Onboarding
Turning an accepted offer into a provisioned, paid, productive employee.
Workflow
- 01Offer Acceptance
- 02Pre-boarding
- 03Day One
- 04Provisioning
- 05Probation Review
If you change this
It implies 10 topics across 2 modules, including Security & Identity which you might not expect.
See the path ahead →Why it matters
Onboarding crosses more systems than almost any other HR process — HR, payroll, identity, facilities, learning — and each hand-off is a place it can stall.
- It is visible: Every failure is experienced personally by someone forming their first impression.
- It is time-bound: Day one arrives whether the provisioning finished or not.
- It sets up compliance: Right to work, qualifications and mandatory training are captured here or not at all.
The workflow
- 01
Offer acceptance
The candidate accepts and becomes a pending employee.
- 02
Record creation
The employee record is created against an approved position.
- 03
Pre-boarding
Documents, right to work, bank and super details, and mandatory forms collected before day one.
- 04
Provisioning
Identity, access, equipment and workspace prepared, triggered by the HR record.
- 05
Day one
Induction, safety, systems access, and a manager who knows they are coming.
- 06
Probation and follow-up
Check-ins scheduled, mandatory training tracked to completion.
Provisioning should be triggered by the HR record, not by an email to IT. Where it is an email, some proportion never gets sent, and nobody finds out until the person arrives.
What you need in place
- Right to work verification: Captured and re-checked where visas expire.
- Automated provisioning: Access derived from the position, not requested ad hoc.
- Pre-boarding collection: Bank, super choice and tax declaration before the first pay run.
- Mandatory training tracking: With a consequence for non-completion.
- Manager preparation: The receiving manager prompted before, not on, day one.
Questions to ask
01Trigger
What starts provisioning — a record or a request?
A request is a step that can be skipped.
02Day-one readiness
What share of starters have pay, access and equipment on day one?
Measure it; assumptions here are usually generous.
03Right to work
How are expiring work rights monitored?
An expired visa is an employment law problem, not an HR admin one.
04First pay
Does the starter make the first pay run after their start date?
Missing it is common and badly received.
05Training
Is mandatory training tracked to completion or just assigned?
Assignment is not evidence.
Metrics and KPIs to track
Day-one readiness
Starters with pay, access and equipment ready.
Time to productivity
Start to independent performance, by role family.
Mandatory training completion
Within the required window.
Early attrition
Leavers within the first six months.
Alongside this