Guide
How to Onboard New Employees With the Right Apps
Stop sending long lists of links. Give new starters a role-based dashboard with approved tools, clear ownership, and one place to start on day one.
The onboarding problem nobody budgets for
Onboarding usually breaks down at the same point: access to tools. People share links in email, paste them into a doc, then send another message when a link changes. New starters are left guessing what is actually approved, what they should use first, and who to ask when something does not work.
The fix is simple: centralise the tools, assign them by role, and make the dashboard the default starting point. That gives new starters clarity, and it gives admins control.
Quick win (today)
Create one onboarding dashboard for a single role (for example Marketing Executive). Add the top 10 tools they need, then share one link to that dashboard instead of 20 separate links.
If you want it to really stick, set it as the browser homepage. See the Chrome, Edge and Intune setup.
Related pages
Step 1: Define “day one” tools per role
The fastest onboarding improvement is to decide what someone needs on day one, and what can wait until week two. Most roles do not need everything immediately.
- Role essentials: the tools needed to do core work (email, task tracking, key systems).
- Team context: knowledge base, docs, dashboards, shared folders, and SOPs.
- Access dependencies: tools that require admin approval or provisioning, so you can start early.
Step 2: Build an approved App Library
Once you know the essentials, add them into a single approved library. This becomes the source of truth for onboarding, and it prevents the same links being stored in five different places.
- Standardise names: one tool, one name, so people can find it quickly.
- Use one canonical link: update it once and everyone uses the new version.
- Make it visible: people should be able to see what tools exist for their role.
Step 3: Create team dashboards
Onboarding works best when a new starter has one place to start. Create a dashboard per team (or per role group) and assign access so new starters see the right tools immediately.
- Team-level dashboards: Marketing, Finance, Ops, Support.
- Role-based access: show what is relevant, hide what is not.
- Personal flexibility: let users add personal tools without affecting the team baseline.
Step 4: Add Quick Info and ownership
A dashboard works when people understand what each tool is for. Add simple context so a new starter does not need to interrupt someone to ask basic questions.
- What it is for: one sentence describing purpose.
- Owner: who maintains it and who to contact.
- How access is granted: SSO group, admin approval, or self-serve signup.
StartTray’s Quick Info feature is built for this: users click an icon on the dashboard to see purpose and ownership without asking around.
Step 5: Make the dashboard the default start
The difference between a dashboard that gets used and one that gets ignored is friction. If the dashboard is the browser homepage, people naturally start there.
- Single user setup: set the startup page in Chrome or Edge.
- Organisation rollout: use Intune scripts to set the homepage at scale.
- Day-one consistency: onboarding becomes repeatable and predictable.
Use the step-by-step setup guide here: How to set StartTray as your browser homepage.
If you want to trial this with your team, you can start for free on our pricing page and scale up when you’re ready.
A simple rollout plan
- Start with one team and build a single dashboard of approved tools.
- Add ownership and Quick Info for the top 10 tools to reduce questions.
- Assign access by role so the dashboard stays relevant.
- Set it as the default browser homepage for that team.
- Review usage after 2 weeks and remove tools that are not needed.
Want onboarding to be a dashboard instead of a document?
StartTray centralises your apps and links, controls access by role, and helps new starters see the right tools on day one. Free for up to 5 users.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to give new employees the right apps?
Give new starters a role-based dashboard that contains approved apps and links for their job. It reduces confusion, avoids outdated links, and helps people become productive from day one.
How do I avoid sharing onboarding links in Slack or email?
Create a central app library and assign access by team or role. When apps are managed centrally, you can update a link once and everyone switches together, without sending new links around.
Should every employee see every tool?
No. Showing everyone everything creates noise and increases the risk of accidental sharing. Use role-based access so people only see what they need, while admins keep visibility of what exists.
What information should be included for each app during onboarding?
At minimum, include what the tool is for, who owns it, and how access is granted. This prevents repeated questions and helps new starters understand when to use each tool.
How do I make the onboarding dashboard the default starting point?
Set the StartTray dashboard as the browser homepage so it opens automatically when the browser starts. This is especially useful for day-one onboarding and can be rolled out across an organisation using Intune.