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Start the onboarding process

Learn how to onboard a new hire in Workstream, starting with marking them as hired.

This article walks you through how to start the onboarding process for new hires in Workstream.

The steps differ depending on your version:

  • Classic version: Has a dedicated Onboarding tab.

  • New version: Onboarding is part of the Team tab.
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📌 Before you can onboard new hires, first change the applicant’s status to "Hired". This automatically tags them for onboarding.

Classic version

Newly hired employees will appear in the New list where you can start their onboarding.

  1. Find the team member

    1. In Team View, go to Onboarding › Overview.

    2. In the New tab, find the employee you want to onboard, then select Start onboarding.
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  2. Start onboarding

    1. Select the Onboarding process you want to take them through, then complete the following fields (these may vary depending on your setup):

      1. Hired date and Start date

      2. Compensation

      3. Employment type

      4. Exemption status (Exempt or Non-exempt)

      5. Additional pay

      6. Manager (optional)

    2. Once all steps are completed, click Next, confirm the information, then click Confirm and Send Invitation.

​The new hire will now receive both an email and a text message to start their onboarding. They will also be moved from the New to the In progress list.

Managers who have the Manage onboarding permission and are assigned to the new hire's location and department are notified by email and text, if When a new hire's onboarding process is started is turned on.
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New version

Newly hired employees will appear in the Waiting to onboard list where you can start their onboarding.

💡 The new version combines Active, Onboarding, and Offboarded employees in one place.

  1. In Team View, select the Team tab, then go to the Onboarding tab.

  2. Find the team member under Waiting to onboard, then select Start onboarding.
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  3. Complete the required fields and choose the Onboarding process, then select Preview.
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  4. On Preview team member, check the details, then select Confirm (or Back to edit).

  5. On Employment setup, fill in the Job and earnings details card and select Save:

    • Tax entity (carried over from earlier step)

    • Job title (select from existing jobs or create new)

    • Workplace location

    • Earning types and amounts. Use + Add another earning to include more earning types, or Assign another job if the employee will have multiple roles.

  6. Choose policies in the Time off card, then select Save.
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​The new hire will now receive both an email and a text message to start their onboarding. They will also be moved from Waiting to onboard to the In progress list.

Managers aren't notified when onboarding starts. Once the new hire finishes their part and a manager task is waiting, managers are notified through When a new hire and their onboarding tasks are pending your review.

？What happens after you start onboarding?

  • Automatic Reminder: If the new hire hasn't finished within 48 hours, Workstream sends them a reminder by email and text that lists their unfinished tasks.

  • Follow-up options: You can also select Resend onboarding link anytime to give them a quick nudge.
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Duplicate profile validation (New version only)

Workstream automatically checks for duplicate employee records (for example, when two profiles share the same SSN). This helps keep your team data accurate and prevents duplicate entries.

If a duplicate SSN is detected, the new hire sees a Double check your info pop-up during onboarding. They can either:

  • My info is correct → They see "Your manager has been notified. Please wait for further updates."

  • Back to edit → Correct the duplicate data.
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When a duplicate is flagged, take these actions:

  1. Open the flagged employee’s profile.

  2. Select View next to the duplicate notice. The Merge employee profiles pop-up opens.

  3. Compare the new and existing profiles side by side.
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  4. Decide if it’s the same person:

    • If it is the same person

      1. Check the boxes to pull new information into the existing profile.

      2. Select Merge profiles & Start onboarding (if the existing profile is offboarded) or Confirm & Merge profiles (if the existing profile is active).
        ​Note: This merges their information into one record and can't be undone.

    • If it is not the same person

      1. Select They are not same person?, then choose:

        • Request submission to ask the new hire to re-verify and resubmit their information, or

        • Update existing profile SSN to correct the SSN on the existing profile first (if it had a typo), then request a new submission.

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