Building a Reliable Onboarding Workflow in Employment Hero

Why onboarding matters more than most businesses realise

The first few weeks of employment set the tone for the entire employment relationship. New starters who feel well-supported and well-informed are more likely to engage quickly, perform well, and stay with the business. Those who are left to figure things out for themselves often take longer to reach full productivity — and are more likely to leave within the first six months.

Beyond the people side, onboarding has a compliance dimension. New starters need to provide tax file number declarations and superannuation choice forms. Employers must also provide the Fair Work Information Statement, and the Casual Employment Information Statement or Fixed Term Contract Information Statement where applicable. They need to receive their employment contract and any applicable policies. A structured onboarding workflow ensures these obligations are met consistently, every time.

What Employment Hero's onboarding module can do

Employment Hero's onboarding module is one of its most powerful features — when it's configured properly. It allows you to create a structured onboarding experience that guides new starters through everything they need to complete before their first day, on their first day, and in their first few weeks.

The platform can automatically send welcome emails, prompt new starters to complete their personal details and tax information, deliver their employment contract for electronic signing, and assign onboarding tasks to both the new starter and their manager. Done well, this can reduce the administrative burden of onboarding a new employee from several hours to less than thirty minutes.

Building your onboarding workflow

Start by mapping out what needs to happen before a new starter's first day. This typically includes sending the employment contract for signing, collecting tax file number and superannuation details, providing the Fair Work Information Statement, and sharing any pre-reading or access credentials they'll need on day one.

Then map out the first day and first week. What does the new starter need to know? Who do they need to meet? What systems do they need access to? What policies do they need to read and acknowledge? Employment Hero allows you to create task lists for both the new starter and their manager, with due dates and completion tracking.

Finally, consider the first 30, 60, and 90 days. A structured check-in process — with clear milestones and expectations — helps new starters understand what success looks like and gives managers a framework for providing feedback and support.

Common configuration mistakes

The most common mistake is building an onboarding workflow that's too long and too generic. If every new starter — regardless of role, location, or employment type — receives the same 40-item onboarding checklist, the workflow quickly becomes noise rather than signal. Build role-specific or team-specific workflows where the tasks are relevant to the actual role.

Another common issue is failing to assign manager tasks. Onboarding isn't just about what the new starter needs to do — it's also about what their manager needs to do to set them up for success. Employment Hero allows you to assign tasks to managers as well as new starters; use this feature.

Finally, make sure your onboarding workflow is connected to your contract and policy library. New starters should receive their employment contract and any relevant policies as part of the onboarding process — not as a separate manual step that gets forgotten.