Onboarding is often your new hire’s first real experience with your company, and trust us, first impressions matter . You only get to make a first impression once. Messy, manual processes can leave a bad taste, leading to disengagement or even early turnover.
But here’s the good news: Workday has the tools you need to create an onboarding experience that’s seamless, automated, and scalable. Whether you’re running a fast-growing startup or managing an enterprise team, Workday ensures every new hire feels welcome, supported, and excited to hit the ground running.
Below, we’ll show you 5 key steps to build a scalable onboarding process in Workday that sets employees (and your business) up for success.
1. Map Out Your Perfect Onboarding Journey
The first step? Get clear on your ideal onboarding flow before touching any Workday configurations.
Think about the experience you want new hires to have from the moment they accept their offer through their first week. Here’s a sample flow to inspire you:
- Offer Accepted: Trigger pre-boarding communications immediately.
- Pre-Day One: Set up Workday access, and equipment, and share welcome materials.
- Day One: Provide training access, guide benefits enrollment, and introduce the team.
- First Week: Schedule manager check-ins and assign their first projects.
Use Workday’s Onboarding Business Process (BP) framework to structure these steps. Smart use of conditional rules ensures everything flows smoothly, whether the hire is a remote worker, manager, or contractor.
Mapping this out visually before automating helps avoid missed touchpoints and sets the stage for a successful process!
2. Close the Pre-Hire “Black Hole”
The time between a job offer and Day One can feel like a waiting void for new hires. But it doesn’t have to! With Workday’s tools, you can turn that black hole into a launchpad for excitement and early engagement:
- Deliver onboarding content the moment your candidate accepts the offer.
- Send personalized “Day One” logistics like parking details, manager intros, or dress codes via SMS or mobile-friendly platforms.
- Use pre-boarding tools to share welcome videos, early tasks, and self-service access so hires can get up to speed before they clock in.
Early connection reduces no-show rates, calms those pesky first-day nerves, and nurtures loyalty from day one. Bonus tip? Integrate external access if you use Workday Recruiting for a seamless experience.
3. Leverage Workday Journeys and Onboarding Plans for Automation
Automation is your secret weapon for scaling onboarding, and Workday comes with two super-useful tools for the job!
Journeys
Journeys offer a personalized experience based on specific roles or departments. Add everything from learning modules to tasks and videos, all in one guided path. Reminders on the Workday home page and email ensure your new employees stay on track.
Onboarding Plans (New in Workday 2025R1!)
Onboarding Plans are a game-changer. Here’s what to love:
- Custom-branded welcome messages
- Seamless pre-boarding with mobile-first access
- Required learning and tasks that drive accountability
- Translations for a globally consistent experience
Together, these features create an onboarding process that’s not just thorough but genuinely engaging. It’s onboarding with a touch of flair!
4. Assign Roles and Approvals with Precision 🛠️
Missed tasks? Delayed approvals? These bottlenecks are onboarding’s worst enemies.
To prevent hiccups:
- Use role-based task routing in Workday to send approvals to the right people (based on attributes like location or role).
- Build reminders and escalations to ensure tasks don’t get stuck.
- Rely on Workday dashboards to monitor overall progress and troubleshoot if needed.
When every task has a clear owner, your onboarding process becomes a well-oiled machine.
5. Track Progress and Continuously Optimize 📊
A “set-it-and-forget-it” approach doesn’t apply to onboarding. To keep improving, measure everything!
Workday’s reporting features make it easy to monitor:
- Task completion rates
- Trends like time-to-completion for different teams
- Manager participation in onboarding activities
- New hire feedback through integrated surveys
Analyze these reports regularly to surface bottlenecks, tweak your processes, and scale smarter as you grow.
Final Thoughts
Building a scalable onboarding process in Workday goes beyond efficiency. It’s about creating an exceptional experience that makes every new hire feel like they belong.
By mapping out your process, fostering early engagement, automating tasks, ensuring clear roles, and tracking results, you can transform onboarding into a strategic advantage.
Your next step? Don’t just aim for great onboarding. Make it remarkable. Need support getting started? We’d love to help!
Set your new hires up for success while strengthening your company culture. Start shaping the future of your workforce with Workday tools today!