Onboarding Overview
Help URL: https://smoothhiring.com/help/hrms/onboarding/overview
Smooth HR onboarding connects recruitment outcomes to pre–day-one compliance: HR configures reusable templates, launches Employee Onboarding records per hire, and new hires complete work in the Onboarding Portal — including uploads, guided ID capture, and e-signatures. This overview explains how the pieces fit together, the end-to-end workflow, and where to drill into detailed guides.
Table of Contents
- The three building blocks
- End-to-end workflow (text diagram)
- Template vs onboarding vs portal
- Recruitment handoff
- HR-side lifecycle
- Employee-side lifecycle
- E-signatures in onboarding
- Progress and completion rules
- Desk paths quick reference
- Implementation roadmap
- Troubleshooting
- Related guides
The three building blocks
| Building block | Area | Who owns it | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template | Employee Onboarding Template | HR / HR Manager | Blueprint: HR tasks, required documents, portal form sections |
| Onboarding | Employee Onboarding | HR / HR User | Live record per hire; tracks status, progress, field values |
| Portal | Onboarding Portal (/app/onboarding-portal) |
New hire (Onboarding User) | Self-service UI to complete sections, upload, sign, submit |
Templates are reusable. Onboarding is one row per person per hiring event. The portal is the constrained desk experience for the hire only.
End-to-end workflow (text diagram)
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CONFIGURE (once per role / company) │
│ Signature Template ──► Employee Onboarding Template │
│ (PDF/HTML e-sign) (activities + documents + portal sections) │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ HIRE EVENT │
│ Job Applicant (Accepted) ──OR── existing Employee (transfer/rehire) │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ New Employee Onboarding ── select template ── set joining dates │
│ │ │
│ ├── Save (draft) │
│ └── Submit ──────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│──────┘
│
On submit: │
• Project + Tasks for HR activities │
• Onboarding User + email (portal link) │
• boarding_status = Pending │
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ EMPLOYEE PORTAL │
│ Login → /desk/onboarding-portal │
│ → Overview (progress %) │
│ → Form sections (personal, emergency, banking, custom) │
│ → Documents: upload / ID capture / Sign document → /sign/{token} │
│ → Review & Submit onboarding │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ HR COMPLETION │
│ Notifications to HR Manager + owner │
│ Field values map → Employee record │
│ Mark as Completed (HR tasks / project) │
│ Create → Employee (if from applicant) │
│ Transition user: Onboarding User → Employee role for self-service │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Template vs onboarding vs portal
Employee Onboarding Template (blueprint)
Path: /app/employee-onboarding-template
| Section on template | Becomes on submit |
|---|---|
| Activities | Project + Tasks assigned to HR users |
| Required Documents | Rows on Employee Onboarding; portal checklist |
| Portal Sections / Fields | Dynamic forms; values stored in field_values JSON |
| Company / Department / Designation / Grade filters | Auto-suggest when HR picks template for a hire |
Configure Signature Template on document rows to require e-sign instead of upload. Use Either/Or Group when hire provides one of several ID types.
Deep guide: Onboarding Templates.
Employee Onboarding (live record)
Path: /app/employee-onboarding · Tenure sidebar → Employee Onboarding
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | HR editing; portal not fully active |
| Submitted | Portal enabled; project created |
| Completed (boarding) | HR closed tasks; may still await employee submit |
Key actions: Send Portal Access, Sync From Template, Preview Portal, Unlock for Employee, Mark as Completed, Create → Employee.
Deep guide: Employee Onboarding.
Onboarding Portal (employee UI)
Path: /app/onboarding-portal · Role home: Onboarding User → /desk/onboarding-portal
| Area | Employee experience |
|---|---|
| Overview | Company, department, start date, progress bar |
| Sections | Save per section; mandatory flags block final submit |
| Documents | Upload, camera capture (ID/headshot), or Sign document |
| Submit | Validates mandatory items; notifies HR |
Deep guide: Onboarding Portal.
Recruitment handoff
Typical flow from Recruitment module:
- Job Applicant progresses through interviews.
- Job Offer accepted (optional e-sign via Signature Template).
- HR creates Employee Onboarding linked to applicant.
- After portal completion, Create → Employee converts applicant to worker.
- Employee receives Employee role for leave/expense self-service.
Desk paths: /app/job-applicant, /app/job-offer, /app/employee-onboarding.
