Introduction
Onboarding Templates are a highly customizable feature that allows for the seamless creation of self-onboarding welcome packets for newly hired employees. The customization of an Onboarding Template allows for the collection of personal information from the new hire, as well as the ability to have them review and complete company-related documents and tasks. Once the Onboarding Template is created, it can be sent electronically to the new hire for completion. The information gathered from the employee will be used to build their employee profile within Empeon Workforce, eliminating the need for manual data entry.
Using Onboarding Templates to send your employees self-onboarding packets will also initiate the registration of their ESS Account. With Onboarding Templates, onboarding materials can be tailored to include job-specific documents and resources, resulting in a smoother experience for both the employer and the employee. Onboarding Templates simplify the complexities of employee onboarding.
Setting Up a Onboarding Template
1. Navigate to the Company Tab.
2. From the lefthand menu, select Onboarding.
3. Then select the Onboarding Templates Card.
On this screen, Users will be able to view and manage any Onboarding Templates that have already been created within Empeon Workforce. To create a new template, click the blue button that says "+ New Onboarding Template".
Onboarding Template – Cards
To begin creating an Onboarding Template, start by selecting the "Cards" to include in the onboarding packet. Cards represent categories of information that will be included in the onboarding packet and must be completed by either the employee, or the employer after the employee has completed their portion.
This screen is split into two sections:
- Selected Cards - Located on the left side of the screen are the Cards already included within the onboarding packet. Upon initiating the creation of an Onboarding Template, there will be ten Cards that will automatically be included. With the exception of the Direct Deposit Card, these pre-selected Cards cannot be removed, as the information collected in these Cards are necessary for successful employee onboarding.
- Available Cards - Located on the right side of the screen are the Cards available to include within the onboarding packet. To add a Card from the available selection, simply click on the "plus sign" to the left of the Card's name.
Each Card will specify whether the information will need to be completed by the Employee or the Employer. There are only five Cards that will prompt offer the choice of whether it should be the employee or the employer completing this information: Direct Deposit, Custom Fields, Driver's Licenses, Education and Vehicles.
To remove a Card from the Selected Cards, hover over the card and a red minus sign will appear, allowing you to remove the Card. On the Cards that allow for the designation of whether the Employee or the Employer will input the information, there is a pencil icon next to the Employee/Employer label. Simply click on the label to modify the assignment.
To view the fields of information that are included with each Card, click the dropdown. While being able to view the fields of information within each Card, there is the ability to edit what fields of information will be required to complete. There will be some fields of information that will automatically be required and that will be indicated by a red asterisk.
Look at the Emergency Contacts Card for example:
The emergency contact's name is a mandatory field for this card and cannot be toggled off. However, additional fields of information can be marked as "Required" if needed. It is important to note that every field within the Card will still be visible to the employee, regardless of whether it is marked as "Required" or not. While employees will still have the option to enter information into non-required fields, they must absolutely provide information in the "Required" fields to proceed to the next section.
Once the selection of Cards is finalized, click the blue "Continue" button at the top of the screen.
Onboarding Template – Paths & Documents
The next step in constructing the Onboarding Template involves incorporating any Paths that have created and/or Documents that you have uploaded within the system.
Included Paths
Paths is a feature that allows for the creation of customized task sequences for employees, managers and Users to complete. These tasks can encompass various activities, such as watching a video, uploading a document, or reviewing and/or signing documents relating to company policies.
When you a Path has been configured, including it in this step will automatically incorporate all tasks assigned within the Path into the onboarding packet. Paths are addressed first on this screen because they can be configured to include documents for review and signing, as well as requests for document to be uploaded. This feature with Paths eliminates the need to incorporate these elements in the sections below.
To add a Path to the Onboarding Template, click the light blue box labeled "+ Include path". A drop down will appear showing all the Paths that have been set up within the system that are available for use.
Documents to Sign
Uploaded documents in the Document Library are required for the next step if additional documents need to be reviewed and signed by the employee. Please keep in mind that if a Path is included in this step, any documents within that Path will already be part of the onboarding packet. When considering any additional documents to provide to the employee, there is no need to include the I-9 or W-4 forms, as these forms are automatically collected for all W-2 new hires by default.
To add a document to be reviewed, utilize the section that says "Available Documents" to view the documents that are stored within the Documents Library. There is a search box that can be used to search by folder or file name. To add a document from the available selection, simply click on the "plus sign" next to the name of the document.
Documents to Upload
The last consideration in this section is whether there are any documents that the recipient needs to upload from their end. Please note once more that if there are any document upload requests included with a Path that has been added, it does not need to be included here.
To request a document upload from the employee, click "Add document upload".
The system will then prompt for the following fields to be entered:
- Document Name - Enter a suitable name for the document that the employee will upload.
- Document Description - Provide instructions regarding the document request such as file type and size.
- Who Should Upload This Document - Establish whether it should be the Employee, or the Admin (Employer) required to upload this document?
- Document is required - Toggling this on will make it so that the document needs to be uploaded before moving on to the next step in the onboarding packet.
After adding any Paths and/or Documents, click the blue "Continue" button at the top right of the screen.
Onboarding Template – Customization
The final step in constructing the Onboarding Template is to include a Welcome Message. This message will be included in the email that the employee receives, inviting them to begin the onboarding process. There is also the option to include a Welcome Video here. This video will not appear within the email invitation; instead, it will be the first thing the employee will review within their onboarding packet upon accepting the invite. Please note that the video can only be sourced from the following hosting providers: YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, and Dropbox. Please also note that if a Path has been added that includes a Welcome Video, adding a Welcome Video here would be redundant.
The email that is sent to the employee will first prompt them to register their ESS Account before completing their onboarding packet.
After saving the Onboarding Template, the next step is to select who will review and approve the onboarding process for the new hire.
- User - Select a specific User to be responsible for reviewing the completed onboarding packet.
- Role - Select a specific Role to be responsible for reviewing the completed onboarding packet. This will mean that any User assigned to the Role will have the ability to review and complete the onboarding packet.
- Manager - The employee's assigned manager will be responsible for reviewing the completed onboarding packet. For this to work, make sure to assign the employee a Manager when sending the onboarding packet.
- Initiator - The initiator is the person who sends out the onboarding packet to the employee. If this is assigned, they will also be responsible for reviewing the completed onboarding packet as well.
Upon establishing the Assignee, a Template Name and Template Description needs to be entered. If this will be the primary template that will be using most often, mark it as the primary template. Click "Save" to finalize the Onboarding Template and make it available to be sent out.
For more information on how to include an Onboarding Template as part of an onboarding packet and send it to employees, please refer to Empeon's article: Sending Onboarding Packets.
Editing Onboarding Templates
After the Onboarding Template has been set up, there may be a need to edit the contents of the template. To do this, click the Edit button for the respective Onboarding Template that requires editing.
The three dot menu next to the Edit button offers the options to simply view the Onboarding Template in order to see its current configuration as well as the option to delete the template altogether, if necessary.