TABLE OF CONTENTS
8 Key Steps to Automate the New Employee Onboarding Process
If you’re part of an HR or IT team, you know new employee onboarding is tough.
From getting equipment ready to completing paperwork, the list of tasks is LONG.
Estimates even say that one in three new hires leave their job within the first 90 days due to inadequate onboarding procedures.
That’s why a smooth onboarding process matters so much. And one way to create a seamless new hire onboarding experience is through automation—setting up key processes in the employee onboarding journey to run automatically, minimizing human input.
That’s what this article is about. We’ll tell you how you can automate your onboarding flow to simplify things for HR and IT managers. Read on.
TL;DR:
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Automating onboarding simplifies repetitive tasks and keeps everything on track—saving HR and IT managers from the usual headaches.
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Automating your onboarding workflow can eliminate time-consuming paperwork and the number of administrative tasks, improving job satisfaction and employee retention.
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Automated IT provisioning ensures new hires have their tools and access ready on day one; no more scrambling.
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Use personalized, role-specific training workflows to make sure every new hire gets the right learning experience at the right time.
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.Self-service portals and chatbots help employees find answers fast without bothering HR.
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Performance tracking and compliance reporting become a breeze with automated systems handling the behind-the-scenes work.
IT teams use Workwize to manage their entire lifecycle of global IT hardware.
Challenges of Onboarding Employees Manually
Gallup reports that only 12% of employees feel their organizations excel at onboarding.
And a key reason is the complexity of the process, with HR and IT teams handling everything manually—from setting up devices to managing paperwork.
This not only creates stress but also burdens already overloaded teams. Here’s why manual processes fall short:
The manual onboarding process feels impersonal
Employees must quickly connect with their colleagues to hit the ground running. However, it’s tough to help them feel connected when HR is bogged down with manually handling individual tasks.
Organizing team introductions, scheduling one-on-one dinners, or arranging meetups becomes a huge time sink for an already overburdened HR team. This leaves new hires without the personal touch that encourages engagement.
The employee experience suffers
Starting a new job naturally comes with a lot of questions. If employees can’t quickly get answers, they’re either left in the dark or waste valuable time trying to find information.
Worse, they might repeatedly turn to their colleagues (especially IT) for help, pulling them away from their work. This bottleneck drags down productivity for everyone involved.
Admin tasks become slow and there's increased likelihood of errors
Manually setting up access to facilities, software, and equipment is time-consuming and prone to mistakes—especially as the company scales.
Delays happen, and even when tasks are completed, there’s no guarantee they’ll be done correctly. For instance, a new hire might accidentally be given access to sensitive data, creating legal risks, or submitting I-9 forms could be delayed beyond the three-day deadline.
Such challenges can be avoided by automating crucial processes when onboarding new employees.
Coordination between IT and HR teams takes a backseat
Onboarding relies on HR manually sending IT reliable information—start dates, roles, and required access—through emails or spreadsheets. Sometimes, delays, miscommunication, or incomplete information result in severe bottlenecks.
For instance, HR might input data inconsistently, leading IT to provision the wrong software or set incorrect access permissions. These inefficiencies compound when HR and IT teams work on tight schedules. The result is missed deadlines and unproductive onboarding experiences.
What is Employee Onboarding Automation and Why It Matters
Employee onboarding automation involves using technology to automate certain aspects of the overall process of onboarding new employees. For instance, consider automated emails that reach new hires automatically and contain information about their role or department.
You can also automate other processes, such as setting up new employee equipment and its shipment, without IT teams manually having to coordinate logistics and delivery.
An automated onboarding process significantly reduces the load on IT and HR teams. It also means quicker onboarding schedules, better employee engagement, higher employee satisfaction, and more.
Let’s examine some practical steps to automate your new employee onboarding process before we discuss its benefits.
Steps to Automate the New Employee Onboarding Process
Here are practical steps to automate your onboarding flow:
Automate pre-onboarding communication
Automating pre-onboarding communication takes the pressure off of starting a new job, both for the new hire and for you.
Tools like BambooHR or Greenhouse will let you send personalized welcome emails beyond just “Here’s your start date.” You can personalize these emails by including team introductions, a note from their manager, or facts about your company's culture or core values.
Use dynamic content that updates based on role or location. For example, if they join remotely, the email will link them directly to virtual onboarding resources. Also, set up automated reminders for outstanding tasks, like submitting paperwork or finishing pre-hire training.
This makes for an engaging hire experience that employees will enjoy.
And let’s not forget employee profiles. Workday, Gusto, and other similar tools let you automate the creation of employee accounts in your HR system. When your new hire walks through the door (or logs in remotely), their email, Slack, and other tools should already be set up.