HR-side lifecycle
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Select or confirm Employee Onboarding Template |
| 2 | Link Job Applicant or Employee |
| 3 | Set Date of Joining, Onboarding Begins On |
| 4 | Submit — triggers portal user + project |
| 5 | Monitor Onboarding Progress, Documents Completed |
| 6 | Complete parallel HR Tasks (laptop, badge, payroll setup) |
| 7 | When employee submits portal, review mapped fields on Employee |
| 8 | Mark as Completed; archive or hand off to payroll/IT |
Use Sync From Template when template gains new documents mid-flight.
Employee-side lifecycle
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Receive email from Send Portal Access / auto on submit |
| 2 | Log in → lands on onboarding portal |
| 3 | Complete each portal section (Save) |
| 4 | Upload or sign each required document |
| 5 | Submit onboarding when review section shows 100% |
| 6 | Await HR confirmation before first day |
Signing opens /sign/{access_token} without desk login; returns to portal when done.
E-signatures in onboarding
| Component | Role |
|---|---|
| Signature Template | Defines PDF/HTML and field placement |
| Required Document row | Links template → portal shows Sign document |
| Signature Request / Envelope | Created when employee (or company signer) starts signing |
| Signed PDF | Attaches back to onboarding document row |
Company signer for onboarding often resolves from onboarding document owner email. Employee must have Employee linked with valid email before e-sign.
Guides: Signature Templates, Signing Portal.
Progress and completion rules
| Rule type | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Mandatory document | Blocks submit until satisfied |
| Either/or group | Completing one row satisfies the group |
| Mandatory section field | Section status must show complete |
| Sign-only row | Upload rejected — must use Sign document |
| Onboarding Completed | Set when employee submits portal |
| HR Mark as Completed | Closes HR project tasks |
Mapped portal fields copy to Employee on completion per template field mapping.
Desk paths quick reference
| Item | Path |
|---|---|
| Tenure module home | /desk/tenure |
| Employee Onboarding list | /app/employee-onboarding |
| Template list | /app/employee-onboarding-template |
| Onboarding Portal (employee) | /app/onboarding-portal |
| HR Settings (onboarding email/expiry) | /app/hr-settings (Hiring Settings section) |
| Signature Template | /app/signature-template |
Implementation roadmap
| Week | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Company + org masters; HR Settings onboarding email |
| 2 | Build 1–2 templates per job family; Preview Portal QA |
| 3 | Pilot with real hire; tune mandatory fields |
| 4 | Roll out recruitment → onboarding handoff; train HR User role |
Troubleshooting
| Issue | What to do |
|---|---|
| Wrong checklist on hire | Refine template filters; pick template manually |
| Portal not sent | Submit onboarding or Send Portal Access |
| Employee cannot sign | Link Employee + email before sign |
| HR tasks not created | Template needs Activities; re-submit if draft |
| Progress stuck | Check mandatory docs/sections and either/or groups |
| Template change mid-flight | Sync From Template on Employee Onboarding |
Stakeholder RACI (reference)
| Activity | HR | Hiring manager | IT | New hire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build template | R/A | C | I | — |
| Submit onboarding | R | I | I | — |
| Portal data entry | I | — | — | R/A |
| E-sign offer | C | A | — | R |
| Laptop task | I | C | R/A | — |
| Create Employee master | R/A | I | — | — |
| Payroll setup | R | I | C | — |
R = Responsible, A = Accountable, C = Consulted, I = Informed.
Metrics to watch
| Metric | Where to see it |
|---|---|
| Onboarding pipeline | Tenure → Employee Lifecycle dashboard |
| Onboarding by status chart | Dashboard chart Onboarding By Status |
| Time-to-complete | Compare submit date to Date of Joining on record |
| Document completion | Documents Completed field on Employee Onboarding |
Review weekly during high-volume hiring seasons.
Security and data handling
- Portal users should not receive HR Manager role.
- Signed documents inherit audit trail from Signature module (hash, timestamp).
- Use Unlock for Employee sparingly after submit — re-notify HR when edits occur.
- Set reasonable Onboarding Token Expiry Days so stale links cannot be reused indefinitely.
Related guides
- Onboarding Templates
- Employee Onboarding
- Onboarding Portal
- Tenure: Employee Onboarding concepts
- User roles & permissions
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 |
Last updated 1 week ago
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