Onboarding Templates
Onboarding Templates
Employee Onboarding Templates define everything a new hire (or internal transfer) must complete before day one: HR task checklists, required uploads, e-sign documents, and self-service portal sections.
Templates are applied when you create an Employee Onboarding record.
Help URL: smoothhiring.com/help/hrms/onboarding/onboarding-templates
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Accessing templates
- Creating a template
- Activities (HR tasks)
- Required documents
- Portal sections & fields
- Preview portal
- Matching rules
- Best practices
- Troubleshooting
- Related guides
Overview
| Section | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Activities | HR checklist → becomes Project + Tasks on onboarding submit |
| Required Documents | Uploads, ID capture, e-sign via Signature Template |
| Portal Sections | Self-service forms (personal info, emergency contact, banking, custom) |
| Company / Department / Designation | Auto-suggest template when creating onboarding |
Accessing templates
| Location | Desk path |
|---|---|
| Onboarding workspace | /app/onboarding → Employee Onboarding Template |
| Tenure workspace | /app/employee-onboarding-template |
| Direct list | /app/employee-onboarding-template |
Creating a template
Step 1: Header
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | Template name (required) |
| Company | Optional filter by company |
| Department | Optional filter by department |
| Designation | Optional filter by role |
| Employee Grade | Optional filter by grade |
Step 2: Activities
Add rows to Activities (Employee Boarding Activity):
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Activity Name | Task title for HR |
| User | Assigned HR user |
| Begin On | Days relative to onboarding start |
| Duration | Days to complete |
On Submit of Employee Onboarding, Smooth HR creates a Project and linked Tasks.
Step 3: Required documents
Each Required Document row defines one item on the employee portal:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Document Name | Label shown to employee |
| Mandatory | Must complete before onboarding submit |
| Instructions | Help text under the document |
| Signature Template | If set, employee Sign document instead of upload |
| Capture Assist | Headshot or ID Document (camera-guided capture) |
| ID Variant | Driver license, passport, etc. |
| Either/Or Group | Employee completes one document in the group |
Link a Signature Template for offer letters, tax forms, or policies.
Step 4: Portal sections
Define Onboarding Section groups and Onboarding Section Field rows:
| Field property | Examples |
|---|---|
| Section name | Personal Information, Banking |
| Field key | personal_email, bank_routing |
| Field type | Data, Date, Select, Attach |
| Mandatory | Blocks onboarding completion if empty |
If no custom sections exist, defaults apply: Personal Information, Emergency Contact, Banking Details.
Step 5: Save & preview
Click Preview Portal on the template form to see the employee experience before going live.
Activities (HR tasks)
- Assign tasks to HR owners (recruiter, HRBP).
- Use negative Begin On for pre-boarding (for example -7 = one week before start).
- Mark as Completed on onboarding marks all tasks done when hire is finished.
Required documents
Upload vs e-sign
| Configuration | Employee action |
|---|---|
| No signature template | Upload file or use ID/headshot capture |
| Signature template linked | Sign document → opens /sign/{token} |
| Both (not recommended) | Sign-only rows reject manual upload |
Either/or groups
Use the same Either/Or Group key on multiple rows (for example id_verification) so the employee satisfies one of several ID types.
Portal sections & fields
Field values save to Employee Onboarding (field_values JSON). On Complete onboarding, mapped fields sync to the Employee record (configured field mapping).
Mandatory sections must show complete in section_status before submit.
Preview portal
Preview Portal opens a read-only dialog of sections and documents — use it to validate ordering, labels, and mandatory flags before assigning real hires.
Matching rules
When creating Employee Onboarding, selecting a template can auto-filter by company, department, designation, and grade. Keep templates focused to avoid wrong checklist assignment.
Best practices
- One template per role family — Engineering vs Corporate vs Hourly.
- Separate e-sign from upload — Offer letter = sign; I-9 = upload or capture.
- Order sections logically — Personal → Emergency → Banking → Policies.
- Minimize mandatory fields — Only what HR truly needs before day one.
- Link Employee early — E-sign from portal requires an Employee record with email.
- Test with Preview Portal — Catch typos and wrong mandatory flags.
- Sync from template — After template changes, use Sync From Template on active onboardings.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | What to do |
|---|---|
| Template not suggested | Check company/department/designation filters |
| Sign button missing | Add Signature Template on required document row |
| Employee cannot sign | Ensure Employee is linked with personal or company email |
| Upload rejected | Row has signature template — use Sign document |
| Progress stuck below 100% | Complete all mandatory sections and documents |
| New template rows missing on active onboarding | Click Sync From Template on Employee Onboarding |
Related guides
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 |