Getting Started with Smooth HR
Help URL: https://smoothhiring.com/help/hrms/getting-started/overview
Smooth HR is your organization's HR and payroll workspace in the cloud. After your company is set up on Smooth HRMS (for example https://yoursite.smoothhrms.com), you sign in once and work across people records, recruitment, leave, attendance, payroll, expenses, performance, and employee lifecycle — all from a unified Smooth HR desktop app.
This guide is your map for day one: logging in, understanding the desk, creating your first employee, and knowing where every major module lives.
Table of Contents
- What Smooth HR includes
- Before you sign in
- Signing in and landing on People
- Your first session checklist
- Creating your first employee
- Desktop modules at a glance
- Global search and notifications
- Roles: who sees what
- Where to go next by job
- Troubleshooting
- Related guides
What Smooth HR includes
Smooth HR brings hiring, people, payroll, and compliance together in one workspace. Features are grouped under clear desktop icons:
| Module | Primary purpose |
|---|---|
| People | Employee master, org structure (Company, Branch, Department, Designation), HR Settings |
| Recruitment | Job openings, applicants, interviews, offers |
| Leaves | Leave policies, allocations, applications |
| Shift & Attendance | Shifts, check-ins, attendance, roster at /hr/roster |
| Payroll | Salary structures, payroll entry, salary slips |
| Tax & Benefits | Tax declarations, benefit applications and claims |
| Expenses | Expense claims, advances, travel |
| Performance | Goals, appraisals, promotions |
| Tenure | Onboarding, separation, training, grievances |
E-signatures and compliance documents live under Documents & Compliance (Signature Template, Signature Request, Signature Envelope) when that workspace is enabled on your site.
The application home route is /desk/people — configured as your Smooth HR home. Legacy URLs such as /desk/hr, /app/hr, and /desk/home redirect to People automatically.
Before you sign in
Confirm with your administrator:
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Site URL | Bookmark https://yoursite.smoothhrms.com |
| User account | Email invited; role assigned (HR Manager, HR User, or Employee) |
| Company record | Legal entity with country and currency exists |
| Email delivery | Outgoing email configured so onboarding and leave alerts work |
HR Managers typically complete Company setup and User roles & permissions before inviting the wider team.
Signing in and landing on People
Step 1: Open your site
- Navigate to your Smooth HR URL in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.
- Enter your email and password (or use your organization's SSO if enabled).
- If prompted, complete two-factor authentication.
Step 2: Open Smooth HR
After login you may see the app switcher with multiple products. Click the Smooth HR app icon (SmoothHiring logo). You land on the People workspace sidebar.
| Destination | URL |
|---|---|
| People home (workspace) | /desk/people |
| Employee list | /app/employee |
| HR Settings | /app/hr-settings |
| Company list | /app/company |
Step 3: Orient yourself
- Left sidebar — module navigation (Home, Dashboard, Employee, Setup section, Settings).
- Top bar — breadcrumbs, actions, help.
- Desktop icons — switch to Payroll, Leaves, Tenure, etc. (see Desk navigation).
Your first session checklist
Work through this list in order during initial setup:
| # | Task | Desk path / link |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verify Company (legal name, country, default currency) | /app/company |
| 2 | Add Department and Designation trees | /app/department, /app/designation |
| 3 | Review HR Settings (naming, leave, hiring, onboarding email) | /app/hr-settings |
| 4 | Create at least one Employee record | /app/employee |
| 5 | Assign Leave Policy if using leave module | /app/leave-policy |
| 6 | Configure Salary Structure if running payroll | /app/salary-structure |
| 7 | Build Employee Onboarding Template if pre-boarding hires | /app/employee-onboarding-template |
Save HR Settings after each change — it is a single HR Settings record shared across modules.
Creating your first employee
The Employee record is the anchor for payroll, leave, attendance, expenses, and the employee self-service experience.
Step 1: Open Employee
- From People, click Employee in the sidebar, or press Ctrl+K (Mac: Cmd+K) and type
Employee. - Click Add Employee.
Step 2: Required basics
| Field | Guidance |
|---|---|
| First Name / Last Name | Legal or preferred name |
| Company | Must match your legal entity |
| Date of Joining | Used by leave accrual and onboarding |
| Status | Active for current workers |
| Department | Drives approvals and org chart |
| Designation | Job title; used to match onboarding templates |
| Gender | Required on form |
| Date of Birth | HR reporting |
Step 3: Contact and login (optional but recommended)
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Company Email / Personal Email | Notifications and portal matching |
| User ID | Links a user account for self-service (assign Employee role) |
Step 4: Payroll links (when ready)
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Salary Mode | Bank, cash, etc. |
| Payroll Cost Center | Accounting allocation |
| Holiday List | Leave and attendance calendar |
Step 5: Save
Click Save. Naming follows HR Settings → Employee Naming By (Naming Series, Employee Number, or Full Name).
