Employee Onboarding Workflow in Odoo HR#
An inconsistent onboarding experience leaves new hires confused and slows productivity. Odoo automates the onboarding task list - generating activities for IT, HR, and the manager so every new employee gets the same quality start.
Onboarding Activity Plan#
HR → Configuration → Activity Plans → New (or use automated actions):
Define a checklist of onboarding tasks:
| Task | Owner | Due Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create IT account | IT Team | Day -1 | Email, VPN, laptop setup |
| Prepare workstation | Office Manager | Day -1 | Desk, equipment, access card |
| Benefits enrollment | HR | Day 1 | Health insurance, pension forms |
| New hire orientation | HR | Day 1 | Company overview, policies |
| System access walkthrough | IT Team | Day 2 | Odoo, Slack, GitHub access |
| 30-day check-in | Manager | Day 30 | First impression, early feedback |
| 90-day review | Manager | Day 90 | Performance conversation |
Automated Action to Create Onboarding Tasks#
Settings → Technical → Automation → Automated Actions → New:
- Model: Employee (hr.employee)
- Trigger: Record Created
- Action: Create Activity
- Activity Type: Task
- Summary: from the onboarding task list
- Due Date: relative (e.g., 30 days from today)
- Assigned To: specific users or job positions (IT Lead, HR Manager)
One automated action per task - all fire simultaneously when the employee record is created.
Employee Self-Service Onboarding#
HR → Configuration → Settings → Employee Portal:
- New hires access the portal before their start date
- Complete: personal information, emergency contact, banking details for payroll
- Upload: ID documents, tax forms, certifications
This eliminates paper forms and ensures data is in the system before Day 1.
Document Signing#
For employment contracts and NDAs:
HR → Employees → [Employee] → Documents → Send for Signature (requires Odoo Sign module):
- Upload the contract PDF
- Add signature fields (employee signature, witness)
- Send via email → employee signs digitally
- Signed document stored on the employee record
Tracking Onboarding Progress#
HR → Employees → [Employee] → Activities:
- All onboarding tasks visible in one place
- Completed tasks marked Done
- Overdue tasks highlighted in red
HR manager can see overall onboarding completion rate:
HR → Reporting → Onboarding Status → filter by start date → see % tasks completed for new cohort.