Pro tip: Before starting with automation, map the onboarding journey from pre-boarding to full integration. Identify touchpoints and interactions that can be automated, like account setups, document submissions, and employee training schedules, to save time and trouble.
Streamline digital forms and IT onboarding
Use intelligent forms with IT-focused form creation tools instead of sending out multiple PDFs for IT setup requests. These forms auto-fill details like the new hire’s name, department, and role so IT teams can provision the right tools and access without redundant data entry.
You can also use conditional logic, meaning the system only shows relevant sections based on the employee's role. For instance, if a new hire doesn’t need access to specific systems or software, the form skips those requests automatically.
Once completed, the forms can automatically sync with your IT service management (ITSM) system or ticketing platform. This makes requests trackable, automates equipment provisioning, and stores everything in a centralized system—saving you from chasing down emails or tickets for setup details.
"Workwize is a complete IT hardware lifecycle automation platform that helps onboard new employees from anywhere.
It’s one platform you can use to procure IT equipment and deploy and manage it easily. When employees leave, Workwize also allows one-click retrievals and responsible equipment disposals.
Workwize syncs with all your HRIS systems, so IT teams can see new employees as soon as they’re onboarded. They can then easily order required equipment and ship it to wherever your employees are. It also offers employees an ITSM platform, so they never have to waste time getting help with their IT."
Remove complexity from IT access and provisioning
Automation simplifies the entire IT access and provisioning process, so you’re not scrambling to set up email accounts, software logins, or system access the night before they start.
There are tools (Jumpcloud, Okta, etc.) that handle the heavy lifting by automatically provisioning resources based on the employee’s role. This means that if they’re in sales, for example, they’ll get access to the CRM, Slack channels, and email accounts they need.
For hardware, you can use IT Asset Management (ITAM) software such as Workwize to track and manage device allocations. It will help you track every device and inform you exactly what equipment has been assigned to which employee, along with installed licenses, usage patterns, and more.
You can even integrate automation to notify the IT team if a device delivery hits a snag so it’s taken care of before it becomes an issue.
If you want to take it further, consider implementing Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). It automates access permissions based on an employee’s specific role or department—no more worrying if someone has access to sensitive files they shouldn’t. Everything’s handled upfront, and access is granted or revoked on its own when roles change.
Create workflows for role-specific training.
Training new hires can be a headache, especially when the training is different for every role. With automation, however, you can set up role-specific training workflows so everyone gets the right training when needed.
Use a Learning Management System (LMS) like Cornerstone or Docebo to create personalized training programs automatically assigned to each new hire based on their role.
LMS platforms track progress, so you can see in real-time who has finished their courses and might need some encouragement.
If you really want to make the experience unique, set up Adaptive Learning Paths that adjust the training content based on how the employee is doing. If the employee is breezing through basic modules, the system skips ahead to more advanced material. If they’re struggling, it slows down and provides extra resources.
Design a self-service portal for new employees
No one wants to send a dozen emails asking where to find company policies or how to set up their email signature. A self-service portal streamlines onboarding and gives new hires control over their experience.
Start by building a portal (or two, depending on function) that acts as a one-stop shop for all their needs—FAQs, how-to guides, and company resources. Employees should be able to visit the portal when they receive their login credentials.
For added efficiency, integrate an AI-powered chatbot into the portal. This bot should be able to handle routine questions—like, “What’s the Wi-Fi password?” or “How do I submit my timesheet?”—without needing to intervene.
Most chatbots can be programmed to pull answers from your internal knowledge base and provide helpful, tailored information. To keep things interactive, embed tutorials or step-by-step guides directly into the portal.
If you’re using Workwize as your IT partner, you can also embed comprehensive IT assistance within this portal.
Workwize comes with a dedicated self-service platform employee can use to request help with their IT equipment anytime they encounter a problem. There’s also an AI-enabled chatbot for even quicker support.
Read More: Hardware Procurement Automation: All You Need to Know
Make a task automation system for managers, HR and IT teams
While automating the employee side of onboarding is necessary, let’s not forget the managers, HR, and IT teams who must keep track of everything behind the scenes.
Set up an automated task management system using work management tools like Asana or Trello. These systems can generate an onboarding checklist with tasks specific to each new hire’s role and automatically assign those tasks to the right people—the hiring manager, IT, or HR.
Want to ensure things don’t get stalled? Set up automatic reminders to ping managers or HR when important check-ins (like the 30-day review) or approvals (like signing off on benefits) are coming up. Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc., integrate with project management systems to send gentle nudges so people stay on track without micromanaging.
This keeps the process moving smoothly and gives managers more time to focus on getting the new hire up to speed instead of chasing down paperwork.