Tip: For hires coming from recruitment, create the employee from an accepted Job Applicant using Create → Employee on the applicant or from Employee Onboarding after portal completion — this preserves hiring history.
Desktop modules at a glance
Each desktop icon opens a Workspace Sidebar with Home, Dashboard, key lists, Reports, Setup, and Settings.
| Desktop icon | Sidebar name | Home workspace | Example desk paths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smooth HR (app) | People | People | /desk/people, /app/employee |
| People | People | People | /app/organizational-chart |
| Recruitment | Recruitment | Recruitment | /app/job-applicant, /app/job-offer |
| Leaves | Leaves | Leaves | /app/leave-application |
| Shift & Attendance | Shift & Attendance | Shift & Attendance | /app/attendance, /hr/roster |
| Payroll | Payroll | Payroll | /app/payroll-entry, /app/salary-slip |
| Tax & Benefits | Tax & Benefits | Tax & Benefits | /app/employee-tax-exemption-declaration |
| Expenses | Expenses | Expenses | /app/expense-claim |
| Performance | Performance | Performance | /app/appraisal, /app/goal |
| Tenure | Tenure | Tenure | /app/employee-onboarding, /app/employee-separation |
Deep dives:
- People overview
- Recruitment overview
- Onboarding overview
- Payroll overview
- Leaves overview
- Shift & Attendance overview
Global search and notifications
Awesome Bar (Ctrl+K / Cmd+K) — search any record, report, or page by name. Examples: HR Settings, Employee Onboarding, Signature Template, Payroll Entry.
Notifications — bell icon for assignments, mentions, and workflow actions (for example leave approval pending).
Help — this wiki at https://smoothhiring.com/help/hrms.
Roles: who sees what
| Role | Typical user | Access summary |
|---|---|---|
| HR Manager | HR director, HRIS admin | Full HR configuration, submit payroll, manage onboarding |
| HR User | Recruiter, HR coordinator | Day-to-day HR transactions; limited settings |
| Employee | Workforce | Self-service: leave, expenses, profile (per permissions) |
| Onboarding User | New hire pre–day one | Restricted to /desk/onboarding-portal only |
Details: User roles & permissions.
Where to go next by job
| If you are… | Start here |
|---|---|
| HR administrator | Company setup → HR Settings → org masters |
| Recruiter | Recruitment overview → Job Applicant |
| Payroll manager | Payroll overview → Salary Structure Assignment |
| Hiring manager for new hires | Onboarding overview → Employee Onboarding Template |
| New hire (employee) | Onboarding portal email → /app/onboarding-portal |
Troubleshooting
| Issue | What to do |
|---|---|
| Login works but no Smooth HR app | Ask your administrator to assign HR Manager or HR User; confirm Smooth HR is enabled on your account |
| Redirect loop or blank desk | Clear browser cache; try /desk/people directly |
| Cannot create Employee | Create Company first; check naming series in HR Settings |
| Missing desktop icons | Contact Smooth support to restore desktop icons |
| Ctrl+K finds nothing | Check spelling; ensure record exists and you have permission |
| Employee cannot log in | Create User, link User ID on Employee, assign Employee role |
| Slow desk after upgrade | Contact Smooth support or clear browser cache |
Day-one learning path
| Day | Focus | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Login, People sidebar, create one test Employee | 30 min |
| Day 2 | Desk navigation tour — open every desktop icon once | 45 min |
| Day 3 | HR Settings + Company masters | 1 hr |
| Day 4 | Optional: pilot Employee Onboarding template + Preview Portal | 1 hr |
Invite stakeholders module-by-module (payroll lead → Payroll icon, recruiters → Recruitment) so each team validates their sidebar links before go-live.
Related guides
- Desk navigation
- User roles & permissions
- Company setup
- Onboarding overview
- Employee Onboarding (operations)
Last updated: May 2026
Smooth LMS (training)
| Guide | Link |
|---|---|
| LMS help home | smoothhiring.com/help/lms |
| HRMS + LMS overview | lms/hrms-integration/overview |
| Auto-provision LMS access | lms/hrms-integration/employee-auto-provisioning |
| Onboarding mandatory training | lms/hrms-integration/onboarding-mandatory-training |
| Compliance vs certificates | lms/hrms-integration/compliance-vs-lms-certificates |
| Mandatory courses | lms/courses/mandatory-training-and-validity |
| Course categories (folders) | lms/courses/categories-and-tags |