As part of the new employee onboarding process, we created this checklist to assist you through the days, weeks, and months as a new employee with 18F. After your join 18F, you can start using our internal checklist tool, checklistomania.
This document serves as a list of tasks for you to complete with corresponding timelines. Some of the items listed below are transactional (for example: completing a form) while others involve having conversations or taking classes to learn more about how 18F works.
| 18F Handbook | https://handbook.18f.gov |
| Leave and Earnings Statement | https://www.employeeexpress.gov |
| GSA Insite | https://insite.gsa.gov |
| Health and Life Insurance | https://www.opm.gov/insure |
| Retirement Planning | https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/ |
| Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) | http://www.tsp.gov/ |
| Flexible Spending Account | http://www.fsafeds.gov |
| Dental and Vision Insurance | http://www.benefeds.com |
| Long Term Care Insurance | http://www.ltcfeds.com |
18F has a dedicated benefits specialist within GSA who can assist you with questions regarding benefits-related questions.
Contact for medical insurance, life insurance, and retirement account questions and enrollment.
Email: martha.sanchez-lowery@gsa.gov
Work: 202-969-7237
Cell: 703-965-9274
Contact for leave policies and questions (including annual, sick, advance leave requests, leave without pay requests, donating leave, parental, and Family Medical Leave Act).
Email: leila.knight@gsa.gov
Work: 202-969-7079
Cell: 202-805-4922
Note: If you use a Mac, you can use Preview to add your signature to PDFs.
| ✓ | Mandatory forms to complete | Information and/or contacts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ☐ | GSA Employee Benefits and Information | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| 2 | ☐ | GSA Onboarding Document | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| 3 | ☐ | SF-144 - Statement of Prior Federal Service | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| 4 | ☐ | I-9 - Employment Eligibility Verification | Info | Bring with you to orientation |
| 5 | ☐ | SF-256 - Self-Identification of Disability | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| 6 | ☐ | SF-181 - Ethnicity and Race Identification | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| 7 | ☐ | SF-1199 - Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| 8 | ☐ | W-4 - Federal Income Tax Withholding | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| 9 | ☐ | State Tax Withholding Forms | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| 10 | ☐ | RSIF - Reserve Status Identification Form | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| 11 | ☐ | ECI - Emergency Contact Information | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| ✓ | Time-flexible forms You have up to 60 days after your start date to complete these. |
Information and/or contacts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ☐ | SF-2809 - Health Benefits Election Form | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| 2 | ☐ | SF-2817 - Life Insurance Election Form | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| 3 | ☐ | TSP-1 - Thrift Savings Plan Election Form | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| ✓ | Beneficiary forms These are not time sensitive and can be completed at your convenience. |
Information and/or contacts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ☐ | SF-1152 - Designation of Beneficiary (Unpaid Compensation) | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| 2 | ☐ | SF-2817 - Life Insurance Election Form | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| 3 | ☐ | TSP-1 - Thrift Savings Plan Election Form | Info | Email to gsaonboarding@gsa.gov and cc Marty |
| ✓ | Task | Information and/or contacts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ☐ | Receive email from Team Talent and your buddy about your first week. | |
| 2 | ☐ | Read up on GSA and 18F orientation. | Class descriptions and Orientation schedule |
| 3 | ☐ | Send bio (3-5 lines) and preferred gender pronoun to your buddy. | Email to your buddy. The bio will be sent around to team to introduce you. |
Once you're connected to the GSA network on campus, start using our internal checklist tool, checklistomania.
