without a formal HR lead, which included members across customer support, operations, and fulfillment. If onboarding is done correctly, it can accelerate productivity, lower turnover, and give a newly hired a sense of purpose before they are assigned tasks.
Here’s how we’ve built an onboarding process that works and scales even with no HR department in sight.
Start with the Job, Not the Company
The main motive you should keep when onboarding without a formal HR team is to start with what the person is actually being hired to do. Despite this, a common onboarding trap is starting with lengthy introductions about the founding story, company values, and culture decks.
Our process starts with aligning expected role outcomes, how these outcomes will be measured, and what the initial 30, 60, and 90 days should accomplish. This context sets the tone for two measures: the reason you were hired for and how you will make a difference.
When people understand their role first, everything else—such as tools, values, and mission—will eventually have a place to land.
Use Simple Tools to Build Repeatable Processes
We don’t wait until everything falls into place; we build as we go. We document our onboarding with basic tools like Notion, Google Docs, and Loom videos. When a new hire joins, we ask them to flag anything that’s missing or unclear. That feedback loop improves the process in real-time and helps the next person onboard faster.
Every role has a checklist that includes:
- System access and logins
- SOPs for their function
- Role-specific onboarding content
- First-week goals
- Owner/contact for questions
Assign an Onboarding Buddy Who’s Actually Available
Here, we assign a companion working a similar role, in a similar time zone, and who has the capacity to check in and help with daily tasks for the first week. Their job is not to explain everything but to assist through blockers, answer context questions, and assure the new hire isn’t spending hours stuck on something avoidable.
Often, companies assign an onboarding companion who is already stretched thin or half-engaged, which is worse than having no one for support at all.
Spending 15 minutes daily for sync in week one helps along the way building early momentum and confidence.
Frontload Clarity, Not Just Culture
Culture is important, but clarity is the key to early success. This eliminates guesswork and ensures the new hires are not just welcomed but oriented properly, which is a major difference when you’re growing fast and don’t have time to handhold.
Our onboarding focuses heavily on:
- The “why” behind the role
- The “how” we define success (KPIs, timelines, outputs)
- The “where” to go for help
- The “what” tools they’ll use
Build Day 1 to Create Quick Wins
Day 1 is designed with a goal that’s easily achievable, so the new hire can complete something meaningful—even if it’s small. A few examples of such tasks are updating a record, sending their first message in a workflow, or completing a mini-task. This subtly sends a signal of belonging and contributing.
Onboarding Doesn’t End After Week One
It’s easy to treat onboarding like a week-long bootcamp without an HR, but for us, it’s a 90-day runway.
We set milestones at Day 30, Day 60, and Day 90. Each includes a check-in, progress evaluation, and feedback in both directions. It’s less about grading performance and more about making sure the person has what they need to succeed.
We also collect feedback from the new hires on the onboarding process itself, and feedback questions include:
- What was helpful?
- What felt unclear?
- What would have made your first week smoother?
Over time, we’ve built an onboarding flow that’s much clearer and more human-like—without adding more team members for the sole purpose of recruitment.
Let People Own Their Ramp-Up
One of the most effective things we’ve done is build onboarding with our team, not just for them.
Every new team member has their own checklist where they check off tasks and can track any blockages during the process. Managers can assist by redefining anything left unclear previously.
This ownership mindset creates buy-in. People feel like they’re helping improve something that matters—not just checking boxes.
Final Thought: You Don’t Need HR to Care About People
If you’re running a lean company, treat onboarding like a growth lever and not like an afterthought.
Onboarding is about assisting someone become a contributor from stranger as quickly and confidently as possible.
We may not have an HR department, but this doesn’t come in our way of having a team that cares deeply about people working with quality.
About the Author
Paul Herskovitz is the Founder and CEO of Discount Lots, a company that has transformed land ownership by providing affordable, off-market land listings across the United States. With a background in e-commerce and marketing, Paul has streamlined the land-buying process, making it accessible for individuals and families with flexible payment options and no agent fees. Under his leadership, Discount Lots has facilitated thousands of land transactions, helping people secure financial opportunities through real estate. Paul is passionate about educating others on land investments and financial strategies, emphasizing the importance of diversification and long-term wealth-building in today’s economic landscape.