When a recruitment process is done and a new team member joins the company, you need to promptly introduce them to the processes. In other words, explaining all the details regarding the workflow and checking whether they understand everything correctly is an essential part of the start process. However, it takes a lot of time. In order to avoid coming up with things over and over again, we developed onboarding automation for Jira (any other software can also fit this automation) workflow to streamline our processes:
Described regulations in such a way that anyone in the team could cope with this – even if the HR specialist responsible for onboarding is on vacation.
Created letter templates, guidelines, and checklists – HR specialists do not need to remember all the intricacies.
Automated the process as much as possible – a newbie follows the previously prepared roadmap with minimal emails conversations and maximal efficiency.
Onboarding process automation no-code stack.
Here’s a step by step breakdown of how we automate the onboarding process.
Step 1. Starting Onboarding Automatio - Welcoming - Integrating Step 2. Everything Is in Templates Step 3. Adding a Newcomer to CRM Step 4. Final Check and Interview Dismissal Process After All
Step 1. Starting Onboarding Automation
Automation process overview
Welcoming
At the same time as a newcomer signs a contract, an automation creates a new Google Workspace account and sends a welcome message with a temporary password for corporate email. After a new employee makes a first login, the following data is automatically updated: starting date, related department, manager, HR specialist in charge.
Employee’s Google Profile becomes visible to everyone in the company.
The person responsible for onboarding also receives the information about the new team member from HR, including their email address, first name, second name, position, and a list of projects for them. Next, they send the newcomer an invitation to the business chat (Slack) – all employees will communicate only over the business messenger. Once it’s done, the series of automated workflows are launched in Zapier at the same time.
Zapier is a service for integrating different applications. It collects data and runs automated workflows based on custom triggers. For example, you can set up the following workflow rules: when receiving a new message, send its text to another address, save attached images in the cloud, and notify my colleague that I started working on this message. The automated workflows are limited only by your imagination.
Using Zapier, we created a Slack bot that manages the whole workflow. The starting trigger is sending a newcomer a Slack invitation. Then, the bot immediately sends an invitation to the task manager (Jira or any other) and a welcome message to the chat.
Integrating
A welcome message to a new employee in the business chat (Slack screenshot).
This message is the first step to our infrastructure:
“WB—Tech: Getting Started” is a file with description of the overall processes and policies of our company. For example, the file contains a section with team contacts so the newbie knows how and where they can find any colleague.
Job Regulations: In this cloud, you can find files with roles. It contains job descriptions for each position within the company and important details. For example, there is a guideline for the onboarding specialist.
Jira (or other solution) is a task tracker that contains all the team’s tasks.
Once a newbie signs up in the business chat, the bot similarly sends a message to the onboarding specialist. The message contains a necessary actions checklist and project keys. Later, we are going to explain what all these keys and features mean.
The list of actions sent to onboarding specialists (Slack screenshot).
While the onboarding specialist is dealing with giving access and tasks in Jira (or any other solution), the bot has already notified the CFO about the joining of a new team member and transferred necessary information to the accounting software.
So, the bot performs three actions simultaneously:
1. It sends a welcome Slack message to a new employee;
2. It sends the onboarding checklist to the onboarding specialist;
3. It invites a newbie to Jira (or any other CRM).
Step 2. Everything Is in Templates
To set an introduction Jira (or any other CRM) task, the onboarding specialist does not need to invent anything. You can just use a template from the regulations.
The HR specialist sets the first task for a newcomer in the task tracker: to learn the WB—Tech regulations (Slack screenshot).
You can simply copy the text from the template to Jira. It is convenient for the newcomer if they have not previously dealt with our corporate CRM – they get introduced to our processes and, at the same time, understand the interface. And we can see how much time it took.
Step 3. Adding a Newcomer to Jira (or any other CRM) Projects
This is the step that cannot be fully automated as each time it is unique. The HR specialist needs to send their Jira (or any other CRM) projects links to the newcomer. The message itself is sent by the bot, but you need to ask for this action. For this, using the Push to Zapier feature in Slack, you need to provide the bot with the email address of the team member and project keys. See the process in the figure below:
The list of projects is compiled manually as each employee has a different set of projects.
As mentioned previously, the HR specialist already has the list of keys – the specialist receives them with the first onboarding checklist. Once the onboarding manager completes this task, the newcomer will receive an automated email with all the links.
The bot is sending a message with a unique list of projects to a newcomer (Slack screenshot).
Step 4. Final Check and Interview
This is the last stage of onboarding which helps you understand how attentive the new team member was and whether they figured out everything. By the way, there is also a checklist for this.
The HR specialist checks the statuses of tasks completed by a newcomer, whether they properly filled in their profile in Slack and CRM. As well as, whether they correctly logged time spent on the tasks. Also, the specialist records where the newcomer asked questions. Ideally, they should do it in the task itself or in Slack channels. We do not recommend to communicate in private messages.
The next stage is a call. Again, you do not need to invent anything, all you need to do is just follow the checklist steps:
The HR specialist tells what regulations are for, and how they help the teamwork.
The specialist comments on the processes. Whether a newcomer accomplished the first task well, which parts of the task were confusing, and which of them were not done at all.
The specialist explains to a newcomer where they can find tasks and projects. As well as, what the personal board is for and when it shows tasks. Accordingly, what a team member card is and when you need to charge the time in it and how you can do it.
If necessary, the specialist answers all additional questions.
Dismissal Process
The dismissal process starts when a manager submits a request within a Google Form. In that case, HR specialist receive notification and schedule an exit interview. Based on results of an exit interview HR specialist denies or approves the dismissal request by a simple click.
HR specialist just push a simple like/dislike to approve or deny the request.
Once you approve the request the automation revoke all the access rights from the employee.
After All
Our onboarding automation is a process that always changes. Therefore we collect feedback from our customers and new team members, work out bottlenecks and alter the workflow. In the light of this, what do you think we can still automate and simplify? Write us and let’s discuss.
P.S. If you want to reduce the time of the new employees’ onboarding to a day and make the process automated, please contact us. No code, no subscriptions fee, budget-friendly.