Implement performance tracking and feedback automation
Tracking progress and gathering feedback shouldn’t be a chore—automation makes it seamless. To collect ongoing feedback, set up automatic surveys that hit key onboarding milestones—like after the first week, the end of the first month, and even quarterly. These surveys should gather insights on how the new hire is settling in, and where they might need more support.
Then, there are performance check-ins. Rather than relying on managers to remember every follow-up, automate this through your HRIS.
Nowadays, most HRIS systems can automatically schedule regular performance reviews, sending calendar invites to both the manager and the new hire. These automated check-ins keep feedback loops consistent without anyone having to coordinate schedules manually.
And don’t forget about progress reports—automate those, too. Generate reports based on performance metrics and feedback so managers have real-time data on how each new employee is doing.
Automate compliance and reporting
Compliance might be one of the less glamorous parts of onboarding, but it’s essential. Luckily, automation can handle the grunt work.
With Workwize, you can automatically track which devices are assigned to new hires, whether they’ve installed necessary software, and if they adhere to security protocols. You’ll get real-time insights into who’s following the rules, who might need a nudge, and where potential risks are lurking.
On the reporting side, you can automate the generation of status updates on compliance, employee progress, and the overall onboarding process. Systems like SAP SuccessFactors or Zoho People pull data on who’s completed their training, and who still needs to, and even provide insights into how well employees absorb the material.
These reports can be set to automatically arrive in your inbox at regular intervals, allowing management to get a bird' s-eye view of compliance rates and onboarding efficiency without lifting a finger.
Why Automate Your Employee Onboarding Process?
Most employees often overlook onboarding and consider it a tedious process. Ironically, neglecting onboarding leads to issues like a lack of clarity about organizational processes later.
Automated onboarding lets employees zip through the stages while driving long-term employee success. But that's not all. Here are many more reasons.
Automation increases efficiency
Automating onboarding simplifies the complex and multi-departmental tasks of onboarding a new employee. It integrates processes like document submission, compliance checks, training assignments, and IT provisioning into a more unified and efficient workflow.
Helps you stay compliant with regulations
Onboarding means you’ll be handling lots of sensitive employee data.
Automation helps guarantee that all personal and confidential information is processed securely through a well-established process. You can place security measures, such as encryption, access controls, and audit trails throughout the onboarding system.
Automating the tracking, documentation, and reporting of required onboarding activities also ensures that data is handled without misuse and helps you meet regulatory compliance standards.
Extends onboarding to include training
Beyond initial onboarding, automated surveys and feedback mechanisms can note employee experiences at various intervals (e.g., after the first day, 30 days, 90 days).
This ongoing engagement is necessary because it allows you to identify issues early on and refine the onboarding process for better outcomes.
Cultivates a better learning environment
Starting a new job often comes with a flood of information, which is overwhelming for new hires.
Automation helps ease this by blending digital tools with a human touch to create a more balanced learning environment. It helps new hires get comfortable with their roles faster.
No one has to tackle complex systems like CRMs, benefits enrollment, or internal communications alone—automation ensures they have the right tools and guidance at hand.
Provides broader organizational benefits
While HR might spearhead the use of onboarding automation, the benefits ripple through the entire organization:
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Accounting: Automates payroll setup and benefits enrollment
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IT: Streamlines employee onboarding tasks, such as setting up computers and issuing ID cards
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Management: Cuts down the time and cost of cross-training
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Customer Service: Enhances training based on real-time feedback to boost service quality
Common Onboarding Mistakes to Avoid
If your new hires enjoy a positive employee onboarding experience, they’re 18 times more likely to feel committed to your company. To make sure all goes well during onboarding, avoid these common pitfalls:
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Avoid delays in setting up IT: If new hires don’t receive their laptops, access credentials, or software accounts on time, it hinders productivity and leads to frustration immediately.
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Prevent inconsistent experiences throughout the onboarding flow: When different departments or managers handle onboarding differently, new hires receive inconsistent training and information. This makes new hires confused about processes and dampens their expectations.
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Always provide role-specific training: Providing only generic company training without focusing on the specific tasks or tools new employees will use leaves them unprepared for their actual job responsibilities.
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Don’t fail to communicate job expectations clearly: Vague or unclear instructions about job responsibilities or performance expectations lead to misalignment between the new hire’s understanding of their role and what the company expects.
Simplify New Employee Onboarding With Workwize
It doesn’t take much for onboarding to spiral into a chaotic mess, especially as your team grows. But with automation on your side, it doesn’t have to be a stress-fest.
Set up the intelligent workflows we have discussed to create a seamless, welcoming experience that scales effortlessly. So, wave goodbye to the chaos and say hello to a smoother, more effective onboarding process that keeps everyone—HR, IT managers, and new hires—happy.
Book a Workwize Demo now!
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