Training Resources related to this topic include: Manage Onboarding for New Hires (Guide); Onboarding Status Report for Managers (Guide); Onboarding Tasks for Newly Hired Employees (Guide); Hire Staff (Guide); Hire Faculty (Guide); Hire Student Employees (Guide); Hire Staff Part 1(Video); Hire Staff Part II (Video); Hire Faculty (Video); Hiring Students (Video); Amend I-9 Forms (Guide)
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Who initiates onboarding?
The employee’s manager and the HR Liaison receive the tasks needed to move onboarding forward. Either individual can initiate or submit. This functionality was enabled on July 30, 2026, and applies to any hiring processes initiated on or after this date. Processes initiated before this date must be completed by the manager.
How soon can a newly hired employee begin onboarding?
When the hire process is completed, a task to set up onboarding is sent to the hiring manager and HR Liaison for completion. As soon as that task is completed, onboarding tasks for the employee are available in Workday. Note that new hires will not receive the onboarding tasks more than 14 days prior to their hire date.
What onboarding tasks can the employee complete before the first day?
The employee may be able to complete personal information, tax information, direct deposit, Social Security number information, I-9 information and other onboarding tasks before beginning work.
Should faculty supervisors be told that they have onboarding tasks?
Yes. Although HR Liaisons may now receive the same actions for newly initiated processes, managers and faculty supervisors should remain aware of their responsibilities and monitor their Workday tasks.
What should I do if onboarding does not start after the hire is approved?
Check with the manager to ensure they have completed the Onboarding Set Up task. If they have and the onboarding tasks are not in the employee’s My Task list, submit a ServiceNow case and include the names of all affected employees. This is especially important if the employees are not receiving I-9 or other required onboarding activities.
Why might onboarding not have started for employees converted from PeopleSoft?
Conversion processes were intentionally limited during the transition, so some onboarding processes may not have launched. Converted employees may already have completed documents, such as an I-9, but affected records should still be reviewed.
How can an HR Liaison see where an employee hire is in the approval process?
If the HR Liaison initiated the process, they can open the event from their Workday archive and select the Overall Process link. The process will usually appear as Hire: [Employee Name].
The process history shows:
- Completed steps
- Current pending steps
- The person responsible for the next action
- Any tasks awaiting action
How can I locate a hire process if I did not open it from my archive?
Search for the employee’s name in Workday or My Tasks, filter the results by process and locate the employee’s Hire event. Open the Overall Process view to see its status.
Are there reports for tracking onboarding?
Yes. HR Liaisons and managers can use onboarding reports, subject to their security access, to review:
- Onboarding completion status
- Outstanding tasks
- The person responsible for each task
- The current process step(s) awaiting action
Available reports include the CU Onboarding Status Details and the Onboarding Business Process Status Summary Report.
Will onboarding reports display all employee employees?
The results are limited by the user’s security access. For example, a report may display only employees within the user’s college, department or assigned organization.
Can I permanently customize the People to Meet onboarding template?
No. The People to Meet onboarding template cannot currently be customized for an individual user’s preferences. Remove or adjust the prepopulated people for each onboarding event as needed.
Step-by-step instructions for most tasks in Workday are available in the Workday Training Library. If you have a question that is not answered here or via a training guide or self-paced training submit a ServiceNow case.