| ✓ | Task | Information and/or contacts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ☐ | GSA orientation. (Remember to bring two forms of ID and your I-9 form.) | Info will be sent to you in email week before your first week |
| 2 | ☐ | Attend GSA orientation and take oath of office. | Info will be sent to you in email week before your first week |
| 3 | ☐ | After orientation is over, call or text your buddy who will walk with you to 18F. | Info will be sent to you in email week before your first week |
| 4 | ☐ | Receive your laptop, badge, and phone. | Info will be sent to you in email week before your first week |
| 5 | ☐ | Log onto your Mac and change your root password. | Info will be sent to you in email week before your first week |
| 6 | ☐ | Connect to GSA’s secure network | Info will be sent to you in email week before your first week |
| 7 | ☐ | Change your ENT (enterprise) password. This is your password for signing into systems administered by GSA, including your email, calendar, and Google Drive. | Info will be sent to you in email week before your first week |
| 8 | ☐ | Sign into your work email | Info will be sent to you in email week before your first week |
| 9 | ☐ | Set up GSA’s 2FA so that you can access your work email from outside of a federal building. Note: You must complete this task inside a federal building. | Info will be sent to you in email week before your first week |
| 10 | ☐ | Set up Slack, our chat program, so that you can communicate with your colleagues | Info will be sent to you in email week before your first week |
| 11 | ☐ | Add your contact information to the 18F Staff Contact Document | Info will be sent to you in email week before your first week |
| ✓ | Task | Information and/or contacts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ☐ | Orientation classes begin. You will be taking a variety of Slack-based classes in the #18f-classes channel with your cohort | Classes will take place in #18F-Classes | Class Schedule and Google Calendar Schedule of Classes and Class Checklist |
| 2 | ☐ | Make sure your Macbook is secure | Instructions |
| 3 | ☐ | Double check to make sure you have access to 18F Calendars and double check your inbox to make sure you've received a note from 18f-team@gsa.gov. | Instructions |
| 4 | ☐ | Read your Office Guide to learn more about where you work | Office Guides |
| 5 | ☐ | Attend 18F’s weekly all-hands meeting | Instructions for distributed employees. Other employees should ask their in-office buddy. |
| 6 | ☐ | Fill out transit subsidy, if you commute via public transportation to work. | Instructions |
| 7 | ☐ | Make sure your Slack avatar and Google avatar contain a picture | Slack Instructions and Google instructions |
| ✓ | Task | Information and/or contacts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ☐ | After receiving your work phone, set up 2FA. | Instructions |
| 2 | ☐ | Pick up badge | Instructions |
| 3 | ☐ | Set up GitHub account. | Instructions |
| 4 | ☐ | Set up VPN. | Instructions |
| 5 | ☐ | Set up printer | Instructions are in your office guide. |
| 6 | ☐ | Sign up for listservs that interest you. | Instructions |
| 7 | ☐ | Meet with your director | They'll likely schedule this with you during your first week. |
| 8 | ☐ | Write your bio and submit a picture for the 18F website | Instructions |
| 9 | ☐ | Add yourself to the Team API | Instructions |
| ✓ | Task | Information and/or contacts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ☐ | Fill out OGE 450 | Team dependent, check with your director. Instructions |
| 2 | ☐ | Schedule a virtual tea with two coworkers | You can use one of the video tools you've learned about: Acano or Google Hangouts or Appear.in |
| 3 | ☐ | Receive necessary software licenses | Please read the instructions for specific software licenses. If yours isn't on that list, ask in #devops and then in #teamops |
| 4 | ☐ | Learn about 18F Org Chart and 18F’s relation to OCSIT | Org Chart | Relationship to OCSIT |
| 5 | ☐ | Confirm CHRIS account | This may take 4-6 weeks. Instructions |
| 6 | ☐ | Sign into Employee Express | This is available after your first paycheck. Instructions |
| 7 | ☐ | Confirm OLU (Online Learning University) account. | GSA’s mandatory training for employees. This will be available after your CHRIS account is set up. |
| 8 | ☐ | Check to make sure all of your submitted benefits information is correct. | Benefits information |
| 9 | ☐ | Take travel training so that you can travel. | Instructions |
| 10 | ☐ | Complete mandatory OLU trainings. | Instructions | You must have completed step 5. to do this step, so the process may take 4-6 weeks. |
| 11 | ☐ | Fill out your Individual Development Plan. | Instructions. This will allow you to take external trainings and classes. |
| 12 | ☐ | Learn about 18F Offsites | Ask in Slack when the next offsite is: "When is the next 18F-irl?" (Slackbot should respond.) And if you want to make a message for Slackbot to respond, follow the instructions. |
| 13 | ☐ | Ask to be added to 18F Trello board | Ask in #admins-trello |